Outdoor Education: the schools going above and beyond

Photo: Dauntsey's 

‘Let nature be your teacher,’ said William Wordsworth – and in an age defined by digital technology, getting children out into the great outdoors and away from their screens is more important than ever. We’re constantly impressed by the ways schools are becoming more and more innovative when it comes to outdoor education, whether it’s minibeast hunting in a patch of woodland, heading out for an early-morning beach walk, mucking out the animals on a school farm or working closely with the local community to drive environmental initiatives. And the benefits are clear to see. Pupils learn resilience, develop new (and, crucially, useful) life skills, understand how to take risks and tackle failure head on – all while getting a healthy dose of fresh air in the process.

If you’re looking for a school that takes outdoor education just as seriously as classroom learning, read on to find out about the prep and senior schools leading the pack.

SENIOR & ALL-THROUGH SCHOOLS

Bredon School, Gloucestershire

There are many brilliant things about Bredon, but its knockout outdoor education offering is one of its biggest USPs and makes it stand head and shoulders above the rest. Every pupil from Years 4 to 9 has a timetabled outdoor-education session each week, and weekday afternoons are reserved for making full use of the fabulous school grounds and facilities – whether through playing sport, rolling up their sleeves to work on the school farm, mountain biking, riding, clay-pigeon shooting or even kayaking off Bredon’s own dedicated launch site on the River Severn.

‘Pupils often arrive at Bredon having struggled with the confines of the classroom, and offering opportunities to learn in different settings encourages success and inspires confidence,’ says the school. And you can’t argue with that. Down at the school farm (an integral part of life here), maths skills are used to help pupils calculate food rations and costs; science is applied to help understand genes and selective breeding; and field-to-fork initiatives teach pupils about everything from raising animals to understanding the business of selling produce at the school’s farm shop.

Then there’s CCF, a huge and thriving part of life here. Nearly 50 per cent of pupils opt in, with the opportunity to take part in regular training camps and learn vital skills such as first aid, navigation and self-defence. It all contributes to the wonderful ‘can do’ attitude that permeates life at Bredon.



Dauntsey’s, Wiltshire

At Dauntsey’s, every aspect of learning is designed to be bold and immersive. From the moment pupils join the school, they’re taught to embrace new opportunities, take appropriate risks, push their personal boundaries and learn from failure. The school’s impressive outdoor-education provision is there to help make all that happen, and there’s even a dedicated ‘head of adventure education’ on the staff roll, which must be one of the coolest job titles we’ve ever come across.

In the lower school, pupils dip their toes into what Dauntsey’s calls ‘accessible adventure’, which includes everything from kayaking on the Kennet and Avon canal and camping in the school grounds to night hiking on Salisbury Plain and dinghy sailing. As they move up into middle school, it’s time for ‘high adventure’, with more hardcore activities testing resilience, strength and determination. Take the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race (known as the ‘Canoers’ Everest’) as one example – Dauntsey’s is one of the longest-serving participants. Then there’s the Jolie Brise, Dauntsey’s very own tall ship, which has been sailed and maintained by pupils for over 40 years, and every pupil gets to spend 24 hours on board. It’s safe to say that adventure is woven into every strand of this school’s DNA – and very much part of the experience that makes it so special.



Eastbourne College, East Sussex

As with Eastbourne College’s little sibling St Andrew’s Prep (see below), the seaside setting is this school’s real trump card. ‘The sea inspires us, and as a “blue health school”, we harness our coastal location to the benefit of our children’s physical and mental wellbeing,’ says head Tom Lawson. To that end, it’s not unusual to find pupils and staff heading over to the beach for early-morning walks to watch the sunrise, or donning wetsuits in order to sail, windsurf or paddleboard.

Then there’s the South Downs right on the doorstep, where opportunities abound for mountain biking, walking and photography expeditions. Particularly hardy pupils can sign up for the school’s annual Aquathlon, in which they swim 200 metres in the freezing sea before running across the Downs. And those who want to take things up a notch can take part in the recently launched Leadership Award and Personal Development programme, where a roster of activities includes outdoor first aid, mountain-bike leader training and even competent crew yachting – a touch above your usual sports programme indeed.



