Our purpose-built outdoor classroom area, ‘The Lodge’ allowing us to expand our skills-based curriculum to include further engaging, learning opportunities for our pupils.
The outdoors at Engage Academy now includes:
- a woodland area where children can explore, make dens, learn tracking skills alongside, safety lessons on how to protect and care for our natural environment whilst having fun;
- a fire pit that is used as part of our fire safety lessons, the children learn how to build fires, to use for warmth and cooking;
- a mud kitchen developing creative play in a fun and enriching way;
- ‘The Lodge’ a purpose built outdoor classroom that has two workbenches incorporated, children can use tools to create and build objects such as birdhouses and bird feeders or just artistic with our woodland materials to create natural art projects;
- a large sandpit to develop and support imaginary and creative play.
As part of our interventions that run throughout the week, we have a dedicated staff member that plans and trains other staff to deliver these learning sessions, supporting our pupils in becoming confident, creative, self-aware, motivated, independent and resilient. This type of personalised provision supports our children’s SEMH needs by building up their self-esteem and supporting their engagement back into learning.
