Pencombe CofE Primary School makes use of our fantastic outside environment, we welcome visitors and organise educational visits to enrich the curriculum that is offered to the children. We believe that first hand experiences reinforce learning and have a profound effect on a child’s personal development.
Some activities are planned to promote the all-round development of the children e.g. residential visits to Bristol, Woodlands Activity Centre, and Oakerwood Activity Centre. Day trips have included Techniquest, Ludlow Castle and The Spaceguard Centre. We also take great pleasure in working with other schools from across the federation on exciting experiences such as the Moving Targets Dance Project which culminates in a performance at the Courtyard Theatre.
We use our local environment for Geography, History, Science and Forest Schools. Children are familiar with the natural world around them and take pride in their community.
Our curriculum at Pencombe CofE Primary includes a wealth of opportunities to visit exciting places. We create learning experiences on these trips which children will never forget. Trips enjoyed by pupils include visits to The Spaceguard Centre; Ludlow Castle as well as residential trips to Oakerwood Leisure. Our pupils have visited local farms to experience growing their own food and they have also watched lambs being born. Our trips and experiences are not always far afield. We also provide the children with simple experiences such as Autumn walks to collect conkers or a stroll by the “cossie”.
We feel that it is important that children are involved in a variety of activities both in and out of school. A number of educational visits are arranged during the course of the academic year, when it may be necessary to meet the cost of transport, entrance fees, etc. Under the provisions of the Education Reform Act 1996, no charges may be made for any education provided during school hours. However, should they wish their child to participate, parents may be asked to make voluntary contributions. There is no obligation to contribute and no pupil will be omitted from such a visit, although the governors reserve the right to cancel any activity if the cost cannot be met by voluntary contributions.
The opportunity for our pupils to take part in residential trips is offered in Year 6. Parents will be charged the cost of these extra-curricular activities. The governors will allow a remission of these charges if families are receiving Income Support. In other cases of hardship the governors have the discretion to apply a sliding-scale of charges. To apply for help in paying these costs, please contact the Head of School. This information will be treated confidentially.
Originating from Scandinavia, the concept of ‘friluftsliv’ (free open-air life in Danish) was initially developed with under-7s. The benefits of their self-esteem, motivation and learning was soon recognised and it developed in the UK in the 1990s into what we know now as forest school. Forest schools have been shown to:
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The child led aspect of forest schools is perhaps the most crucial element with the outdoor environment facilitating the vast number of learning styles that children benefit from. At Pencombe CofE Primary, we are lucky enough to have a dedicated team of parents who, with the help of the children, designed and created our Learning Environment where a range of outdoor learning takes place including Forest School.
Throughout the school, regular Forest School sessions are led by our two qualified practitioners and the range of activities can vary widely with the interests of our children. A typical set of sessions could include: Den building, fire pit cooking, tool use, outdoor games and flora and fauna identification.
We also have a bird watching area, mud kitchen and pond as well as a learning hub that is used across the curriculum. Our children love being outside so wherever possible, we aim to take every area of the curriculum outside of the classroom by providing the most engaging, hands on, learning experiences possible. It it is about giving our children the experiences and skills needed to help them develop into happy and healthy individuals, who are able to have a positive impact on the world around them.
Email
admin@pencombe.hereford.sch.uk
Phone
01885 400 255
Contact
Mrs Near (Office Manager)
Address
Pencombe C.E. School
Pencombe
Bromyard
Herefordshire
HR7 4SH