Embley Senior School, Hampshire

With academic lessons ending at 3.30pm each day, there’s more than enough time for pupils to spend the rest of the day getting out and about and taking full advantage of Embley’s impressive outdoorsy provision. ‘As part of outdoor education, we provide pupils with the opportunities to constantly challenge themselves, where risks are controlled but not entirely taken away,’ the school’s head of outdoor education Locryn Williams tells us.

And beyond a strong forest school provision, orienteering classes and tackling the Ten Tors (which pupils do regularly), CCF is very big here – close proximity to the Army Air Corps at Middle Wallop has even seen pupils take flight in a two-seater plane. As for sailing, Embley has its own fleet of keelboats, racecraft and ribs moored nearby at Lymington, and prep pupils can join in too, working towards their RYA Level 1 before going on to join the senior school’s race teams.


Frensham Heights School, Surrey

The plethora of wellie racks at the entrance to Frensham Heights nods to the importance of outdoor learning at this Surrey all-through gem – and from forest school to DofE, getting out and about is a huge part of the school’s efforts to create resilient young people willing to try something new. We love the sound of the Year 12 annual trip to Knoydart on the west coast of Scotland, where they spend 10 days getting stuck into a bumper outdoor-learning programme made up of teambuilding, kayaking, orienteering, survival skills and more.

Our ears pricked up even more when we heard about Frensham’s newest outdoor-learning initiative, run in partnership with Worthy Earth. Working closely with the organisation, students recently began laying the foundations of an agro-ecological, sustainable kitchen garden. Designed as an interactive learning resource, it’s the perfect way for them to gain awareness of the social reality of food production and an understanding of sustainability and biodiversity.

Year 8 pupils have also been busy constructing their own self-sustaining village in the woods, working together to build sleeping structures and cooking meals on the campfire. Plans are in motion to introduce lessons in foraging and hunting with a hawk, and produce grown in the kitchen garden will be used to feed those at work in the village. It’s a brilliant initiative, propelling pupils out of their modern-day comfort zones, ‘and the benefits in terms of resilience, teamwork, problem solving, creative thinking, independence and leadership are invaluable’, says the school.



Giggleswick School, North Yorkshire

Giggleswick has long been known for its formidable sporting reputation, and the fact that the whole school takes on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge each year speaks volumes: outdoor education is a big deal here.

‘Going through intense physical and emotional experiences in the outdoors forges strong connections and lifelong friendships,’ says Peter Keron, Giggleswick’s head of outdoor adventure and education. If you visit, you might find pupils riding along the school’s mountain-bike trail, sitting around the firepit roasting marshmallows, thundering along the cross-country track or tackling the school’s six-metre-high outcrop for rock climbing. Giggleswick also happens to be a stone’s throw from one of the best white-water kayaking runs in the country.

‘Outdoor education involves teamwork, problem solving and working with people you might not otherwise work with,’ adds Mr Keron. ‘All of these skills are essential for the world of work and give our pupils the best possible foundation for their future lives.’


Gordonstoun, Moray

When it comes to outdoor education, Gordonstoun has been blazing a trail for almost 90 years. The school’s founder, Dr Kurt Hahn, pioneered the idea of using the landscape and sea as a classroom, and getting active and making the most of Gordonstoun’s stunning surroundings is part and parcel of everyday life. It’s all woven into the character-building education offered here – even academic lessons take place in the open air when the weather allows.

