Natural Schooling: using curriculum innovation projects to improve student outcomes. Erasmus Project

Project Title

Natural Schooling: using curriculum innovation projects to improve student outcomes.

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Health and wellbeing; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education

Project Summary

Research synthesised from across the world shows us that learning in the natural world has a significant positive impact on children’s quality of life in terms of their learning and wellbeing. Connectedness to nature (biophilia) has been shown to successfully improve outcomes for specific groups of learners. However for these benefits to be fully realised , natural schooling , which is about learning with, through and about the natural world needs to become an integral aspect of education policy and practice and firmly embedded within the curriculum for all schools (Waite and Malone 2016).
An understanding of the philosophies that serve to empower a world centred pedagogy (Biesta 2017) and to achieve student outcomes for 21st century living (a healthy and happy body and mind; a sociable confident person; a self-directed and creative learner; an effective contributor; an active global citizen) are central to this project. Through collaboration and shared methodologies the project will enable the development and implementation of natural schooling curriculum innovation projects that are bespoke to the partners circumstances, with the specific intention to demonstrate improved learning outcomes for partner identified subgroups of learners (e.g. those with disabilities, SEN, at risk of exclusion, traveller families, low literacy etc.).
Partners in the project include schools and groups of schools from the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Sweden. Participants are primarily teachers, but also include allied professionals from the five institutions ensuring dissemination within the project across 43 schools, 2,100 teaching staff and over 24,000 learners.
In addition to a legacy of: improved learner wellbeing and learning outcomes for the subgroups of learners immediately involved, through the positioning of a natural schooling innovation within curricula, this project seeks to: promote the development of new pedagogical practices that foster positive attitudes towards our world; enable a tool for the dissemination of data and understanding about the natural world; improve teacher confidence and satisfaction in delivering learning with through and about nature; create a resource pool of curriculum materials and evidence/data for sharing. In addition and in response to the call from global researchers, the project seeks to further inform academic debate and kindle wider interest in natural schooling amongst a community of stakeholders/researchers across Europe and the rest of the world. In the longer term, the outcomes from the project will offer guidance and recommendations for other school leaders and teachers to follow, develop and adapt.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 228356 Eur

Project Coordinator

Westcountry Schools Trust & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Centro Público Integrado O Cruce
• Istituto Comprensivo di via Montebello
• Wave Multi Academy Trust
• Bromangymnasiet