We enrich the children’s learning experiences by providing the opportunity for them to enjoy various theatre productions or arranging for drama workshops to be held.
We have educational visits throughout the school year and use these to bring our school curriculum to life and provide exciting and inspirational experiences for all of our children.
We have had visits from famous authors over the past two academic years who have run writing workshops for our children - David Lucas (author of The Robot and the Bluebird), Chitra Soundar (author of Pattan's Pumpkin) and even had former Great Britain 400m runner Derek Redmond come to school to give a talk on resilience to our children.
We have visits to the locality to identify key local landmarks, including Milford Church, Milford Common and Squires Garden Centre, Tuesley Farm (making the most of our wonderful local facilities and generous partners).
Our Year 2 children undertake 10 weeks of swimming lessons at Godalming Leisure Centre. Although not a part of the national curriculum in Key Stage One, we feel this adds huge value and provides some children with their first experience of swimming pools and water safety.
We are able to undertake these trips due to the support of our parents and the Friends of Milford School, who regularly subsidise visits to keep the costs down for our parents and families.
Outdoor learning is a key ingredient of our curriculum. Outdoor learning is not additional learning but a different environment in which we teach the curriculum.
Lessons take place outside so that children are able to have hands-on experiences which give them opportunities to develop and apply knowledge and skills. All outdoor learning is planned around the curriculum being studied, which gives depth, enrichment and an outdoor perspective for our children. We want them to have the chance to explore and learn outside throughout the year, experiencing the seasons and changing nature around them.
The benefits to children of participating in outdoor learning include, but are not limited to:
- Improvements in the ability to cope with change.
- Increased critical curiosity and resilience.
- Increased levels of trust and opportunities to examine the concept of trust.
- Improved achievement and attainment across a range of curricular subjects. Children are active participants not a passive audience.
- Enhanced opportunities for ‘real world’ learning in context and the development of the social and emotional aspects of intelligence.
- Increased risk management skills through opportunities for involvement in practical risk-benefit decisions in a range of contexts. Encouraging children to become more risk aware as opposed to risk averse.
- Greater sense of personal responsibility.
- Developing team working and communication.
- Improved appreciation, knowledge, awareness and understanding of the environment and sustainability.
- Physical skill acquisition and an understanding of the benefit of a fit and healthy lifestyle.