With a location like this, there’s no limit to outdoorsy pursuits. The coast is just a mile from the campus (everyone joins in a mega beach walk at the end of the summer term), and the nearby Cairngorms provide a majestic backdrop for DofE expeditions, hill walking, mountain climbing and more. There’s skiing in the Highlands, opportunities to lend a hand with the local fire and rescue service and the chance to crew an 80-foot cutter, Ocean Spirit of Moray. Everyone in Years 10 and 12 spends up to a week on the yacht, sailing around the Highlands and the west coast of Scotland.‘

The school’s motto is “Plus Est En Vous” – “There is More in You” – and the more our students come to believe that about themselves, by facing and overcoming challenges in the outdoors, by discovering new interests and passions, by working together as a team and understanding the imperative need to take instruction (never more important than when you are sailing in some of the wilder weather a Scottish summer can bring), the more equipped they feel for everything else, including exams,’ says the school.



Lancing College, West Sussex

Lancing has many strings to its outdoor-education provision: knockout sports facilities, an equestrian centre, open-air theatre and views towards the south coast from all angles. But a big shout-out has to go to the school farm, set on 70 acres of the beautiful South Downs National Park. Originally launched as an offshoot of the science department, today it’s a thriving operation rooted in animal welfare, conservation and sustainability –and all pupils are welcome to muck in.

But it’s not just run-of-the-mill farming that’s available. Pupils can dip their toes into hedge laying, coppicing and green woodworking, or get to grips with bird ringing, veterinary care, rearing and animal husbandry. There’s even a programme dedicated to the reintroduction of the grey partridge. The farm works closely with the South Downs National Park Authority to help manage the woodland, ditches, ponds and rivers adjacent to the land, and it regularly hosts educational visits for local schools and provides work placements for agricultural students. Closely aligned with several academic departments (the likes of biology, geography and business studies), it’s the ideal setting for hands-on learning – and has inspired countless pupils to go on and to study agricultural-related subjects at university too.



Malvern College, Worcestershire

With such a breathtaking location on the edge of the Malvern Hills, there’s no shortage of opportunities for Malvern pupils to get outside. At 4pm each day, lessons stop to make way for co-curricular activities – mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, water sports and even snow kayaking (and more) – and all first years get to enjoy a stint at a farmhouse deep in the Brecon Beacons for a hit of character-building adventure.

There’s a whole host of quirkier outdoor activities to get stuck into too, such as Hunted, an annual charity fundraiser that sees pupils head for the Malvern Hills and avoid detection by staff, search teams and sniffer dogs, and Lost, where pupils are dropped 50km from the school and tasked with making their way back using nothing but their orienteering skills and initiative. There’s also an annual cycling, canoeing and sailing competition, which this year saw pupils travel from Malvern College Switzerland back to the UK.

‘We’re so lucky that in addition to the College’s programme of traditional sports, we are able to offer such a wealth of outdoor pursuits,’ says Jay Watts, Malvern’s head of outdoor pursuits. ‘A Malvern education intends to develop in each of our pupils the embodiment of the Malvern qualities – these include resilience, collaboration and risk taking. Our outdoor pursuits offer another way for our pupils to develop these attributes in a tangible way and that shows them just how much they can achieve when they set their mind to it.’



Radley College, Oxfordshire

Radley has all the outdoorsy offerings you’d expect from a big-hitting school like this one: CCF, sports facilities galore, a fantastic reputation on the river, a nine-hole golf course, clay-pigeon shooting… we could go on. But there’s a standout facility here that sets it apart: the Countryside Centre.

Built with the aim of providing a class-leading countryside, conservation and environmental education, it’s open not just to Radley boys, but also to the local community and charity partners. All first-year boys can try their hand at hunting, shooting and fishing, bushcraft skills and animal husbandry, and many choose to spend their free time helping to exercise the hounds (Radley is one of only two schools with its own beagling pack) or working on the school farm.

Best of all, the centre plays a significant role in Radley’s incredible partnership efforts too. There’s a groundbreaking new countryside-based programme open to local pupils at risk of exclusion; a weekly Junior Farmers initiative offered to local primary schools; and a rehabilitation programme for local brain-injury survivors, with visits to the farm designed to aid their mental and physical recovery. This is a school taking outdoor education to the next level – and we’re seriously impressed.



