Project Status: Progressing
The project will develop an educational resource to encourage learning about the landscape heritage outside of the classroom. It will provide a diverse range of cross-curricular lesson plans and resources appropriate for Key Stages 1 to 4 that will be available online. The project complements the āPromoting the Land of the Fannsā (C1.2) by focussing on schools. The āSchool programmeā project will also scope out the potential for a Forest School within the landscape area.
There are two components to this project:
1. Education resource and school engagement
2. Forest School Training
1. Education resource and school engagement
The resource will focus on the Land of the Fanns landscape and how it has evolved and changed over time, as well as key periods in history and local traditions. It will raise awareness about the wealth of heritage found in the scheme area and how it can be used to support and enhance formal education.
There is now an online school resource being drafted for schools and teachers to use as a quick method of understanding and visiting outside education deliverers or landscapes that could be useful for learning about the environment. We are working closely with Citrus Frog and the Gardens Trust to deliver an online website that will be linked to our website that will inform teachers what is out in the LOTF area for education. This is nearly complete and will be available by the end of the year. (2020).
2. Outdoor EducationĀ
We are working with the Essex Wildlife Trust on this project for them to deliver training for teachers and outdoors educators in Forest School education and outdoor education. This is being drafted now so we hope to have EWT delivering training in Spring and Summer of 2021.
Rather than set up a Forest School site, we preferred that training for Forest School Level 3 would be more productive. Then more trained Forest School teachers could deliver sessions anywhere suitable within the LOTF area.
3. School Travel FundĀ
LOTF have set up a school travel fund to help local schools visit outdoor education sites. The cost of travel was a barrier to schools visiting centres, so we set this up to help fund the cost of travel. There is an application form and due to Covid this year has seen little take up. However, we still have 2021 when we hope the restrictions will be lifted to the extent that schools can have visits again.Ā Please see our LOTF website for application forms.
