What?

Outdoor learning is a fundamental part of our approach and all classes can move freely indoor and out all day. We have sets of waterproof clothing and wellies so that children can play outside in any weather. We have developed green spaces across the school, including a rooftop garden for the children to grow their own food. We have bird boxes, bird baths, bug houses and a wormery. Children do den building, and we collect old tyres, pushchairs, tarpaulins, cable reels and suitcases for imaginative and construction play. Our playground is home to two chickens, Mac & Cheese, whose needs the children must learn to manage. In collaboration with our tenants, The Visionaries, we host a camping trip for Reception and Year 1 each year where families are invited to join us overnight in Epping Forest to be immersed together in the great outdoors. 

Why?

We believe that authentically motivating our community to take action on behalf of our planet starts with helping foster a deep connection with nature (Charles et al., 2018). This is only possible when outdoor learning is embedded in the design and implementation of a curriculum that reaches beyond the confines of the National Curriculum and prioritises our students' engagement in nature. 

How?

• Children have access to continuous provision, both indoor and outdoor, until the end of Year 2. 

• Staff recieve CPD and specific training to build skills on how to create opportunities for learning outside. 

• We don't have wet play. Instead, we equip all our classrooms with enough wet-weather gear so we can have outside play anytime. 

What?

Our plan, which has been developed through a consultation with the children, families, staff and local community is to rewild the playground. A plan to create a thriving space for growing food, a natural play area, a bird sanctuary and a mini orchard has been drawn up. The ultimate goal of this project is to establish a Community Garden, which will be open on evenings and weekends for local families and residents to access, alongside being used by the school children.

Through this space we hope they will be able to grow their own local organic food, enjoy playing in a natural space, build community connections and improve their mental health. We see this as an inspirational community resource run by and for our school's local community. We hope this will create a model for how schools can help urban families to live sustainably in the city.

Why?

Young people have the most to lose from global warming. So whilst focusing as a society on what we need to do to get to Net Zero, we should be thinking about young people, their perspective on the issue, what they feel should be done, what they themselves can do. What schools do is particularly important. Schools can turn young people into ambassadors for change – in their families, in their communities and in the wider world. 

How?

• Engaging our parent and student community has been vital in the success of this project. From surveying them for ideas, to collaborating with them on fundraising, to benefitting from their time and expertise and leveraging their professional connections.

• Fundraising and applying to grants is how we've afforded to implement this exciting change. So far, The Visionaries School Lab have fundraised around £50.000 with digging beginning in February half-term, 2024.

Hear what the children and families at the school think about the project. 

What?

Our curriculum vision represents our expansive view of an education of the Head, Heart and Hand. At School 360, the pupils experience a project-based learning approach in which they work on a problem that is relevant to them, their families, their community, or the global community. Many of these projects focus on the climate crisis in a way that empowers children through knowledge and action, exploring and developing their authentic connection with nature. 

Why?

Quite simply, we see this learning as necessary if the next generation are to navigate the climate crisis with agency and psychological safety. We don't want environmental justice to be an add on, so it is embedded into our curriculum through the cross-curricula projects that the children experience in the classroom. 

How?

• Collaborative project planning and project 'tuning' where staff from across the school can contribute ideas or provide expertise and ensure our projects are in line with our school values. 

• Leveraging our network: our school has attracted families for whom environmental justice is a priority. We have found them to be valuable resources for providing expertise, delivering CPD, suggesting resources, providing feedback and developing or leading learning experiences for our students.