SURVIVAL SKILLS

The great outdoors

Bushcraft education? Wilderness lessons? Survival

training? Not what you might expect to be on the agenda for schools, but the benefits of taking your pupils back to nature are more extensive than you may think Angela

Youngman explains

and team-based personal learning and thinking skills as well as discovering alternative ways of succeeding. The courses are highly intensive and cover everything

S

from finding food in the wild, to dealing with booby traps, leadership skills, tracking, shelter-building, raft- building and making tools. Other activities can include looking at herbs and healing, health and hygiene, target-shooting, and learning to light fires without using matches. Residential overnight stays involving camping in the woodland or going on an overnight canoe trek are also quite common. There are an increasing number of centres offering

these courses being set up throughout the UK by specialists. It is easy to see why spending time learning bushcraft

and survival skills is proving popular with kids. Many pupils do not like spending hours in the classroom, so learning to cope in the wild provides a good alternative. It appeals to children who have lost interest in traditional school subjects as well as providing a challenging environment for all ability groups. Even the most difficult children become enthused by this form of activity and discipline problems are apparently rare. John Rhyder of the Sussex-based Woodcraft School

explained: “We find that being out in the forests has a calming effect on youngsters. When we spoke to a teacher recently about bushcraft courses, the first question was about how we deal with behaviour

URVIVAL SKILLS, bushcraft and wilderness training are subjects that are beginning to appear on the timetable for increasing numbers of school children. These particular themes are the next step up from traditional forest schools. They focus on developing individual

problems. He was amazed to find we did not have any. Being in the woodland environment calms down kids. It is tangible, and offers them different skills to being in a classroom. It is great for their self-esteem. We have had non-academic achievers as well as gifted and talented children. They are immediately interested when you say the word bushcraft because it is different.” Dave Oakley, a teacher at the Woodside Centre

in Norwich, a pupil referral unit that deals primarily with key stage 4 kids excluded from school, has taken several groups on bushcraft training with Activ-8 in Norfolk. He has noticed the difference that such courses have made on the children. He explained: “One of the kids I took was interested

in nothing until he went on this course. Now he is working for them on a full time basis. Another boy with major problems, who was never interested in anything, asked to go and really enjoyed it. “Many of the kids focus on television and computers

and never get outside much. With bushcraft they are doing something different, something positive and getting out and about. They make it so interesting and it has really helped the kids. I believe bushcraft courses are helpful to all kids, not just underachievers.” Within the curriculum, schools are using these

courses to link into subjects such as science, PSHE, environmental studies and PE. Using it as part of an alternative curriculum is common. Lita Bateman of Midhurst Rother College in West

Sussex added: “I use it to support our alternative curriculum mainly for year 10 as it can give them four to

five GCSE equivalent qualifications. It gives a Level 2 qualification in bushcraft/survival and woodland crafts. It also links into the ASDAN section on working with others and COPE (Certificate of Personal Effectiveness). “It is good for confidence-building and learning

to work in teams. For our rural kids this training is very good as they learn about traditional skills, safety, and survival, making fires, and making tools. The kids come back energised, and have clearly enjoyed themselves.” Most bushcraft centres will offer Level 2

qualification-based courses that use 50 hours of guided teaching. These generally focus around ASDAN and COPE qualifications. Bespoke courses linked into a school’s specific requirements can be created. For example Activ-8 offers green woodworking,

greenwood crafts, traditional English longbow-making, pioneering and problem-solving, while campfire skills include wilderness cookery and basketry. Schools also frequently use woodcraft/survival

skills programmes as part of after-school projects and games afternoons. They are also useful for being a part of a summer activity week. It offers something different, and will often appeal to kids who dislike traditional school sports. Workshops can be themed as well. For example, Wholeland in Devon has undertaken Australia weeks, tracking away days, environmental art and natural awareness. At Taverham Hall School in Norfolk, PE teacher

Ian Martin explained that they offer this education as an after-school activity. He continued: “We have got hundreds of acres

of woodland around the school and these courses encourage children to explore. The boys and girls love the camaraderie that goes with the outdoor life, getting together and working in the woods. Some of the children find it more challenging than classroom work. I have seen shy and retiring types become the leaders once they are outside the classroom studying bushcraft in the woods. It gives them more confidence.” The impact can be seen elsewhere in the curriculum

as well, according to Mr Martin: “I have noticed that children doing the course have definitely improved their teamwork and co-ordination skills. This is particularly noticeable during PE lessons. It has also encouraged independent learning, and the effects of this can be seen when they are working together during the school day.” Former teacher Louise Chapman is so convinced

Back to the wild: Activ-8 in Norfolk (both images) are one of many providers hosting an array of wilderness courses for schools

of the role bushcraft can play in the school curriculum, that she has set up her own business. SAS-GO is based at her home in Swardeston, Norfolk. She explained: “While teaching at Costessey High School I was involved with team-building schemes

and noticed how well the children responded to something fun and different. I thought there was something there. I researched the bushcraft concept and thought this was something exciting and could be helpful to young people. “I took the idea of the SAS and changed it slightly to

Swardeston Adventure Survival. I have found that hard- to-reach learners often surprise themselves when they come to outdoor centres. They struggle in the classroom but outside they enjoy the activities as it provides new learning challenges. “They learn to follow instructions and this gives

them the confidence to succeed. Every child deserves to have the experience of being out of doors and learning survival skills. It is back to basics and learning to work with others.” Ms Chapman added: “We launched the business

at this year’s Norfolk Show and the response from teachers was phenomenal. Our stand was close to the schools tent in the education area, and we were inundated with visitors. The response from one high school teacher was typical as he commented ‘this is fantastic, just what I have been looking for’.” When opting to use this type of course it is important

that teachers check out the organisation carefully. They should ensure that it is reputable and not militaristic in outlook. Remember that not all pupils will respond to a military-style organisation and approach. Ensure that the purpose of the course is clearly set

out, and that it has an identifiable educational benefit. Ask the following questions: • What is the adult to child ratio? • How many adults are needed to accompany the group?

• What is the minimum group size? Some courses are highly intensive focusing on just five or six pupils and may require little outside supervision.

• Have all instructors got the appropriate qualifications and CRB checks.

• Are instructors qualified in first aid? Also consider what constitutes bad weather – light

rain rarely stops such activities; only high winds and potentially hazardous conditions will prevent survival and bushcraft activities from going ahead.

SecEd

• Angela Youngman is a freelance education journalist.

Further information

• The Woodcraft School: www.woodcraftschool.co.uk • Activ-8: www.activ-8.org • COPE: www.asdan.org.uk/cope.php • Wholeland: www.wholeland.org.uk • SAS-GO: www.sas-go.co.uk

Bursars and School Business Managers are eligible for full membership of NAHT

Join now for less than £15 per month.

Established in 1897, NAHT is an independent trade union and professional association representing 28,000 members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Many members hold leadership positions in secondary schools and sixth form colleges

joinus@naht.org.uk adding SecEd in the subject line or visit www.naht.org.uk

naht.indd 1

SecEd • April 15 2010

24/3/09 15:04:15

13 Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16