Beach Schools South West launches

Lessons may never be the same for children in the South West following the recent launch of Beach Schools South West.

The team will be offering schools the chance to take classes out of the schoolroom and onto the shoreline for a new type of outdoor learning.

Beach Schools South West offers lessons on the beach which tie in with the national curriculum and OFSTED outdoor environment best practice.

Outdoor learning is proven to provide positive outcomes, to help children learn, particularly those who find it hard to engage with traditional classroom-based lessons.

Pupils will learn English, maths, science, nature, conservation and teamwork in an inspirational marine environment while having fun scavenger hunting, making dens, building fires and eating toasted marshmallows.

An optional surf lesson can be built into the beach session plus there will be a live e-learning linkup with scientists at The Marine Biological Association to help children identify what they are seeing and collect data for their work.

“The south west has the longest area of coastline in the country, we believe that every child should have an opportunity to learn on the beach,” says Tess Stuber, Director of Beach Schools South West.

“Research shows the benefits: we want to help children have fun, be safe and to help create the conservationists of the future. At a time when the government is actively encouraging learning outside the classroom, Beach Schools South West offers a wonderful opportunity in an outstanding environment to all schools and children.”

Paul Cox from the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, which supports Beach Schools South West, says: “Research carried out by ourselves and partners in the South West currently is adding to the mounting evidence of the health and wellbeing benefits of engaging with the marine environment. From reducing stress and improving concentration to helping children with ADHD and other learning difficulties, there are potentially no limits to the power of a prescription of `a bit of sea time’.”