Whatever the Weather - The importance of outdoor learning in a forward-thinking curriculum

Whether you were left to your own devices in your garden, or sent out to the local park for the day and not expected home until dark - as a child, being outside was just part of growing up. Today, however, the reality of growing up is different. Screens prevail. Fear of something terrible happening at the park when unsupervised supersedes rational risk-management. Children, in general, spend more time indoors, alone and self-occupied - a product of society no doubt - than ever before. 

This means that time in school needs to provide as much of a counterbalance as possible. 

Learning Beyond the Classroom

By engaging with the physical world, our pupils and your children benefit from what researchers call "sensory-rich" environments, which have been shown to improve long-term memory retention and reduce stress levels. Whether it is measuring the geometry of a planting bed to understand the perimeter, finding inspiration for creative writing in the rustle of the fruit alleys, or studying the historical impact of land use on our own doorstep, we ensure our children are physically and mentally active. This approach fosters a lifelong love for learning that is as expansive as the estate itself, ensuring that the farm is not just a destination for Science, but a canvas for our pupils' entire academic journey. 

The Research Behind the Practice

To provide further context on why we have embedded this philosophy so deeply into our school life, we draw upon several key areas of educational and psychological research:

• Attention Restoration Theory (Kaplan & Kaplan): Research suggests that natural environments provide a "soft fascination" that allows the brain’s directed-attention mechanisms to rest. For our students, this means that time spent on the farm "resets" their ability to focus, leading to improved concentration back in the traditional classroom.

• The Natural Connections Project (Natural England): One of the largest studies on outdoor learning found that 92% of pupils reported enjoying their lessons more when outdoors, while 90% felt happier and healthier. This directly supports our school value of Nurturing Relationships, as children are more positive and collaborative in outdoor settings.

• Cognitive and Academic Gains (American Institutes for Research): Studies into "place-based education" show that students in programs like our Community Farm often outperform their peers in standardized testing. The ability to apply abstract concepts—such as chemical reactions in composting or biological cycles in our fruit alleys—creates deeper "conceptual hooks" in a child’s memory.

• Holistic Wellbeing: Continuous exposure to green spaces is scientifically linked to lower cortisol levels in children. By integrating the farm into the weekly timetable, we are proactively supporting the mental health and emotional resilience of every child at Cransley.

Core Educational Research

• The Natural Connections Project (Natural England)

• The Study: One of the largest UK-based studies on the impact of outdoor learning on school children.

• Key Finding: 92% of schools reported that outdoor learning improved pupils’ engagement with learning and 90% reported a positive impact on health and wellbeing.

• Access the Summary Report here

• Attention Restoration Theory (ART) – Kaplan & Kaplan

• The Study: A foundational psychological theory explaining why natural environments improve concentration.

• Key Finding: Natural settings allow the brain to recover from "directed attention fatigue" (the tiredness caused by heavy screen use or intense classroom focus).

• Read a digest of the theory here

• The Impact of Outdoor Learning on Science Attainment (Education Endowment Foundation)

• The Resource: The EEF provides evidence-based summaries of teaching styles, including "Learning Outdoors."

• Key Finding: Outdoor learning is particularly effective for Science, as it allows for "real-world" experimentation that cements abstract concepts.

• Explore the EEF Evidence Database

The "Living Classroom" Philosophy

• Learning in the Natural Environment (LiNE): Review of Social & Economic Benefits

• The Paper: A comprehensive review by the University of Plymouth looking at how farms and school gardens build "social capital" and resilience.

• Key Finding: Students in outdoor programs show significantly higher levels of self-esteem and social confidence.

• Read the full Research Review

• Health and Wellbeing Benefits of Plants and Nature (Royal Horticultural Society)

• The Resource: The RHS provides research summaries on how "hands-on" horticulture reduces cortisol (stress) levels in primary-aged children.

