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sport & leisure


Taking STEM outside - an inspirational example


deprived areas nationally, Glebe Academy works hard to support children, their families and members of this close community. As part of this commitment Glebe Academy felt it vital to develop a safe, engaging outdoor environment that could be used for both outdoor learning and play. In 2013 the school had a very small


A


Tarmac play space and a large but completely inaccessible bark area. The school was converting to Academy status when it first met Playforce, and wanted to create a ‘wow factor’ outdoor space. Says Principal Suzanne Oakes-Smith:


“When we first appointed Playforce to help develop our outdoor space we had two key priorities. The first related to the public ‘face’ of the school. Located on a busy main


S a school situated in a heavily built up area of Stoke on Trent, sitting in the in the highest 10% of socially


road we were going through conversion to Academy status and needed an outdoor space that would stand out and give a clear message to the community that we were doing something very different - and exciting. The second was to develop a space that would allow us to not only improve play during lunch times and break times, but that would present opportunities for really purposeful learning, delivered creatively outside. “At Glebe Academy taking learning


outside is a crucial and integral part of the way we deliver learning, and work with the curriculum. It’s not good enough to simply take classroom exercises outside. We wanted an outdoor space that would support staff in weaving opportunities for learning outside into lesson planning in a meaningful and different context.” Glebe Academy turned to Playforce to help them deliver a development plan,


spanning three distinct phases. First, the school wanted to use play to improve behaviour and reduce the volume of reported incidents, during lunch and break times. Playforce removed the bark and replaced it with Play Lawn artificial grass, to create access all year round. Then Playforce installed two Tipis and a Lookout Lodge, which provide opportunities for social interaction, imaginative play and space for more structured learning like reading, circle time and small group work. Finally, Playforce developed a sports area, with a rubberised Wetpour Surface and Timber Goal Ends. As a result of this work staff reported an almost ‘overnight’, dramatic reduction in incidents of bad behaviour, during play times. In the second and third phases, Glebe


Academy also asked Playforce to design them a bespoke “STEM Shack". Says Oakes-Smith: “We wanted something that could be used to provide before-and-after school enrichment opportunities for families within the local community and childcare activities during the school holidays. We wanted this outdoor retreat to house activity panels that would enhance the development of learning and language skills across the STEM curriculum. “The best part was, because it was


available after school and in holidays, parents were able to take part in these interactive, fun and practical activities. It was particularly helpful in terms of engaging with girls and vulnerable children with specific learning needs, in particular ADHD and Autism, who often demonstrate an increased ability in STEM subjects but prefer to be outside, and who represent around 30% of our students.”


www.playforce.co.uk 46 educationdab.co.uk


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