Gallery: Taking the classroom outdoors

Outdoor Classroom Day is an annual highlight in the Willow Lodge calendar and this year was no exception. On Friday, 16 May, children and staff celebrated the day in true Willow Lodge style by taking all lessons, lunch – and even assembly – outside!

The weather was on our side for this year’s Outdoor Classroom Day and sunhats and sunscreen were the order of the day. Under a beautiful clear blue sky, the children made the most of the school’s extensive grounds with a host of activities. For our Infant 2 pupils, that meant that writing poetry in the shade of the trees on the Junior School cricket pitch, and Reception children had great fun finding letters in the hedgerows around the field. 

A delicious barbecue lunch was a big hit; the children enjoyed eating in Forest School, taking time to appreciate the sights, sounds and smells of what is such a special place for everyone in Willow Lodge.

Deputy Head of Willow Lodge, Hannah Gardiner, explained why Outdoor Classroom Day is so important. 

She said: “Our children spend time outdoors every day, whether that’s for Forest School, PE or running around the playground at breaktime but there is something particularly special about Outdoor Classroom Day when the whole school spends all day outside and we turn our fantastic grounds into our classroom for the day. 

“We start the day with an outdoor assembly in the playground and carry on with our lessons in the open air, enjoying our usual maths, literacy and spelling, but adding in a few special additions as well. 

“We see on a daily basis how spending time outdoors helps children develop new skills, grow in confidence and care for their surroundings and we saw all of those things in abundance today.”

Outdoor Classroom Day is a global movement to inspire and celebrate outdoor play and learning. It aims to enhance engagement with learning, improve physical and mental health, and give children a better understanding of the environment. 

Click on the image below for a gallery of pictures showing just some of the fun the children had on Outdoor Classroom Day 2025.

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