• View RHS Research & Resources

Sustainable Futures & Food Literacy

• Why Farming Matters (LEAF Education)

• The Resource: Our curriculum uses many resources from Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) to connect children with where their food comes from.

• Key Finding: Understanding food systems is a critical component of "Sustainable Futures" and environmental stewardship.

• Visit LEAF Education for Parents

Cransley Community Farm: A Living Classroom for Sustainable Futures

At Cransley, our Community Farm is more than just an outdoor space; it is a core strategic pillar of our Sustainable Futures Curriculum. One year into this ambitious project, we have successfully transformed 1350m² of land into a thriving, immersive environment where academic excellence meets practical stewardship. Our use of the Community Farm Project as a ‘living classroom’ has ventured well beyond the narrow scope of a ‘Forest School’, whilst recognising the value that tool use, shelter building and bushcraft skills have for young minds. 

Mr Morris

Anti-Bullying Week 2025

This Head’s Journal entry is written by Mrs Jill Pargeter, our Assistant Headteacher with responsibility for Pupil Wellbeing and our Designated Safeguarding Lead, and outlines our consistent practical and pragmatic approach to Anti-bullying.

This week, Cransley school is observing Anti-Bullying Week 2025 as we do every year.

We believe that tackling bullying effectively requires a partnership between home and school, and we want to share the key concepts we discuss regularly and frequently with our pupils.

Defining Bullying

To effectively address bullying, it is vital that we all use a common definition. The Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) defines bullying as: "The repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power".

The are several critical elements of this behaviour:

• It must be repetitive.

• It must be intentional.

• It must be hurtful.

• It must involve an imbalance of power.

Furthermore, bullying can take many forms: it can be physical, verbal, or psychological, and importantly, it can happen face-to-face or online.

Historically, when incidents occurred, the traditional focus of behaviour management was on the two individuals involved—the "Victim" and the "Bully"—with the goal being to find out what happened and sort it out.

However, our current approach, as discussed with pupils, reframes bullying as a group behaviour. This model acknowledges that many individuals contribute to or enable bullying behaviour, not just the two primary participants.

The Roles in Group Bullying Dynamics

We have used this group dynamic model to help pupils understand their own potential influence on social situations. The roles involved in bullying behaviour include:

1. The Target: This is the person who is being bullied, or the person at whom the bullying is aimed.

2. The Ringleader (Bully): This individual is responsible for starting and leading the bullying, though they are not always the person 'doing' the bullying themselves.

3. Assistant(s): These are pupils who become actively involved in 'doing' the bullying.

4. Reinforcer(s): These individuals support bullying. This support might be subtle, such as laughing or encouraging other people to 'collude' with what is going on.

5. Outsider(s): Outsiders are those who ignore any bullying and simply do not want to get involved.

6. Defender(s): Defenders are key to breaking the cycle of bullying. They are pupils who stand up for someone being bullied because they know the behaviour is wrong. A Defender feels confident enough to do something about the situation, and this crucial step might involve reporting the problem to someone trusted, ie. talking to an adult in school.

Working Together

By identifying these different roles, we empower pupils to recognise how their own actions and inactions can either reinforce negative behaviour or, crucially, enable them to step forward as a Defender.

Our approach is to facilitate pupils in developing the skills and foresight to identify when negative actions are taking place and act early, and individually have the strength of character to call out poor conduct as not being acceptable.

We recognise that restorative practice systems are vital, when correctly timed and with the willing participation of the group, to ensure that we recognise mistakes, understand the hurt that has been caused and restore or nurture relationships as newly positioned Defenders.

It is also recognised by the school that invariably the Ringleader as well as the others within the group, as well as the Target, require careful pastoral support.  Such behaviours are indicative of underlying contributing issues - often a lack of self confidence, or learned and replicated behaviours observed in others - and it is important that we isolate the reasons for such choices.

The child - remember, they are still children - and the family then have a choice: we will endeavour to support and educate, but only if the child and the family have accepted the need to change the behaviour.