PREP SCHOOLS

Aysgarth School, North Yorkshire

Bucketloads of fresh air are an integral part of the day at this fabulously outdoorsy prep at the foot of the Yorkshire Dales. And being so rural and isolated, it’s nirvana for boys looking for room to stretch their legs. The school’s 50-acre campus boasts endless woods and valleys – and den building, tree climbing and conker fights are actively encouraged.

‘Our setting at Aysgarth allows access to a wider sense of space that benefits our pupils’ physical and mental wellbeing,’ says head Jonathon Anderson. And there’s one tradition here that has stood the test of time for many years – mountain biking. Every boy is welcome to bring their own bike into school, and at breaktime they strap on their helmets and race to the valley, across acres and acres of safe green space. ‘We encourage boys to be as adventurous and active as they want to be, and what is better than riding a bike with friends?’ says Mr Anderson, who is such a proponent of the tradition that he often joins in too.



Barfield Prep School, Surrey

Barfield takes its outdoor-education programme so seriously that it’s won awards for its efforts. But its longstanding outdoor pursuits department, Three Peaks Barfield – which has been around for over three decades and is so good it’s open to the public – is just one element of the school’s commitment to getting pupils outdoors.

The outdoor-education programme here is designed to offer pupils heaps of fun while they learn new skills and test their limits. Facilities include a high and low ropes course, archery range, climbing wall, treetop zip wire and quad-biking track. Then there’s the brand new treehouse classroom, Treetops, which can fit an entire class at a time and is nestled against one of the many giant oak trees beside the Headmaster’s Lawn. From Reception upwards, all children enjoy a double outdoor-learning lesson each week. ‘An education at Barfield Prep School is centred around balance and breadth, and our children love that they can go from essay writing in English to den building in outdoor learning,’ says head Andy Boyle.



Beaudesert Park School, Gloucestershire

Set in 30 acres of bucolic Gloucester countryside, Beaudesert lies just beyond National Trust-protected Minchinhampton Common, with its free-roaming cows and ponies – and the whole place feels much more like a gorgeous family home than a school.

Forest school starts in the very first week of nursery – and hidden away at the bottom of the grounds, ringed by woodland and hedgerows bursting with blackberries and wild garlic, it’s quite some setting. There’s a firepit for toasting marshmallows and cooking bread, a mini pond for dipping into and a tipi den for storytelling. Pupils get stuck into activities including bird spotting, plant identification and willow weaving, all of which help boost their confidence and self-esteem. ‘The holistic approach that forest school offers is so important in creating opportunities for experiential risk-taking, and time to enhance our connection with nature,’ says Stasia Shearer Manning, who leads Beaudesert’s forest school.

The school is also the proud holder of an Eco-Schools Green Flag Award, an international accreditation given to schools in recognition of their commitment to reducing their impact on the environment. And pupils can join Beaudesert’s eco-committee and eco-club to address everything from recycling practices to energy use and installing bird boxes in the grounds.



Brambletye School, West Sussex

There’s a real sense of fun in the air at Brambletye, tucked away in 140 acres of Sussex countryside. In summer, the school’s terraced gardens provide a dramatic backdrop for plays (preparations are currently under way for an interactive production of Wind in the Willows, where the audience will be guided around the grounds as each scene unfolds); science lessons might involve rockets being launched in the grounds or watermelons from catapults on top of a ridge above the playing fields; and English lessons often take place out on the grass or with pupils perched up a tree with a good book. During geography lessons, the school’s on-site orienteering course is used to help pupils develop map-reading, teamwork and decision-making skills.

One of the most popular activities here is the boarders’ camping weekend, which sees pupils beaver around in the afternoon collecting firewood and setting up their tents, before settling down to cauldrons of chilli con carne and mugs of hot chai around the campfire. Best of all, day pupils don’t miss out either, with camp craft sessions a regular fixture on the school’s Monday afternoon co-curricular carousel.



