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First steps in free school visits As the ducklings were taking their first steps on Tuesday (9th March), so were children from Palatine School, Worthing as they enjoyed their Free School Visit to Arundel Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, West Sussex. They were the first school to take advantage of the free entry for pre-booked school groups to the 65 acre wetland site. This new initiative aims to help schools (and families) reduce the costs of off-school visits and encourage children to access the outdoor classroom in a safe and enjoyable environment. The class took part in a programme called First Steps exploring how ducks, geese and swans are adapted to their environments, before stepping outside to meet and feed the wildfowl by hand. "The swans are my favourite, they make funny noises" declared one Y5 child, and Gail Miles, Y5 Teacher at Palatine, said: "The variety of birds here is amazing and the children can get really close to them. As a school visit it's very child friendly and safe, and I'll certainly recommend it to other teachers" Two WWT centres are piloting this scheme; Arundel, West Sussex and Caerlaverock, Dumfriesshire. If the one year trials are successful, the scheme will be introduced across the other 7 WWT centres nationwide providing free access to child-centred, experiential and National Curriculum-linked programmes for all key stages. Astrid Krumins, Learning Manager at Arundel, said: "As a qualified teacher I recognise the pressures schools are under, in terms of taking children out on school trips, but we hope that by giving schools free entry to our education programmes we can at least help relieve some of that pressure. School visits can play a vital part in developing self-confidence and a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world we live in." If you would like your class to enjoy a free school visit to Arundel, please contact Astrid Krumins, Learning Manager on 01903 883355. EDITOR'S NOTES |
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