Pupils take to the woods for National Outdoor Classroom Day.

Pupils were absent from Shute Primary School last week – when they took part in National Outdoor Classroom Day.

Children and staff were involved in a number of different activities coordinated by Ruth Worsley, of the Legacy to Landscape project with tree expert Graham Jones and local botanists Jan Uden and Marjorie Waters.

Fox Class, of years 1 and 2, became ‘the Great Plant Hunters’ exploring meadow plants and the wildlife they support and in particular their value to pollinators including bumble bees. Hedgehog Class – years 3 and 4 - visited a number of old oak trees to help them understand more about their life cycle and the wealth of wildlife they support.

Meanwhile the older classes headed off to visit younger trees at Shute Woods.

Said Ruth Worsley: “It was a wonderful day for us all – the children were so enthusiastic and loved playing the ‘Busy bugs pollination game outside. It was inspiring seeing how they engaged with both the science and the fun side of the great outdoors,”

Separately the Reception class all spent the day at Trill Farm as part of a weekly summer term outdoor learning programme. This involves a wide variety of activities including exploring pond life, learning about farming, and understanding plants.

Outdoor Classroom Day is a global campaign to celebrate and inspire outdoor learning and play. It has become a regular feature of many schools in Devon including Shute Primary.

Clare Rinaldi, head of teaching and learning at Shute school said: “This is a very important part of our termly activities and provides an essential opportunity for the children to spend an extended amount of time learning through direct experience and in the fresh air.”

The Legacy to Landscape project education team welcome other local schools and young peoples groups to participate with their outdoor learning programme. Legacy to Landscape community heritage project celebrates a hidden area of landscape in an area of East Devon, based on the 1781 map of the Pole family estate at Shute. This historic map covers the landscape of the Colyton and Shute area, west of Axminster. For more information contact: Ruth Worsley, project coordinator: legacytolandscape@gmail.com, tel 01297 489741 www.eastdevonaonb.org.uk/our-work/wildlife/legacy-to-landscape