Claremont Prep School, East Sussex

We’ve seen countless forest schools over the years, but Claremont’s has to be the most magical yet. The 30-acre woodland here is packed with domed Victorian ice houses, a troll bridge, fire circles, shelters, flower gardens, mudslides – and even its very own duck island in the middle of a lake. All children from nursery and up get to enjoy it, with activities ranging from clay collecting for art lessons to observing fish using underwater cameras and hanging out by the infrared camera for a spot of nocturnal wildlife watching. Children even grow their own produce in the vegetable gardens and fruit orchard , before donating it to a local food bank or handing it over to the kitchen and watching it turn up on their plates.

There’s also an incredibly hard-working pupil-led eco committee, which has helped secure the school’s Green Flag status for a second year running. The award is the culmination of many years of work raising awareness of environmental issues, sustainability and climate change – and proving Claremont’s commitment to making the school as sustainable as possible.



Cumnor House Sussex, Sussex

Arriving at Cumnor feels like stumbling across a delicious secret, with its bucolic 60-acre smallholding on the fringes of Ashdown Forest, a bluebell wood, rope swings galore and even a lake for launching rafts.

Pupils are taught an appreciation of the great outdoors from the get-go, with nursery and pre-prep children free to explore Cumnor’s woodland school, Woodpeckers. Here, they get stuck into creativity through play, building narratives, soundscapes and patterns with the natural resources at their disposal. As children progress through the school, outdoor learning continues to play a vital role, reinforcing Cumnor’s ethos of building curiosity and relishing childhood for as long as possible.

This term alone, observational drawing is under way in the wood’s sea of bluebells, medallions are being made with bow saws, children’s gardens are being planted and tended to, the sustainability squad are busy building their self-initiated plastic-bottle greenhouse and rehearsals are being held for the school’s annual open-air Shakespeare performance. ‘The great outdoor spaces are part of Cumnor’s DNA, and children love being outside here. We actively look for those chances to take their learning outside during lessons to make it practical, relevant and meaningful,’ says Bruno Shovelton, Cumnor’s deputy head academic.


Dulwich Prep Cranbrook, Kent

Located just outside the pretty Kent village of Cranbrook, this charming prep’s extensive grounds include all the facilities you’d expect – but then throw in a mini nature reserve and an incredible wilderness wood for children to explore too. Here, building shelters, knot-tying, cooking on an open fire and pond dipping are daily occurrences, and we love the sound of Drawing, Walking and Talking Club – a chance for children to take some time out in the beautiful surrounding countryside.

There are plenty of alternative sports for pupils to enjoy, from sailing to mountain biking, and with the imminent opening of Dulwich Cranbrook’s brand-new senior school, CCF and DofE are about to be thrown into the mix too.



Elstree School, Berkshire

As a proud holder of a Green Flag Eco-School Awards, Elstree does as much for its own little part of the planet as it does for its own little inhabitants. And happily, they put all the fabulous space on their expansive 150-acre site to very good use every day, come rain or shine.

‘In a classroom, it is hard to imagine the world from a worm’s or bird’s view, and it is almost impossible to build a bridge over any meaningful swamp or river; but outside, their imagination is fuelled by digging for creepy crawlies and seeing birds swoop from the trees. They may well come home muddier, but their daring fantasies can be tested and they realise that by working together, they can build a bridge and find the courage to cross it. Through outdoor learning, they also start to understand our environment and the value of our world,’ says Alice Bond, Elstree’s head of pre-prep.

Outdoor learning is baked into the curriculum for everyone. While the youngest children bustle about in wellies and boiler suits, older pupils plant seeds and study rocks and insects through magnifying glasses in the woodlands. We love the sound of boarders’ evenings in the summer too, when kayaking, building dens and making campfires in the woods are all up for grabs.



Hazlegrove Prep School, Somerset

As you approach Hazlegrove, the sheep and cattle grazing along the drive give a nod as to what’s to come at this idyllic country prep. Chickens strut around the grounds, children pick veg in the kitchen garden and tend to the guinea pigs and beehives and there’s even a go-kart track and adventure-playground circuit, with a highly coveted trophy awarded to the pupil who gets around in the fastest time.

