Thanks to Peter from the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust for this latest news. Ed
Education staff from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust are celebrating being awarded the Quality Badge for Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) for the second time, and it’s good to understand why this accreditation is so important.
Scheme managed by national body
The external assessment checks the quality of the delivery of the outdoor sessions with children, the policies and procedures, including session planning and health and safety. The scheme is managed by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom and provides a nationally recognised indicator of good quality educational provision.
The Quality Badge makes it easier for teachers to incorporate LOtC into the everyday curriculum, giving children the opportunity to have educational experiences which directly benefit their educational attainment and social development.
Positive encounters with the natural environment
The Wildlife Trust’s education service aims to give children from across the two counties, from the North of Hampshire to the Isle of Wight, positive encounters with the natural environment through a range of activities, both curricular and extra-curricular, throughout the year.
Kathy Grogan, Education Officer at the Wildlife Trust says,
“Many of us can look back on our earliest childhood memories and recall making mud pies and discovering worms and beetles along the way, flying kites on windy days, paddling, and picnics in the countryside or at the beach. Sadly for many children, these simple, significant play experiences are a thing of the past.
“Today’s children are far more likely to have their own mobile telephone than to have caught a grasshopper in a jam jar.”
An important pathway to adult environmental attitudes and behaviours
The Wildlife Trust champions learning outside the classroom and encourages young people to get out and about, as children learn best through real life experiences. Studies have also shown that childhood nature experiences provide an important pathway to adult environmental attitudes and behaviours.
These days, the Wildlife Trust is playing an increasingly important role in providing outdoor learning opportunities for children and promoting a lifelong connection with nature.
The Education team at the Wildlife Trust offers children and young people unrivalled access to nature and learning opportunities that not only support the National Curriculum but increase participants’ self-confidence and independence while improving problem solving skills and the ability to assess and manage risk.
Learning new skills and exploring the natural habitat
Through activities such as den building, campfire cooking, scavenger hunts and green woodwork, participants are able to learn new skills and explore the natural habitat throughout the seasons. Most sessions take place on the Wildlife Trust’s woodland nature reserves, and programmes can be adapted to suit all ages and abilities. Pre-visits and talks to school staff, parents and children ensure that all needs are met.
As Kathy Grogan acknowledges,
“All the Education team hold outdoor first aid, food safety, Level 3 Forest School and child protection qualifications. It provides peace of mind for schools organising trips and it’s good for us to have the LOtC Quality Badge acknowledgement that our standards are high.”
For more information please see the ‘Get Involved’ section of the Trust’s website www.hiwwt.org.uk
