Educational Visits are a Key Element of Learning!
Educational visits are a core element of our curriculum, which is underpinned by our children’s needs in terms of developing: independence; life experiences and resilience. With this in mind, as an essential element of our PSHE curriculum, we take our children on three separate residential visits during their time with us (Year 4, 5 and 6). We feel that this has been even more vital post-Covid Lockdown. Children’s first residential visit is to The Pioneer Centre, at Cleobury Mortimer, which is close enough to Pershore to allow children who are not yet ready to stay overnight, to visit for the day, and gain from the activities. In Year 6 the children visit Alton Castle in Shropshire, which is a Catholic outdoor education retreat centre. By this visit all children are ready to cope with staying overnight and gain from the added benefit of the spiritual elements of the retreat. In Year 5 we gauge the children’s confidence and readiness when booking the visit; sometimes rebooking at the Pioneer Centre, is needed, in order to build on and consolidate children’s confidence.
Visits also form key part of other curriculum subject learning:
- PE – all classes attend sports festivals and KS2 children also attend a wide variety of tournaments and events, including dance festivals, swimming galas, School Games events, bellboating etc.
- Art – visits to galleries and workshops
- Science – topic related visits such as: Bishop’s Wood environmental centre, farm parks, nature reserves, recycling plants, local woods, National Space Centre, Sea Life Centre, Batsford Arboretum etc
- Geography – topic related fieldwork, such as: local area walks to identify physical and human features and support mapwork, Yr 4 river profiling, erosion/deposition and eco visit to Knapp and Papermill reserve, local visits to carry out surveys, Bredon Hill visit etc.
- History – topic related visits to enrich class based objectives through incidental learning, such as: Bredon Hill visit with local archaeologist, Ashmoleam Museum, Evesham, The Commandry, Chedworth Villa, Black Country Museum, Hartlebury Hall, Croome Court etc
- Music – The Big Sing Event, Symphony Hall, performing at local events etc
- English – library visits, storytelling festival, local woods visit, theatre, performing at Number 8 theatre and at other local venues, Oxford Storytime Museum etc
- RE – visits to other places of worship, Islamic exhibition
- PSHE – litter picks, walk to school events, recycling centre etc.
