Staff training

What training is available?

We train teaching staff to gain the necessary skills, knowledge, and confidence to teach creatively and effectively outside the classroom, especially using their own school grounds. We hope to inspire teachers to use the outdoors more, and to encourage them to embrace an enquiry-based approach to learning, which will engage and motivate pupils and raise their academic attainment, as well as improve their mental, social, and emotional development. Full-day, half-day, and after-school courses include:

Creative Outdoor Learning Award (COLA)
Teaching Maths/Science/Literacy/DT outdoors
Teaching Geography/History/RE/PSHE outdoors
Learn through fire lighting and cooking outdoors
Maximise learning using the school pond/garden
Creative teaching on the beach

How to book

Courses can be arranged at any time in the year, and can be delivered indoors and/or outdoors, depending upon your needs. Individuals can book onto central courses, but schools are encouraged, wherever possible, to adopt a whole-team approach so that learning outside the classroom is fully embraced and embedded in the culture and ethos of the school. The focus is normally on how to maximise use of your own school grounds, but we can also include use of the local area (e.g. nearby woodland) and offsite venues (e.g. the beach).

Outdoor learning normally involves considerable physical, as well mental activity, so many schools justifiably use Sports Premium funding to pay for staff training. To reduce costs further, why not arrange a training course with other schools in your cluster.

We aim to ensure that our courses are accessible and affordable for all. To find out more, please call us on 07546272326 or email outdoorlearning4schools@gmail.com

What teachers say

“Taff has provided our staff with fantastic professional development in outdoor learning. He is highly knowledgeable and skilled and has given us a whole range of inspiring ideas about how we can embed learning outside the classroom across the primary curriculum. Taff is an exceptional communicator and has given our staff the confidence to lead exciting outdoor activities such as pond dipping, fire building, orienteering, problem solving and team building activities. Nothing is too much trouble for Taff. He always goes the extra mile to provide training and support which is tailored to the specific needs of the school.”

Laura Wallis (Headteacher) and Elizabeth Hart (Deputy Headteacher), St Marys CE Primary, Beverley

What teachers say

"In order for learning to be effective, it needs to be memorable. Taff's infectious enthusiasm is inspiring. On the COLA course, teachers can see that learning outside isn't just about pond dipping and lighting fires, it encompasses so much more. Taff facilitated our learning and made us question how we could make our children inquisitive, cooperative and resilient; pupils engaged in their learning. The course shows you how you can take the most humbling of learning and turn it into a meaningful, challenging set of tasks where the sky really is the limit. The new OFSTED framework encourages a focus on deep learning in all aspects of the curriculum and development of character. There really is no better way than engaging in the creative learning thinking process that Taff shows you how to accomplish in order to achieve these goals and re-invigorate the learning in your school"

Luke Fletcher, Headteacher, Boynton and Wold Newton Primary Schools