Welcome to our Beach School Page
Beach School Leader
Beach School Leader
Beach School Vision Statement
At Hopton Primary Academy, we aim to provide a range of opportunities for children to learn in different environment. We understand that a classroom doesn’t have to have 4 walls and we want to use our local area to encourage outdoor learning as well as improving each child’s wellbeing.
Beach school emphasis is on holistic development. The children are encouraged to explore the natural environment with its constant changing appearance, offerings, and potential learning experiences and opportunities.
Our aims are mirrored to the school vision by encouraging our children to develop a love of learning, resilience, integrity, team work, critical thinking and independence during their trips to the beach.
Our vision is to use beach school to create cross curricula links and also learn about their local area to respect, understand and mostly be safe within the vicinity.
Beach school will promote the use of ‘Growth Mindset’ using our Hopton Powers and this, alongside our British Values, #CARE, to underpin Beach School.
Our aims for Beach School
Health & Safety
- Keeping ourselves healthy & safe (Mindfulness, travelling to/from beach, safety measures whilst at the beach, following instructions, how to contact the coastguard)
- Keeping others healthy & safe (Leaving wildlife alone, respecting others, role of a coastguard)
Resources
- What can be found at the beach (ephemeral art pictures group, ephemeral art pictures individual, research)
- Problem solving (solid colours, shades of colours materials, towering of objects)
Our Community
- Ecology (leaving beach as we find it, recycling, tides, coastal erosion)
Curriculum Design at Beach School
As well as providing an outdoor classroom for cross curriculum activities such as maths, art and wider curriculum subjects, we provide progression across all year groups that match our aims.
Beach School sessions are a way of giving children the opportunity to learn and develop in a natural environment, sparking their intrinsic motivations to explore, create and be curious about the world around them.
Our aim is to give children the opportunity to appreciate many aspects of beaches and the coast which they may not have thought about or experienced.
We use the coast as a platform for new learning experiences by providing children with the opportunity to explore their natural surroundings.
What do Beach Schools involve?
Beach school sessions aim to educate children through games and activities, about our local coastal environment as well as how they can help to sustain it for future generations to enjoy. From bird watching, mark making in the sand with driftwood, tracking animals, running freely along the beach, litter picking and paddling in the sea; the beach provides children with so many outdoor learning opportunities.
What are the benefits of beach schools?
1. They help children to develop social skills.
Learning whilst outdoors requires engagement and a lot of effective communication. The coastal environment presents multiple opportunities to engage children in group activities. They will develop their communication and social skills by working in a group. The change in surroundings, and leaving the four walls of a classroom can greatly help a child to become more sociable.
2. They encourage children to be independent.
Beach schools are a great way to encourage children to not only work as part of a team but to also explore independently and think independently whilst being guided in a safely assessed session.
3. They help children to build confidence.
Beach school sessions and learning outdoors encourages children to take well thought out risks. This develops confidence in children. Everyone is different and classroom environments simply don’t suit all children. Some children thrive outdoors but they may not have been very confident in a classroom setting. This transformation can often transfer back into the classroom.
4. They develop physical skills.
Activities such as picking up seaweed or seashells are working those fine motor skills, stamina and gross motor skills naturally without children even realising it. A good run along the beach is fun and encourages children to be physically active.
5. They get children motivated.
It’s no secret that exercise and fresh air leaves us feeling motivated. Learning skills and taking part in activities whilst learning outdoors leads to increased concentration. This engagement and ability to focus on specific tasks for extended periods of time is extremely beneficial for children.
Reception’s visit – learning about transport
Year 4’s visit – learning about pictograms
Year 2’s visit – learning about features of a castle
