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LOTC brings the National Curriculum to life. Cross curricular learning is enhanced with sensitively designed school grounds and outdoor classrooms. Bricks and mortar are transformed with creative sustainable green spaces.
Our school grounds can be a microcosm of the natural and built environment – it can be a huge teaching resource, but must be designed for that purpose. Few school grounds currently have more than an overgrown wildlife pond and a vegetable patch, if they are lucky.
Sensory gardens, sustainable wildlife gardens, mini school allotments, school orchards and stimulating playgrounds can be developed in surprisingly small spaces. Even better, low maintenance designs for wildlife gardens, study-height raised bed vegetable gardens, sensible designs for the children and adults who will be using the area, can all be easily and inexpensively incorporated into the design.
Greenstone Design designs school grounds for Learning Outside the Classroom (LOTC). LOTC was announced by Tony Blair as the ‘new way forward’ after the January 2007 Paris report on global climate change. School grounds and other public spaces must be designed to inspire young minds to appreciate the environment, to feel good, to be sustainable.
"As a trained teacher, Gayle Souter-Brown knows what is needed in school grounds. As a trained landscape designer she knows how to bring staff and student's design ideas together into a cohesive plan."
Once you have an overall vision, it is relatively simple to find funding for your school grounds development. Your local Council have a list of available grants.
Explore links with local businesses. They are often keen to help once you have an integrated plan for your school grounds development.
Environmental grants are also available. Often your application will need to be filled out by the Designer.
Souter-Brown Design can help you develop your grounds to facilitate learning outside the classroom, across all age levels and abilities.
Greenstone Design offers INSET day training to teachers on how and why to use outdoor learning as part of the national curriculum. In conjunction with the Forestry Commission's Education service, we can come to you for a tailor-made day of outdoor activities and design ideas for your school grounds. Or, you can come to the Alice Holt Forest for a fully catered day of fun and inspiration.
We can work with you to decide where best to place outdoor classrooms as an invaluable quiet, dry space outdoors. Outdoor classrooms can be used for outdoor drama productions, during lunchtimes, as well as for a full range of lessons outdoors.
Designers today have a responsibility to manage change, so that the next generation do not just survive but thrive. It is no longer enough to preserve the past.
We must change our thinking and actions to conserve our past and move towards a sustainable future.
For more information on how we can design your school grounds to suit outdoor education needs, or to book a School Grounds Enhancement Day, please contact us.
To see projects we have worked on and ideas for future developments, please click here.
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