Outdoor Education

The vision for Outdoor Education is to develop creativity through exploration, build resilience through challenge and foster environmental, individual and social responsibility through journey and service. 

We believe in creating the leaders of tomorrow with learning opportunities that stimulate and inspire the confidence to act, think critically and adapt to change with compassion, empathy and integrity. 

Provision is operationalised through an annual progressive adventure residential, cross-curricular collaboration when a shared curriculum agenda exists, and co-curricular opportunities from afterschool clubs to holiday camps. 

Our internal system of assessing risk is embedded within our systems, culture and on-going training and review procedures. Activities and vendors are selected by a committee appointed to assess the purpose and appropriateness of each programme.   

In DUCKS, Outdoor Education is operationalised through Forest School. More information can be found under the Forest School tab.

In Junior School, learners start to engage fears, responsibilities and applied skills in safe but unfamiliar contexts. Objectives are prescribed by the facilitator, building an applied multidisciplinary skillset and strengthened through guided personal reflection. From Year 5, learners become increasingly exposed to team dynamics and problem solving in increasingly challenging situations with the aim of developing the independence and skills required for the expedition programme in the Senior School.

In Senior School, learners deepen their understanding of operating in ‘unstable’ environments, developing their applied and risk management skills to enable safe, effective and purposeful planning. Facilitation is presented through problem-based learning, encouraging learners to find appropriate ‘emotionally intelligent’ strategies as solutions. As personal responsibility increases, as do the demands of both environment and task, building the foundations for learners to plan and execute their own student led projects with confidence.