Forest school is a mainstay on the curriculum for all pupils until the end of Year 5, when the ante ups a little and children head out on trips to Cornwall or Exmoor. Everyone gets full use of the school’s outdoor classroom in the woods, which is used for everything from plays to singing and reading.

‘What strikes me about the woods is the calming effect it has on the children, and how important it is to have the time to explore uninterrupted, and have the space for their imaginations to flow’, says Hazlegrove’s head of forest school, Miss Millard. ‘The children absolutely love it, even when the rain is lashing down and our fingers are tingling with cold. We always return to the classrooms topped up with new discoveries and knowledge, a little bit more resilience, a funny story to tell and a sense of overall contentment.’



Highfield and Brookham, Hampshire

Set in the heart of the South Downs National Park on the borders of Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire, Highfield and Brookham boasts a wonderful rural location – and has grounds as far as you can see (175 acres, to be precise). And with all that space, outdoor education has been an integral part of the curriculum for as long as the school has been in existence.

We love the emphasis on being outdoors here, which permeates every aspect of school life (there’s even an alfresco cinema in the woods). Early-years pupils enjoy five hours a week in their own forest school, just a few hundred metres from their classroom door, where they hunt for minibeasts, roam in the woodlands and build dens. As children grow and mature, so does the outdoor-education provision – and from Year 5 upwards, activities including bushcraft, orienteering and gardening are added to the roster.

‘The ethos behind our outdoor education is to develop respect for nature,’ says the school. ‘It is important for children to know how to show empathy for their surroundings while having fun and getting dirty. And with the pressure of climate change building, outdoor education is more important than ever.’



Langley Prep School, Norfolk

Set in 100 acres of Norfolk woodland, this idyllic prep even has its own stretch of river – and den building, tree climbing and pond dipping are all on the cards for lucky pupils. After-school clubs, meanwhile, make full use of the grounds, from fishing club to survival skills and gardening.

Children all the way from Nursery to Year 6 enjoy a weekly session in the outdoor-learning centre, complete with mud-hut-style classroom, and even a pizza oven to help fuel pupils’ busy brains. They work together to build dens, get messy in the mud kitchen, seek out minibeasts and settle in to toasted marshmallows and hot chocolate around the campfire, encouraged to be inspired by their natural environment through exploration and discovery.

‘This hands-on approach allows children to develop social and emotional skills, as well as learning to show leadership and work together as a team,’ says the school.



Moulsford Prep School, Oxfordshire

Moulsford is blessed with an abundance of space – 36 acres of meadowlands, fields, woodlands, pitches and outdoor classrooms – as well as 150 yards of stunning river frontage. Aquatic pursuits form a key part of the outdoor-education programme, with almost 100 boys from the pre-prep and up heading onto the river weekly during the summer term, getting stuck into sailing, kayaking and paddleboarding. ‘We even combine paddleboarding with our eco activities, with the boys out on Planet Patrol cleaning up the river as they go,’ says the school.

There’s very little to stop pupils getting outdoors here. ‘We strive to buck the stereotype that at the first drop of rain we should run for cover, so we go out in all weathers – appropriately dressed, of course!’ they tell us. ‘Whether that’s heading outside for drama or re-enacting a Roman battle, children can absorb so much more when they are in an environment that helps them to relax and feel comfortable.’ Forest school is part and parcel of the curriculum, with a base in the nearby woods providing the perfect space for pupils to roam freely and manage their own risks through tree climbing, rope-swinging, bug-hunting and den building. And it’s not just for the little ones – as pupils get older, trips include an overnight ‘survival’ night as part of Year 8’s post-exam programme.



Saint Ronan’s, Kent

There’s a sign at Saint Ronan’s gate reading ‘free-range children’, which says all you need to know about the amount of outdoor activities laid on here. Deep in lovely Weald of Kent countryside, the 250-acre campus includes lakes, gardens, woodlands, peacocks and even a school farm – and some pockets are being rewilded to create even more space for children to let off steam in.

