New Pasture
LaneOutdoor Learning
NPL is proud to be a Nature Friendly School!
The whole of 2021 was a very exciting year as NPL began its’ journey with Nature Friendly Schools, a ground-breaking project funded by the Department for Education and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) (https://www.naturefriendlyschools.co.uk/).
Our aims were simple:
- to improve the grounds to enhance outdoor learning (OL) for all pupils;
- to build the confidence and skills of staff to deliver OL across the curriculum and;
- to help pupils to connect with nature for their improved health, well-being and academic resilience in addition to their learning.
With the guidance of Andy Steele of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (https://www.ywt.org.uk/), our NFS Education Officer, we carried out groundworks to the school, purchased equipment to support OL and undertook staff training and development.
Then in October 2021 we kickstarted the NFS project with the children by having a whole school Nature Friendly writing week. Each year group was given an outside area of the school and they worked with Andy to make it “pollinator friendly”.
Each year group is now responsible for maintaining this area so that as children move up through the school they will experience and explore a variety of growing sites and habitats.
|
Year Group |
Outside area |
|
F1 |
Vegetable plot (nursery) |
|
F2 |
Raised beds and planters (reception playground) |
|
Year 1 |
Raised beds (main playground) |
|
Year 2 |
Fairy Garden (playground) |
|
Year 3 |
Wormery (playground) |
|
Year 4 |
|
|
Year 5 |
Meadow |
|
Year 6 |
Trees/birdwatching – feeding area |
Drone footage of our outside classroom and wildlife meadow area.
Our outdoor classroom and wildlife meadow area being used.
Wildlife Meadow being mapped out.
In addition to these areas we now have an amazing outside classroom, to further support OL and activities such as Gardening Club and litter picking continue to be enthusiastically attended by the children.
Building on the success of our first NFS year, we have many plans for 2022 including;
- additional groundworks to help us become more sustainable in our gardening activities and expand our habitats;
- engaging the children in activities such as becoming Nature Mentors, Weather Station monitors and bird watchers;
- forging nature links with other local schools and nature organisations;
- joining the national B Lines Insect Superhighway.
https://www.buglife.org.uk/news/new-plan-for-uk-wide-insect-superhighways-launched/
