Outdoor Education / DofE

Students at Newbridge House  & Channelside have the opportunity to take part in Outdoor Education.
The value of Outdoor Education is widely recognised as contributing to personal growth and greater self-awareness by helping to develop personal qualities such levels of confidence, responsibility, trust, care, tolerance and the willingness to give and accept support.

The PRS offer a wide range of outdoor activities including caving, navigation skills, ghyll scrambling and other adventurous activities. The activities are undertaken at numerous locations in South Cumbria, including Coniston, Langdale, Grizedale Forest, Gummer’s How and other local areas of interest.

As well as offering challenging and enjoyable activities, Outdoor Education has links with other areas of the curriculum, including Maths, English and Science.

Maintaining a child centred approach, we offer outdoor education to those students across KS2-4 who have disengaged or have barriers to their learning – through a bespoke timetable.

Using resources, such as the ‘Welfare Van’ – we offer a safe, secure learning environment in a range of settings. We often complete CORE subjects with a Southern Lakeland Fells backdrop or Foundation subjects with the view of the Irish Sea. This allows students to relax and engage in subjects or topics they don’t feel as confident completing, in a classroom setting.

Positive student wellbeing and raising aspirations is fundamental to their time with us at South Cumbria PRS. Informed by the Leuven scale of wellbeing in outdoor learning, we strive to maintain positive mental health which ultimately impacts the amount of learning the students can access.

Find out more about the Leuven scale here: Learning Journals and Leuven Scale.

For the John Muir Award – students will undertake a range of activities and projects to: care for, maintain and contribute to the environment around them. This is assessed through practical hours and a portfolio of evidence.

• In September 2021 the Pupil Referral Service were lucky enough to secure our project proposal in collaboration with St Paul’s C of E School, creating The Wellness Wood. Using ideas to promote confidence, resilience and communication skills we aim to have a positive impact on the mental wellbeing of students, whilst being outdoors.
• In December 2022, our long time supporters Morgan Sindall, gifted us a ‘Wellness Vehicle’ which allows us to take outdoor learning across a wider area, positively contributing to the social, emotional and mental needs of our students. Visiting woodlands, beaches and educational facilities across the South Lakes.

We continue to partner with national and local organisations to raise the aspirations of our students. Monthly collaborative projects with Natural England have been extremely successful and allows the students to gain valuable work experience in an environment they are comfortable in.

Place-based Learning – Current projects:

• Primary School Projects – St Pius Nature Area/St Paul’s Wellness Wood
• Beach Schools – Attend workshops/campaigns alongside The Roundhouse Hub
• Planting for Pollinators – Part of a Westmorland & Furness Council initiative
• Natural England – Monthly collaborative work with Natural England Staff over North Walney Nature Reserve

Our Outdoor Learning students had the opportunity to contribute their ideas and give their opinions on a Council led restoration project. Working in collaboration with Westmorland & Furness Council, Cumbria Wildlife Trust and a range of volunteers – students conducted a site visit, selected appropriate trees/shrubs and created a timeline plan for the process. During phase 1, Students worked as part of a team to plant 85 trees/shrubs over 4 days.

Dan Webber, our Outdoor Learning Instructor, said: “The students showed a great attitude and approach to the project. They loved seeing their initial ideas come to fruition and are looking forward to phase 2”.