Wood Street Infant School Is Top Of The Class For Outside Learning

Published on: 19 Jul, 2019
Updated on: 23 Jul, 2019

By Jan Todd

Wood Street Infant School in Guildford has shown itself to be at the top of the class for providing meaningful “learning outside the classroom” (LOtC) experiences to all of its pupils, by being the first Guildford school to be awarded “LOtC Mark (Gold)” accreditation.

Awarded by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, the LOtC Mark recognises exemplary outside learning provision in schools and indicates that a school is a leader in ensuring that all pupils have access to frequent, continuous and progressive learning outside the classroom to support their learning and achievement.

Assistant headteacher, Charlotte Willoughby said: “Being awarded the Gold LOtC Mark is a real coup for all the staff and governors here, as it shows that we are working hard to provide our pupils with potentially life-changing opportunities.

“We’re thrilled to get official recognition for our efforts and we look forward to building on this award to continue to develop our LOtC provision and contribute to the promotion of the many benefits of taking teaching and learning outside of the classroom walls.”

Trying out Tayana Yoga in the Yoga and Wellness Tent.

Wood Street Infants celebrated the achievement by holding an event on Wednesday, July 17, when familes were invited to spend the morning exploring activities such as Tayana Yoga in the yoga and wellness tent, cooking on a fire pit, pony agility, whittling, playing the steel pan drums, scaling a huge climbing wall and petting Supernoodle the visiting unicorn.

An opportunity to pet animals at the celebratory event.

Kim Somerville, chief executive of the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom said: “Learning outside the classroom provides the most memorable experiences in a child’s school life. [The] LOtC Mark Gold demonstrates that genuinely valuable learning outside the classroom experiences are a part of the everyday life of the school, and are available to all of their children and young people.

“I congratulate Wood Street Infants on being awarded LOtC Mark Gold.”