Research has shown that the design and management of school grounds can have a significant impact on pupils’ attitudes and behaviour towards school, each other and the wider environment and society. In addition, thoughtfully-developed school grounds provide wonderful opportunities for experiential learning right across the curriculum.
Involving pupils in the design and creation of inspiring and interesting grounds will allow pupils to acquire a range of knowledge and skills, as well as foster a sense of ownership and responsibility for their surroundings.
Use the links and icons below to find out more. Our Spring 2007 newsletter also contains more information on this topic.
Why develop the school's grounds?
Over the past 20-odd years, thousands of schools have begun to realise the enormous potential for transforming featureless expanses of asphalt and grass into exciting natural places for learning and socialising. Pupils can spend as much as 25% of their time in the school grounds, so it’s important that the experiences they have there are as positive as they can be. No matter how limited the space, or how urban the setting, it is always possible to maximise the potential of a school's grounds.
Reinforcing key messages
Developing a school's grounds is an extremely effective way to reinforce key environmental messages. Young people may be taught that ‘the environment’ is important and that they should take care of it, and then see grounds that are poorly designed and badly cared for. Practical action should be applied outside in order to complement what is taught in class. The information contained in the Biodiversity section of this site may also be useful for schools wishing to improve their surroundings.
The outdoor classroom
Carefully-planned school grounds can offer lots of exciting learning opportunities and help to bring a range of topics to life in a way that would be difficult or impossible to achieve in an indoor classroom. Many schools in Scotland are beginning to teach aspects of all four capacities in the Curriculum for Excellence.
Pupils learn in different ways and the use of an outdoor setting can help those young people who find "traditional" learning methods challenging. Other pupils will enjoy the challenge of learning in a different, more practical way. Our Activities pages have additional ideas for you to try.
School Grounds - Eco-Schools Objectives and Learning Outcomes
Objectives
- Enrich teaching and learning opportunities across the curriculum for the whole school community.
- Encourage a sense of place.
- Encourage habitat creation, which enhances the biodiversity of school grounds.
- Encourage schools to make community links.
- Encourage schools to value their grounds as a place for pupils to play, learn and make important personal connections with the natural world.
Learning Outcomes
Through work on the School Grounds topic, pupils should be enabled to:
- explore and express feelings for the natural world.
- appreciate the importance of biodiversity in their locality and beyond.
- take part in decision-making.
- take responsible action within their local community.
- think critically.
- work co-operatively with others.
- care for self, others and the environment.
