Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior School

A Whole New World

It is our school mission to provide 'Brighter futures for all!' and what better place to start than building a love of the great outdoors into our curriculum.

When thinking about the title for this piece, Aladdin and the signature tune, ‘A whole New World’, came to mind as the lyrics really do sum up what we are hoping to achieve.

“A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us, "No"
Or where to go
Or say we're only dreaming
A whole new world
A dazzling place I never knew
But when I'm way up here
It's crystal clear
That now I'm in a whole new world with you!”

For many of our children, life experiences may be limited due to the high levels of deprivation in the community.  Being an inner city school our ‘view’ is sometimes limited; the access to nature, outdoor activities and the opportunities to try new things are reliant on funds, transport and expertise.  It is our hope that through the development of our curriculum, we can begin to give children regular life experiences that make the world a ‘dazzling place to be’.  We hope to impart life skills that will help our amazing pupils develop new hobbies and passion alongside the confidence to push themselves to try new things and experience their ‘Best Life!’

Through our exciting new curriculum focus, Children at RAMJS have the opportunity to embark on some amazing outdoor learning and as part of our quest, we are building our own outdoor learning space from scratch!  Our children have a designated session, every other week, building on learning and life skills whilst impacting positively on our external environment.

What is most wonderful about this process is that as we develop our own forest and growing patches, fire pit and outdoor classroom, the RAMJS family will be part of planting the seeds for future generations of children to enjoy God's world in all its wonder;

 “But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?"

Job 12:7-9

To compliment our new curriculum focuses, we are also planning lots of trips; the purposes of which is to give our children first hand experiences that both broaden their horizons and provide experiential learning opportunities.  These trip are designed to allow children to experience different settings and develop an awareness of the different seasons.  Starting in December 21, our Year 6 pupils will be visiting a working farm in to see how cows are milked and to sample ewe’s milk cheese.  Our second farm visit will see our Year 3 children visiting a fell farm where they will see how sheep are kept, explore the diverse woodland there and make their own pizza which they will then cook on a wood fired oven.

At the heart of all we do are our school values, all chosen by our wonderful pupils that underpin everything we are hoping to achieve.

Ambition-to gain a greater awareness of the locality; exploring new activities that impact on life chances and encourage new hobbies and enjoyments.

“I love outdoor learning because it allows me to try new , ambitious activities like orienteering and it is so much fun!” Haleema

Courage-gaining the courage to try new activities and gaining a strong understanding of the activities that children enjoy/don't enjoy to ensure a wider future prospect.

“Learning about first aid has given me the courage and confidence to help someone if I found them collapsed.” Ollie

Respect-to build an understanding of the importance of respecting nature and our environment which positively impacts on the world around us and beyond.

“We got ingredients and made dough which we wrapped around a stick and cooked in the fire.  I had to show respect because the fire could burn me. I loved eating the yummy bread!” Yahya

Love-to develop a love of nature, the outdoors and a passion for trying new experiences that broaden life chances.

“I love outdoor learning so much especially making the poppies and exploring the school grounds.” Sravani

Hope-to give hope to our community and our future generations of a sustainable, respected and loved planet based on a sound foundation of respect for the world in which we live.

“I like the first aid lesson and learning about the recovery position as it gave me a skill that I hope one day I can use to help someone in need.” Charlie

Faith-to find peace and tranquillity in the world around us; recognising the gifts bestowed upon the world by our own individual God whilst using our own personal faith and beliefs to demonstrate thanks for all we have by taking care of our environment.

“I think it is wonderful that we are looking at outdoor learning that fits into seasons and times of the year, especially the Remembrance work on Poppies.” Elizabeth

We look forward to updating our school community with regular posts about this exciting learning that is taking place.  You can find more information on our school website - https://www.ramjs.lancs.sch.uk/outdoor-learning/

As always the children can explain why this work is so important to them and how it is impacting on their learning and life skill development so these quotes from Lily and Zaara really sums why we are doing what we are doing!

“I like building stuff and in outdoor learning we get to use different materials so now I can actually tie different types of knots!”

Lily

I love being outside learning about nature and why it is so important to look after our environment for the future.”

Zaara

And if after all those super positive comments, you are still not convinced, these wonderful smiles should tell us everything we need to know about the valuable experience our Outdoor Learning is providing!