Outdoor Education

Curriculum Overview

Outdoor Learning at Marland Day School is all about educating the students in a range of settings outside of the school site to develop life skills, improve team work, improve confidence and self-esteem whilst working alongside the main curriculum. As a department, we provide a number of enriching experiences to the students within this area of their education. We work with the boys on their soft skills which include developing their communication skills, conflict resolution, empathy for others, listening skills, decision-making ability, respect for others and trying to keep them motivated. A range of activities are undertaken to support development of these skills, including team games, water sports and land-based activities. The sorts of activities these may involve are kayaking, surfing, climbing and mountain biking. We believe it is important for the students to remain active to support both their physical and mental health. Educational Visits take up quite a bit of our team on Outdoor Learning, and we collaborate with the teachers of other subjects to connect these visits to other parts of the student's education. These include trips to Museums, Science Exhibits, Art Galleries, Religious Buildings and local points of interest. We like to educate the boys in understanding the importance of preserving the environment and often undertake tasks such as conservation projects, e.g beach cleaning and working with organisations such as the National Trust, to promote this. This helps us to achieve the John Muir Award for all of our students, which is an environmental award focussed on wild places and encourages awareness and responsibility for the natural environment. The Ten Tors and Duke of Edinburgh Awards are also accessible for the students and this encapsulates all the skills developed above.

KS3

In Key Stage 3, we start the John Muir Award and the Young Navigator Star Award (which develops map reading skills to inform their participation and confidence with the Ten Tors and Duke of Edinburgh Award in KS4). We undertake lots of introductions into the variety of outdoor activities we do and teach the students how to take part in these safely. Dynamic Risk assessments are completed to help the students understand what risks could be present in each of the activities as part of their learning to keep themselves and others safe.

KS4

In Key Stage 4, we build on the skills we have gained in Key Stage 3 and incorporate life skills and independent learning into the curriculum. Conservation Projects are carried out, which aid the John Muir Award, and they also undertake the Ten Tors and Duke of Edinburgh Award. More challenging activities are completed by the students to complement and expand upon the skills learned in Key Stage 3. We undertake Gym sessions to promote exercise and a healthy lifestyle with the boys.