Outdoor education at Millfield 

Year 2022 /2023

        Outdoor education is a key driver at Millfield Primary.  This starts when children first enter school in nursery with Woodland Wednesdays every week and continues in all years throughout their schooling, culminating with upper Juniors taking part in numerous activities including Kayaking, canoeing, hiking, indoor and outdoor climbing and mountain biking in the local area.

Many of these activities are provided by our own experienced staff with external coaches providing  more specific activities as needed.

    At Millfield we believe that all children should be able to take part no matter what their background.   Over the years we have built up significant resources to allow children to take part at extremely low cost and usually at no cost at all.

We have our own canoes and kayaks and mountain bikes and can fully  equip whole classes with full weather specific equipment to go hiking in all terrains in all weathers.   We can also take up to 40 children camping at a time including all tents, bedding and cooking equipment.

School trips

    We have now had our own minibus for over 10 years.  It is a great asset to the children's learning and is in constant use.

At Millfield we try to do small group, quality trips which enhance our children's learning rather than big expensive whole class trips using coaches as many schools do.   For example the trip we are currently running to the Tower of London has had to be massively subsidised out of school funds as the coach alone was nearly £1000.    We usually just ask for donations towards fuel and car parking.  

We will try to keep the number of trips high despite the high cost to the school as long as possible as the trips are so valuable.

Any contributions you can make are most appreciated.

Childrens kit 

As mentioned above, we can provide all equipment that your child need from boots and socks to thermals to tents sleeping bags and tents.

Many parents are now starting to ask if they can provide their child with personal kit themselves.   

If you wish to do this, you are very welcome but please consult with a member of staff as to what to buy. 

From personal experience our staff have learnt that you can spend a lot of money on a pair of boots for example,, only to have them used once before they grow out of them.  We do have all types of boots etc from year 1 size to year 8.

Residentials 

       Residentails at Millfield start in year 2 with a sleepover in the hall during the Autumn and then a summer camp under canvas for a night on the school field in July.

Years 3 to 6 then camp every year for extended periods of time during the Autumn, Spring and Summer. These camps usually taking place at Scout camp grounds around the country.   

The cost of these camps  is kept as low as possible to encourage all children to take part.  Despite recent increases in the cost of living , we still manage to bring this in for under £20 a day most of the time.  This being mainly due to the hard work and dedication of our staff. 

The camps are not just highly enjoyable but are invaluable in the development of the children's social, mental and educational development.  Before the pandemic we were unto over 95% attendance on camps. This dipped last year when residentials returned but we are hoping to get back to our previous attendance figures.   

By the time they leave us, our children are well equipped to make the most of the further opportunities that high schools can provide.

Last year we added two  residentials to the Lake District which were highly successful.  This year we will be returning to Beaudesert Scout camp for the bulk of our camping.

What Parents Say About our Outdoor Learning

"In a world where it is thought that children can no longer ‘play out’ freely and safely, Millfield staff appreciate the importance and value of learning through outdoor play."

What Ofsted Says About our Outdoor Learning

"This school gives pupils a wide variety of experiences, both in and out of school. Rarely does a day go by when a visit or learning in the outdoor environment is not happening. Wellingtons, waterproof suits and walking boots are as much a part of what pupils need for learning as paper and pencils are.” – Ofsted 2019