The brilliance of the outdoor-education provision here can be traced back to the 1940s, when the school was evacuated to rural Devon. Wartime pupils enjoyed a life of bucolic bliss, collecting eggs, scrumping apples, chasing butterflies and swimming in the lakes – and indoor learning was bolstered by outdoor education on a grand scale. When the school relocated to its current Kent site after the war, it remained a vital part of the school’s offering.

‘We aim to give the children safe access to a learning environment full of adventure and creativity to education through exploration and activity,’ says the school. The farm is home to a great white sow, Ivanka, who rules the roost – plus pigs, sheep, a rabbit, donkeys, goats, chickens, ducks, guinea pigs and a clutch of rescued hedgehogs. In the school’s 100 acres of ancient woodland, children enjoy mud sliding, nature watching, tree ring-counting and den building, while beach-school activities include pebble painting and balancing, sand drawing and building sandcastles. In short, it’s utter outdoorsy bliss.



Somerhill, Kent

Outdoor learning is a huge part of Somerhill’s ethos, with 150-acres of parkland, woodland, a lake and large pond area for lucky pupils to make full use of. Here, the grounds are used for everything from bee club to overnight camping and teambuilding activities. It’s not unusual to find classes of children hunting for worms, measuring angles with sticks, building Viking model houses or practising performances of Shakespeare. Pupils are encouraged to roll up their sleeves in gardening club, and join the whole-school tree planting programme, to help promote the school’s sustainability credentials. There’s even a vast treehouse complex for children to hang out in at breaktime.

Somerhill’s pre-school takes outdoor learning to the next level with Saplings, its hybrid pre-school offering which combines full days outside with a more conventional nursery setting. Centred around the principles of forest school, children head outside whatever the weather, getting mucky in the mud kitchen, climbing trees, sheltering in the yurt on chilly days, and enjoying being fully immersed in nature – which does wonders for their resilience, self-esteem, creativity and wellbeing.



St Andrew’s Prep Eastbourne, East Sussex

Whatever the weather, pupils in Years 3 and 4 at St Andrew’s Prep head to beach school every Thursday – all made possible thanks to the school’s fabulous location just one road away from the UK’s south coast. With flasks of hot chocolate in tow for chillier days, children can beachcomb for shells, driftwood and fossils, explore rock pools and build mythical creatures from pebbles and sand before creating stories about them, all while taking in lungfuls of fresh air, stretching their legs and reaping the physical and mental benefits.

‘Holistic development is at our core,’ says the school, ‘and our “blue health” ethos and whole-of-learning approach sees pupils gain independence, confidence and character. The children help each other to overcome fears as they wave-jump or rock-climb and laugh and learn in equal measure under the watchful eye of our qualified beach-school staff.’



St Hugh’s School, Oxfordshire

A sturdy pair of wellies and waterproof trousers are on the essential kit list here,’ says St Hugh’s – and with 45 acres of gently rolling south Oxfordshire countryside on their doorstep, there’s certainly ample opportunity to take learning outdoors.

The school boasts not just one but three separate forest school sites: one for nursery children, where getting messy is wholeheartedly encouraged; one for pre-prep pupils, where sessions end with a story, hot chocolate and cookies; and another for older children, where building dens is the order of the day (there’s even a wood-fired pizza oven there too). To add to the magic, the school’s dedicated forest-school teacher moonlights as a keen horticulturist and writer for Gardeners’ World magazine, and the recent addition of a greenhouse means pupils can grow fruit and vegetables from seed before they are harvested and cooked in the classroom kitchen.

To cap off the offering, the school’s outdoor-education cabin has recently been transformed into St Hugh’s very own natural-history museum, packed to the rafters with a fascinating array of knick-knacks found in the school grounds or brought in by pupils from home. Pupils can even try their hand at curating, studying the objects with magnifying glasses and microscopes and writing labels ready for them to go on display. ‘The curriculum is designed to teach children about the natural world and to bring an awareness of conservation and environmental issues,’ says the school – and they’re certainly using brilliantly innovative methods to do so.