We encourage you to discuss these concepts with your child at home and reinforce Cransley school's commitment to preventing all forms of repetitive, intentional, and hurtful behaviour. If your child is concerned about bullying, whether they are the Target, a Defender, or an Outsider, or even if they, or you, recognise themselves as a Ringleader, please ensure they know to speak to a trusted adult at home or in school.

Our united effort is the most powerful tool we have in ensuring a safe environment for all pupils.

Mrs Jill Pargeter

AHT Wellbeing and DSL

Harvest: From Seed to Soup

Around this time, every Primary School in the land turns to its beleaguered external Music Teacher (or, if nothing else, that poor naive young teacher who won the Christmas Party Karaoke rendition and has now been named Music Coordinator) to prepare for the Harvest festival.  

They find the plastic box, unopened over the previous 11 months, and filled with year-old crepe paper autumn leaves, mouldy conkers, and a rather interesting fungus smell, and dig out the battered photocopy of the lyrics to ‘We plough the fields and scatter’ and ‘Cauliflowers fluffy’ ready to remind children, many of whom have only been alive for five cycles of the seasons, that fruit and veg can only be picked during certain months, and they should be bloomin’ thankful for it.

(Although who they are thanking is rather questionable.  For most, it’s probably the lady in Lidl, or the team in Tescos).

There may be the chance that you are reading this and not a parent at Cransley.  Maybe, you may have sat through a church service, assembly or similar, heard the usual songs, poetry recitals (many of which you sang as a child yourself), and watched Reception dressed up as yawning tomatoes, wondering whether it’s worth taking two hours of your working day to watch your darling child see how far they can stick some straw up their nose.

We do things slightly differently at Cransley. (I do love those words).

So, the Junior School staff meeting mid-September probably went like this: 

“Hmm. That’s what everyone else does. What can we do better?” (Practically the Junior School’s mission statement.)

“Is the tractor still around?  Last I saw it was coughing away in the front field.”

“I’ll have a chat.  Greame can fit it in those doors.  Always fun to watch.”

“Let’s put twinkly lights on it this time. And use it to display our donation to WODAC?”

“Great idea.  Food?”

“Soup and rolls.  Soup entirely made from vegetables they have grown themselves from seed on the farm.  Seed to Soup. Bread rolls from Bidvest.”

“Excellent.  Shame about the rolls.  Next year maybe.  Year 6 can serve our parents.  Let’s get them all mixed up so they can chat with new parents from other year groups in the Gym.  Big long tables, like in Hogwarts.”

“Well, let’s get the parents to do some hard labour beforehand.  Build their appetite.  Dungarees not yoga pants;  Put those Barbour coats and Hunter wellies to some proper use.  No Burbury and Gucci here!”  

“Too right.  Let’s get them ploughing the field alleys and scattering those good seeds.”

“Sounds like a song to me…”

“A bit of hard labour won’t harm them.  Crack on even if it's raining?”

“Of course! Better and better.  Next?  Some vital existential meaning? What do our kids and their parents need to know?”

“We have to get some serious messages across… who wants to go first?” 

“Climate change for us.” 

“Use of pesticides and herbicides, here” 

“Mycology for Year 2!”

“Seriously?”

“Yep. They loved it last year, investigates their biochemical properties, and how humans use them, while also examining their role in medicine, industry, and ecology. I bet every Year 3 could tell their oysters from their giant puffballs.” 

“I’ll do the water cycle, if you are going to do how we use our labs to test the soil for the best growth.”

“Condensation and stuff?”

“Much better. Year 1 have been identifying cloud types with special viewers and have learned to predict what the weather will do over the coming hours. We could teach the parents.”

“Magic.  Science, speaking and listening, maths, personal development, confidence and enterprise, wider understanding of the world, ecology, geography, sense of community.  Awesome.  Reception?”

“Can we dress up and sing a song?”

“Always.  It wouldn’t be a Harvest Festival without it.”