Additional information / resources on Outdoor and Adventurous

Activities (OAA) for Primary Schools

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Introduction 3

What is OAA? 3

OAA in your School 4

OAA in your Locality 5

Use resources to support the delivery of OAA 6

Orienteering 7

Finding out more 7

Additional Information 8

High Quality Learning in the Outdoors 8

Case Study 1 9

Case Study 2 10

Case Study 3 11

Case Study 4 12

Contents

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Introduction

It is generally agreed that 'outdoor education' or more recently 'outdoor learning' is

not a subject, but an approach to education which is concerned with the overall

development of young people. It is an organised approach to learning in which

direct experience is of paramount importance. The term learning in the outdoors

embraces activities and experiences that:

normally take place outside;

frequently have an adventurous, challenging, residential or learning

component;

generally involve physical activity; and

always respect the environment

The term OAA has been chosen because there is an essential need for adventure

and challenge in the education of young people. In addition, when children

participate in OAA they will be consolidating other areas of PE such as developing

motor skills, confidence and competence in the outdoor environment as well as

both mental and physical challenges. These may or may not be of a competitive

nature. Most importantly they will also be learning the principles of safety.

Before beginning any lesson, it is essential that staff check all outdoor sites for any

obvious or hidden dangers.

The inclusion of Outdoor and Adventurous Activities (OAA) in the PE

curriculum is an indication of the value educationalists place on

such activities. Although not a compulsory element in the PE

National Curriculum at Key Stage 1, there is no reason why it

should not be introduced at this stage.

The following resource information is to help schools deliver OAA as

part of their PE curriculum and to be part of the wider school

curriculum offer. At present, limited information and training is

available to teachers and support staff, therefore this resource is

aimed at helping staff to deliver high quality OAA.

What is OAA?

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OAA in your School

All schools can deliver high quality OAA within their own school

buildings and grounds.

If you do not have an outside area, the school may have access to a

local park, village green or conservation area.

It is useful to carry out an audit of available facilities and equipment in order to

prepare and plan your lessons and activities. General PE equipment can be used for

team building activities, trails and navigation skills etc. Both indoor and outdoor

spaces can be used to introduce and develop orienteering. Schools with adventure

play equipment can plan and develop more challenging activities.

The Outdoor Education Advisers Panel (OEAP) and the Youth Sport Trust (YST) have

developed activities and courses which can help towards delivering OAA in

the school setting.

Examples of OAA which can be taught to pupils include:

Orientation and Orienteering

Scavenger hunts

Trails

Team building

Adventure games

Problem-solving activities

On site camp craft skills

Bouldering—use of low level climbing wall if available.

In order to deliver quality orienteering lessons it

is essential to have a map of the school site.

In the early stages a map produced by the

school is acceptable however; it is possible to

have a professional orienteering map produced

at a later stage which will help with the

progression.

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OAA in your Locality

An audit of the local (within walking distance) facilities and

equipment will need to be carried out.

Points to be considered:

Where is the nearest public park or open space?

Where is the nearest area which can be mapped for orienteering?

Where can young people take part in canoeing/kayaking/sailing/climbing/skiing

etc.

Where is the nearest indoor/outdoor climbing wall?

How can young people undertake camping or a short local walk/expedition

locally?

Are there other opportunities which exist for outdoor activities locally?

Ensure you follow the schools/LA guidelines relating to safe practice out of doors.

For more detailed information about specific resources relating to OAA and case

studies refer to the OAA Resources Section.

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Useful resources to support the

delivery of OAA

Outdoor Learning Cards have been developed by the Outdoor

Education Advisers Panel (OEAP) as a resource to support teachers

and support staff wishing to deliver exciting and inspirational

outdoor learning activities.

The Outdoor Learning Cards activities contribute directly to a wide range of

educational and development aims for young people. They cover four elements of

Outdoor Learning and can be part of an OAA programme within your school. They

can be delivered on the immediate site and surrounding area:

1. Orienteering

2. Team building and problem-solving

3. Bouldering – use of level climbing walls

4. Journeying – local visits

The Cards are supported by a Handbook and CD that provide detailed

information on all aspects of activity delivery. All of the activities have

been linked to progression through the national curriculum. Key

elements are explored further in the nationally recognised one day or

two half day training courses.

These resources are ideal for a school inset day, which can include all

staff. There is the additional bonus in that it will support cross

curricular activities.

