Learning Outdoors, Learning For Life Erasmus Project

Project Title

Learning Outdoors, Learning For Life

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 : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; Creativity and culture; Pedagogy and didactics

Project Summary

Evidence from the European Environment Agency states that most Europeans spend over 90% of the day indoors. This is especially true for children at school, who usually focus on developing basic skills in purpose-built indoor classrooms, laden with technology and pedagogical tools to enhance children’s learning journey. However, there is another way. Research published by Plymouth University in 2016 found that children’s health, wellbeing, behaviour and rates of attainment were improved when outdoor learning was a principal part of their school curriculum. Children were more engaged in their learning and an overwhelming majority of school staff noted tangible improvements in children’s attitudes to learning, as well as in their acquisition of basic skills. Schools can play a major role in ensuring that children have adequate time outdoors and can adapt accepted practices of indoor learning. Across Europe, anecdotal evidence shows that schools remain primarily indoor environments, based on a 19th century style of education with the teacher as the leader and the children passively learning. Outdoor time is primarily reserved for recreational times of the school day.

This project will focus on outdoor learning at the four partner schools, with the aim of developing outdoor learning through pupil voice. All four partner schools recognise the vital role that outdoor learning can play in children’s education and have made a firm commitment to developing their provision throughout the duration of this project.

At the heart of the project is the development of basic skills in mathematics and literacy. Through developing basic skills in an outdoor environment, this project will particularly identify how schools can adapt traditional learning approaches to suit those with additional needs. In turn, these children will be more readily prepared for the world beyond their time in education, meaning that overall rates of employment amongst participants will improve over time. This supports the Europe 2020 Strategy.

There are 5 clear objectives of this project:

1. Children will be leaders in their schools, playing an integral role in the development of outdoor learning across their schools.
2. Schools will develop and use a forest school (or close equivalent) to develop basic skills in reading, writing and maths.
3. Schools will embed an outdoor curriculum into the ethos of their school.
4. Learners with additional needs and disabilities will be fully included in the outdoor curriculum.
5. Schools will involve the wider community in outdoor learning.

Staff training events will be focused on developing forest schools, building an outdoor curriculum and ensuring that inclusion is at the heart of outdoor learning. Pupil voice runs throughout the project and children will visit partner schools to ignite their imaginations and to develop new ideas for the ongoing development of outdoor learning in their own schools.

By producing e-books throughout the project, participating schools will create a lasting legacy and online resource bank for other schools across the world that may wish to develop outdoor learning in their own setting. And in participating schools, there will be an everlasting legacy of outdoor learning built into the ethos and everyday life of each school.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 153605 Eur

Project Coordinator

Lanchester EP Primary School & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Internationella Engelska Skolan Sundsvall
• Szkola Podstawowa nr 28 im.K.I.Galczynskiego w Bialymstoku
• CEIP Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo
• Ryomgaard Realskole