Children revolutionise their school grounds

A Junior School has recently finished revolutionising their school grounds to create an inspirational environment for outdoor learning.
The new living willow domeThe new living willow dome
The new living willow dome

The idea to make better use of the school's grounds was put forward by the Bosmere Junior children during a school council meeting.

Headteacher, Kathryn Robinson, said: '˜We are keen to hear the views of children and our School Council has a really active role in this process. We are lucky to have some fabulous school grounds here at Bosmere but the children felt we needed to develop them further to make sure we could use them more for learning.'

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The school, in South Street, Havant, developed an Outdoor Learning Team involving pupils and teachers. After visiting other schools the team devised a plan to put their ideas into action.

Staff and students earlier in the year working on the first stage of the developmentStaff and students earlier in the year working on the first stage of the development
Staff and students earlier in the year working on the first stage of the development

The first stage of the initiative has seen the development of a learning meadow area in which vegetation and wildlife has been allowed to grow in its natural state.

'˜In the summer, once it has been fully developed, it will provide a wonderful learning resource for studying different wildlife and habitats. It will also be a wonderful space for children to explore at break times,' said Mrs Robinson.

The school also wanted to create an outdoor learning space for children to read during the warmer spring and summer months.

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'˜We have created a Relax and Read area,' said English manager, Nicola White.

Children enjoy the new Relax and Read areaChildren enjoy the new Relax and Read area
Children enjoy the new Relax and Read area

'˜We wanted to create an inviting space in which children could simply get lost in a book, away from the hustle and bustle of the playground. The brightly coloured benches and tables, along with outdoor bean bags and cushions in the nicer weather, help to promote reading as a fun pastime,' she added.

The children decided to include a dedicated '˜Fabulous Chair' as part of the reading area, in memory to teaching assistant, Sue Fellah, who died this year.

The final stage of the development was the creation of a living willow dome at the end of the field. This will provide an additional outdoor classroom space, as well as producing the school's own supply of willow which can be used for art projects. 

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Additionally the school have also used bark chippings to create a network of pathways and have created an outdoor classroom with tree stumps used for seating. Children, teachers, governors and people from the local community have all been involved in the student led process.

Mrs Robinson said: '˜We are very proud of what we have achieved and are looking forward to watching how things grow and to having some fun in our new environments.'