For further details contact the OEAP:

www.oeap.info

www.oeaptraining.info

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Orienteering

There are excellent resources on introducing orienteering and a

good starting point is to visit the British Orienteering web site. Go

to the school section and the following areas can be found:

School orienteering

Teacher training

Mapping

School Games

Competition

School resources including equipment, challenge sheets and games

www.britishorienteering.org.uk

An excellent free resource is a Tri-O package of simple orienteering

activities:

www.moray.gov.uk/downloads/file91377.pdf

Finding out more...

A good starting point with other OAA activities would be to visit the following

National Governing Bodies (NGBs) web sites. They will provide you with the advice,

guidance and help to get started:

Kayaking and Canoeing The British Canoe Union: www.bcu.org.uk

Canoe England: www.canoe-england.org.uk

Hillwalking, Mountaineering and Climbing

The British Mountaineering Council: www.thebmc.co.uk

Caving The British Caving Association: www.british-caving.org.uk

Sailing The Royal Yachting Association: www.rya.org.uk

Snow Sports Snowsport England: www.snowsportengland.org.uk/

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Additional Information

For pupil health and safety on off-site educational visits

visit: www.atl.org.uk/health-and-safety/off-site-trips/off-site-trips-summary.asp

If you are a LA school contact your Outdoor Adviser or Health/

Safety Officer who will help you.

To find your local OE Adviser/Safety Officer visit: www.oeap.info

There is a Quality Badge which is the only nationally recognised indicator of

good educational quality provision and effective risk management. To

check on a provider of OAA holding the LOtC Quality Badge visit:

www.lotc.org.uk

For information about the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority visit,

www.aala.org.uk

For information on the Institute for Outdoor Learning's work to encourage

part ic ipat ion in outdoor learning and training vis i t:

www.outdoor-learning.org

High Quality Learning in the Outdoors

A downloadable pamphlet (website below) which will help you evaluate your OAA

and outdoor learning.

www.englishoutdoorcouncil.org/HQOE.pdf

Schools have a central role to play in delivering high quality learning outdoors.

They may provide regular outdoor and adventurous activities as one of the areas of

activity within the PE curriculum e.g. fieldwork in science and geography and

forest school activities.

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Case Studies

Orienteering is a challenging adventure sport that provides opportunities for all

children to challenge both their physical and intellectual limits. The School Games

programme offers the opportunity for more children to participate and enjoy the

benefits of orienteering.

Case Study 1

Orienteering Session—Utilising the School Games

Format with Year 6

The School Games is made up of four levels of competition and orienteering formats

for primary and secondary intra and inter school have been created that provides a

pathway for young people to progress and develop.

On this occasion the activity took place in PE lessons, and the time was restricted to

one hour with 30 children, a class teacher, a teaching assistant, four Y8 pupils and a

lead coach.

The class was divided and one group did the symbols relay with the teacher,

assistant and two Y8 pupils. The second group worked with the coach who ran the

cones race which was helped by two young leaders. Working the children in pairs

and swapping over the group just allowed enough time to successfully complete the

tasks.

Feedback from the coach was that a different approach could be to undertake a 90

minute after school session, with two introductory formats, before finishing with a

score competition. Relays are a format most children are familiar with so the map

symbol relay always goes down well.

The feedback from all of the children, even the ones who were not keen on sport;

was that they enjoyed the session. The non-competitive children were seen to be

running around and getting out of breath!

Comments from children included statements such as: 'It was great to be outdoors’,

‘I really enjoyed the activities' and 'can we have more of this'.

The teacher commented that she was surprised by the variety and flexibility of the

activities and the competition. As well as the fact that the activities could take place

in the school grounds, hall and some in the classroom.

The need to be prepared with pens, maps, clipboards, control cards was important to

effective delivery of the session. However, she explained that this no different in

how teachers need to be prepared for any lesson! Finally, she was particularly

excited by the cross curricular links, especially with maths.

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Case Studies

Case Study 2

Outdoor Learning Training

Feedback and Evaluations from teachers who have attended a one day training

course on the Outdoor Learning Cards.

Developed to assist teachers to deliver high quality outdoor learning activities to

support the development of a range of pupils' skill related to these activities. Four

activity areas identified as: journeying, team building, bouldering and orienteering.

Key principles underpinning the development of the cards are outlined below:

for use in and around the school grounds,

require no specialist outdoor qualifications on the part of the teacher,

require no specialist equipment,

can be delivered after a one day training

development course.

In addition the Cards:

progressive in their demands on pupils,

differentiated according to pupils' needs,

cross-referenced to PE outcomes, and

visually engaging and easy to handle.

Without exception all the teachers on the training course reported they were more

confident to deliver OAA in school as a result of the training. Those teachers, the

majority, who had very little experience of teaching OAA commented positively on

their new found confidence.

