ST JOSEPH’S Catholic Primary School in Winsford has shown itself to have a strong commitment to outdoor learning by achieving a national Learning Outside the Classroom bronze award.

Awarded by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC), the bronze mark accredits those schools that have a strong awareness of the benefits of providing frequent, continuous and progressive LOtC experiences to all pupils and have begun to integrate LOtC into the life of the school.

John Donald, St Joseph’s head teacher, said: “Being awarded a bronze LOtC Mark is a real coup for all the staff and governors here as it shows that we are really making strides in providing our pupils with potentially life-changing opportunities.

“We're thrilled to get official recognition for our efforts and we look forward to building on this award to integrate LOtC into the everyday life of the school.”

Learning outside the classroom is known to contribute significantly to raising standards and improving pupils’ personal, social and emotional development.

Schools and other educational organisations looking to gain the LOtC Mark (bronze) will need to meet a set of five quality indicators and will be supported through a developmental process by the CLOtC team and a package of support materials, which include guidance, good practice exemplars, downloadable templates and training materials.

Elaine Skates, chief executive of CLOtC), said: “Learning outside the classroom provides the most memorable experiences in a child’s school life. LOtC Mark (bronze) demonstrates that the school is committed to developing and delivering genuinely valuable learning outside the classroom experiences for their children and young people.

“Learning outside the classroom has many proven educational benefits. The LOtC Mark (bronze) award will support schools in integrating LOtC into the life of the school, thereby ensuring that many more young people have memorable, exciting and valuable learning outside the classroom experiences. I congratulate St Joseph’s Winsford on being awarded LOtC Mark (bronze).”