The Brenda Keogh Lecture, ASE Conference 2021 and more details about Nature Friendly Schools

Brenda Keogh Lecture, Association of Science Education (ASE) Conference 2021

I was completely delighted to be a speaker during the Brenda Keogh Lecture at the ASE Conference last week. Feeling incredibly honoured and so pleased to take part along with David Allen @CreativePrisci, Helen Spring @SpringLearns and Tom Martin @Farmer_Tom_UK, I wanted to add a blog about it.

 

During the lecture, we discussed the huge benefits of outdoor learning. Helen Spring is such an expert in this field and Tom Martin’s FarmerTime is a brilliant way to engage pupils in the outdoors and careers education. As a full-time teacher @burlingtonjnr I spoke about our schools outdoor learning journey. Indeed, I introduced Tom and Farmertime at last years Teach Meet during the Conference in Reading. We have been undertaking Farmer Time at our school with Farmer Colin @sw_farmer for 18 months.

 

I would like to add links here that were referred to in the lecture and also some detail to what was discussed about our Nature Friendly Schools participation. There is much to be said about what is happening at Burlington Junior School in relation to this.

 

Nature Friendly Schools

 

This Department for Education and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs incentive is supported by Young Minds, the Field Studies Council and the Sensory Trust. It is a relatively new incentive from the government, in collaboration with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT). Small groups undertake planned activities to nurture and support vulnerable children in order to cope with challenges and develop confidence and subsequently enable participation, good mental health and well-being and academic attainment. Initial assessments were undertaken and lessons and activities have been designed in collaboration between the school and YWT to cater for specific needs of individual children. We have set up focus groups (and control groups) in Year 3 and 4 so we can measure attainment affects- this is being overseen and researched by Matt Clark (Year 6/SLT) @wildmaths and delivered along with myself, Sue Robson and Diane Wilks (Pastoral team) and Terry Woollerton (our caretaker) and we are working to deliver this programme within school- the requirement being that children spend 2 hours per week each outside. Obviously, in light of another national lockdown this week, our plans are once again thrown into uncertainty. 

 

Andy Steele and Sara Booth-Card from the YWT have worked really hard to support us to get set up in this endeavour and in collaboration with Katie Parsons at the University of Hull, Matt is researching how to measure the longer term benefits on attainment of pupils undertaking the programme (along with other schools within the group).

Andy Steele- Group meeting

 

The offer includes funding to support the development of outdoor areas being focused upon at school and to purchase waterproofs and wellingtons. This includes greening/ up-levelilng of facilities at the school-

A bulb maze- which the children helped to plant using bulbs received from @bulbs4kids

A meadow

A weather station

Developing and enhancing our existing outdoor learning area including adding perspex to the windows of our outdoor pergola

Further training for both staff and children

Work on grounds by YWT

Burlington Outdoor/NFS Team

 

Going forward- this will benefit the whole school who will gain access to enhanced resources and receive instruction from far more confident and enthusiastic staff.  These activities are so needed in the current, very uncertain and stressful Covid era in which we are living. Mental health and well-being is so important and this incentive is perfect to support it-it is also extremely beneficial to spend time outdoor in the open anyway, let alone during this global pandemic. 

An added hope is that once the pandemic is over/ controlled, the children will be able to participate in a collaborative garden/workspace at a local country house. It is hoped that parents will also engage and benefit from participating in these outdoor activities with their children, in this project. We are all so enthusiastic and optimistic about Nature Friendly Schools, the potentially huge positive outcomes and the legacy created for our pupils, staff and school.

Thanks for reading and see you soon,

 

Kate

Further reading 

Home | Nature Friendly Schools

New ‘Nature Friendly Schools’ to help ‘green’ hundreds of school grounds and bring thousands of children closer to nature | The Wildlife Trusts

Nature Friendly Schools – Field Studies Council (field-studies-council.org)

Spending more time outside has long been associated with improved mental health. This project should bring about real benefits. | Nature Friendly Schools

 

Read more about our involvement- follow the link to NFS Case Study:

Burlington Junior School | Nature Friendly Schools 

 

Look out for "Our Outdoor Learning Journey' written by K Sutton 

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust- Sprout- Edition 3

November 2020- Wildlife Trusts magazine for outdoor educators

 My Primary Science Journals with relevance-

Issue 1650 | www.ase.org.uk    

Great Science Share for Schools Special Edition-A Community affair- the Bridlington Way

Issue 162 | www.ase.org.uk     

Habits and Ecology    A Coastal View of a global issue

Issue 161 | www.ase.org.uk

Technology and Science    Developing the Engineering in STEM-