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Case Studies

Case Study 3

Off-site Adventure Day at local Outdoor Learning

Centre

Two Year 6 classes comprising of 62 children spent a full day at the local outdoor

centre engaged in adventure activities. The programme as follows:

9.30am Arrive – Welcome, introductions and aims/outcomes of the day. Short

whole group activity – Raccoon circles. Split in 4 groups

10.00am 2 groups on water activities. There was a choice of canoeing/kayaking/

raft building. 2 groups on land based activities using the High Ropes Course. Again

there were alternative activities to suit the needs of the group and children

Midday Lunch

1.00pm The programme repeated itself with the groups switching over.

3.30pm Short reviewing session before departing for school.

The feedback from both teachers and pupils was extremely positive with the oppor-

tunity for a number of new and exciting experiences for the pupils. Staff who had the

opportunity to participate or if they preferred to observe their children in an outdoor

setting. All the children were very positive that on this adventure day all the staff

were fully engaged and had a go. Apart from new experiences the young people

were taught new skills which were immediately put into practice. Teamwork was a

fundamental part of the day with the centre staff ensuring all pupils had a purposeful

and positive experience, even though some of the children were not too happy on

water and at heights.

What was noticeable that the school staff had prepared well for the visit. Two of the

staff had pre visited and experienced the activities. They had forewarned the centre

about two particular children with special needs. Back at school the children had to

do some preliminary exploration about the activities, learning about new words and

most impressive having to learn to tie knots which they would have to use on the

day.

After the visit the school followed up the adventure day with an assembly to the rest

of the school and the customary letters back to the centre staff stating what they

enjoyed and learned.

All pupils were encouraged to take part in this adventure day owing to fact it was an

integral part of the schools wider curriculum provision, apart from participating in

OAA.

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Case Studies

Case Study 4

Combination of an off-site visit with a residential

experience

A most unusual but educationally rewarding experience for all children in the school.

The school has a strong emphasis on learning outdoors and enriching all its pupils

with stimulating activities throughout their school journey in the school starting at 4

years through to 11years when they move on.

The programme is as follows:

Day One— All the children and staff spend a whole day at a local Outdoor Learning

Centre, with a strong emphasis on a high quality educational experience out of

School. The School Business Manager has the short straw and has to stay back

keeping the school open.

When the day ends all the pupils apart from Year 4 return to school. Year 4 stay on

and continue with an overnight residential which is part of the school residential offer

to all pupils. Year 5 go to an Outdoor Education Centre in North Wales for a week

and Year 6 go abroad to there partner school for a week staying at a UK commercial

centre.

Day One Programme

Foundation children – Have a mixture of own activities and participating in the

Nursery Rhyme activities

Year One – Nursery Rhyme activities for the day

Year Two – Orienteering for the day

Year Three – Survival activities for the day

Year Four – Bridge Building activities.

Year Five – Climbing and Archery for the day

Year Six- High Ropes, including zip wire and aerial trek

At the end of the day Year 4 will have another activity as part of their residential

package.

The next day the group all go canoeing followed by an activity before they return

home.

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Case Studies

Case Study 4 continued...

Combination of an off-site visit with a residential

experience

The school already uses the PE funding to employ quality sport coaches with the

teachers required to work alongside these coaches to plan and deliver high quality

PE lessons. The same goes for this programme with teachers ensuring high quality

outdoor learning activities.

Recently the School has been inspected by Ofsted. The report findings found the

school to be Outstanding. Ofsted stated “The school is using the new primary school

sport funding to develop teachers' expertise in teaching sport and to extend the

range of sports on offer”.

It is also worth mentioning that each the school buy in a mobile climbing wall with

qualified instructors. All pupils over 8 have the opportunity to learn to climb.

Therefore during the time every child is at this school they have at least six

opportunities to climb and progress. These sessions are careful planned and use the

cross curricular aspects of the specific activity. Maths is very evident in these

sessions. There are cases in the School where children have taken up climbing as

their chosen activity out of school.

There is outstanding leadership and management in the School and this manifest

itself across the whole curriculum. The importance of giving all children self

confidence in their own abilities and a wide range of opportunities provided by the

School. The children not only benefit from the hard skills but also the soft ones.

Ofsted also stated, “Visits include a residential visit for Year 5 where they enjoy

team-confidence-building outdoor activities, and an annual Year 6 visit to the

school's partner school in France which extends pupils' cultural horizons”.

It is demonstrated that the Head Teacher and all its staff share extremely high

ambitions for pupils. All aspects of the school's work are kept under close review and

this includes OAA.

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