Learning Outside the Classroom

Statement of Intent

Towers School aims to offer a broad and balanced range of exciting and stimulating opportunities for learning outside the classroom. Staff are delegated to investigate, plan, lead, and review these opportunities, and are provided with the relevant information, guidance and training to fulfil these responsibilities.

The Vision

We want more young people from more backgrounds going on more trips more of the time.
We want to maximise the learning opportunities outside of the classroom whilst minimising the impact of those opportunities on the learning taking place inside the classroom.

We believe that every young person should experience the world beyond regularly scheduled lessons in the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development, whatever their age, ability or circumstances. We define learning outside the classroom as the use of places other than regularly scheduled lessons for teaching and learning.

Collaboration - Students, Parents, Teachers, The School

Trips take a huge amount of organisation, time and effort. A majority of this work is done in advance and there are a number of steps and procedures that must be signed off prior to the trip leaving. Below are two key documents that support this process and all stakeholders must have an working knowledge and understanding of them. If you any have any questions or concerns then please do not hesitate to contact the trip leader who will happily help and support you.

 Terms & Conditions - Parents and Students

Terms & Conditions - Staff

The Rationale

Experiences outside of the classroom are often the most memorable learning experiences and help us to make sense of the world around us by making links between feeling and learning. They stay with us into adulthood and affect our behaviour, lifestyle and work. They influence our values and the decisions we make. They allow us to transfer learning experiences outside to the classroom, and vice versa.

Learning outside the classroom is about raising achievement through an organised, powerful approach to learning in which direct experience is of prime importance. This is not only about what we learn but importantly how and where we learn.

The Purpose and Educational Benefits

Education is more than the acquisition of knowledge. Improving young people’s understanding, skills, values and personal development can significantly enhance learning and achievement. Learning outside the classroom is not an end in itself, rather, it is a vehicle to develop the capacity to learn. It provides a framework for learning that uses surroundings and communities outside the classroom. This enables young people to construct their own learning and live successfully in the world that surrounds them.

There is strong evidence that good quality learning outside the classroom adds much value to classroom learning. It can lead to a deeper understanding of the concepts that span traditional subject boundaries, which are frequently difficult to teach effectively using classroom methods alone. It provides a context for learning in many areas: general and subject based knowledge; thinking and problem-solving skills; life skills such as cooperation and interpersonal communication.

The Tangible and Intangible Advantages

By helping young people apply their knowledge across a range of challenges, learning outside the classroom builds bridges between theory and reality, schools and communities, young people and their futures. Quality learning experiences in ‘real’ situations have the capacity to raise achievement across a range of subjects and to develop better personal and social skills. When these experiences are well planned, safely managed and personalised to meet the needs of every young person they can:

• Improve academic achievement
• Provide a bridge to higher order learning
• Develop skills and independence in a range of environments
• Make learning more engaging and relevant to young people
• Develop active citizens and stewards of the environment
• Nurture creativity
• Provide opportunities for informal learning
• Reduce behaviour problems and improve attendance
• Stimulate, inspire and improve motivation
• Develop the ability to deal with uncertainty
• Provide challenge and the opportunity to take acceptable levels of risk
• Improve young people’s attitudes to learning
• Give them opportunities that they wouldn’t get elsewhere