As a parent of children at Bishopmill Primary School, as well as a staff member, I'm raising money to go towards the development of an outdoor classroom.  This  is  an  exciting  project  which  will  benefit  current  an  future  pupils.

The proposed project focuses on a flexible space that can be a learning centre, a project-based station and an area for reflection and observation. It will include natural materials like dirt, trees and stones, along with man-made materials like bird houses, playhouses and tables.

One of the main advantages of an outdoor classroom is that it allows children to move freely and this movement is one of the most natural and powerful forms of learning for children. With the use of an outdoor classroom, both teachers and pupils have reported increases with attainment, confidence and skills.

An outdoor classroom not only helps students in terms of achievement, but they can also gain motivation through outdoor classroom instruction. Children are more motivated to study and learn given the many opportunities provided to them in the outdoor environment. Teachers can use the garden as an integrating context and effectively met curriculum benchmarks, or use it to facilitate any lesson.

In our garden we hope to provide a mud kitchen, gardening beds, food garden, staging, sensory section, willow den, artificial grass, display area, tables, stools, fencing, storage and suitable learning material.