Learn in the great outdoors
AS summer holidays become but a distant memory, schools are being encouraged to apply for up to £500 worth of free outdoor learning resources.
Applications for the Local School Nature Grants are open until November 30 2018 and from the charity Learning through Landscapes, which is distributing £550,000 of funding from Postcode Local Trust, a charity funded entirely by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Through the Local Schools Nature Grants programme, Learning through Landscapes wants to transform the way we think about outdoor education and show the potential that exists within all school grounds regardless of their setting, empowering teachers to be able to take the teaching of any subject outdoors.
As well as receiving up to £500 worth of outdoor resources, schools will be given a two-hour training session for staff on how to getting the most out of the equipment.
The learning resources and the training sessions available are entirely customisable, meaning infant, primary and secondary schools can choose which items will best suit their learners and the setting that they will be delivered in. The programme is also open to special schools and pupil referral units.
Since the funding partnership between the charity and Postcode Local Trust was launched in 2017, 2,425 school staff have received training, with an additional 500 schools being set to benefit in 2018.
Applications are being actively encouraged from schools whose learners are aged five-plus and are passionate about making environmental improvements for the benefit of their pupils, staff and the community.
Given that children in Britain spend an average of just 16 minutes a day exploring in parks and the countryside, I’m delighted that players of People’s Postcode Lottery are supporting this programme enabling children of all ages to get outside and I’d urge schools to take advantage of this opportunity and get an application in.
For more information and to apply for funding, please visit Learning through Landscapes’ website: https://www.ltl.org.uk/ naturegrants/guidance.php.