Over the past few months, the students have taken advantage of this space by using it to grow various plants and vegetables. Their first harvest of homegrown vegetables, including carrots, peas and spring onions, took place in July – while this week saw the harvest of 200 potatoes. All items grown have been given to the catering team for use in school meal preparations.

Head of Additional Provision, John Blades, said: “Each student from the ERP has been heavily involved from start to finish, which is a credit to each and every one of them. Our outdoor classroom was developed just over a year ago to support students with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs. This outdoor learning approach not only gives the students a sense of ownership, but also an end goal in seeing a final product.”

Opened in September 2022, the ERP unit caters for learners with SEMH needs – a type of Special Educational Need where a child can often have difficulties in managing their emotions or behaviour, causing them to feel scared, anxious or misunderstood.

Students are supported through individual EHCP (Education Health and Care) Plans which describe their needs, the support they require, and the outcomes they would like to achieve. Crucially, the support of this process within the ERP unit means that students are able to continue their education in a mainstream school, with a view of eventual reintegration back into regular classroom settings.

Mr Blades added: “We offer a bespoke curriculum, differentiated to the needs of each individual learner, with the aim of helping them regain access to main school lessons to learn alongside their peers. To help prepare them for this, a number of students currently enjoy a package of hybrid learning which sees them split their time between the ERP unit and mainstream lessons.

“Our outdoor classroom complements this by offering the students ownership of a breakout space for the benefit of their mental health and well-being at times of sensory overload. As an oasis of calm, it provides a safe place where students can self-regulate before returning back to their classroom. It also offers students an opportunity to enjoy hands-on learning that teaches self-sufficiency and adaptation to different forms of learning.”

Featuring four raised beds, with their timber frames renewed and each of them dug over by a community team from Centrica in May 2023, the garden has become widely used and a popular addition to the unit's provision.
Plans are in motion for further expansion during the current academic year which will see the addition of a small pond and rockery.

The ERP team are also looking for local businesses to help support the progression of the outdoor classroom with bids already in place for a new shed and greenhouse. Any businesses who are in a position to donate any plants or materials for use in the outdoor classroom are requested to contact John Blades, Head of Additional Provision, for further information at bladesj@wscampus.net