At Bampton Church of England School, we embrace opportunities offered by the outdoors to extend children’s C360 learning and play beyond the classroom. We are enormously fortunate to be situated in glorious grounds and are proud of our extensive outdoor learning area which includes; an amphitheatre, 3 playgrounds designated for climbing, small play and larger team-based activities, a gardening area, a school pond area, a sports field, a woodland area, a covered heated swimming pool and designated outdoor learning areas linked to every classroom.
Teachers are encouraged to use our extensive outdoor facilities, to enable them to develop creative learning opportunities for the children, weaving them into everyday learning to engage children’s interest and develop important life-skills and knowledge.
The school is also situated on the edge of the beautiful Exmoor National Park, which brings further opportunities for outdoor learning experiences. Children are able to explore their wider environment and collect, analyse and communicate with a range of resources gathered through experiences of fieldwork that deepen their understanding of their place in the world. They are also able to take part in stimulating physical activities, such as participating in the annual Exmoor Challenge with children from other schools across the county.
We believe outdoor experiences promote happy and healthy children, inspiring them to learn in depth across the curriculum, encouraging them to become more aware of and engage joyfully with the natural environment throughout the seasons in an exciting and creative way. The outdoors is a wonderful antidote to the demands of our modern life, helping children to connect to the pleasures of the natural world, exploring the natural resources around them.
If we can nurture a sense of wonder and encourage our children to appreciate the natural world around them, as future leaders they will have a heightened awareness and empathy for their environment and planet, which will empower them to have a positive effect on global change.