'The Pod' - A Fantastic New Outdoor Classroom at Asfordby Hill Primary School
Asfordby Hill Primary School in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, chose Cabins for Schools to upgrade their school grounds with a 7m x 4m Outdoor Eco Classroom with a 3.8m partition. 'The Pod' now provides two functional rooms for a wide variety of learning and support activities. From ELSA support, to music tuition and to Lego therapy sessions, the staff and students at Asfordby Hill enjoy the versatility of their Outdoor Eco Classroom and have found it to be hugely beneficial for the whole school!Click Here to Watch Our Asfordby Hill Primary Case Study Story
Read on to find out how Asfordby Hill Primary School's Outdoor Classroom, 'The Pod', has had a huge impact...
Why did you want an Outdoor Classroom?
'The main reason we wanted an outdoor classroom was the lack of space in our school. Places like the library area and the hall weren't very productive areas for intervention sessions, therapy sessions or meetings because of the noise. Therefore, we needed to think about where we would have the space to create a quiet and inclusive area for the children.'
What do you use your Outdoor Classroom, The Pod, for?
'The two rooms of the cabin are used for different purposes, simultaneously without any noise or disturbance from the other side. Firstly, in the smaller room, we have 1-1 interventions, music lessons, ELSA sessions, therapy sessions as well as for when social workers visit our school to meet with certain children. Secondly, we use the larger room for lots of different meetings such as when Autism Outreach are here as well as other outside agencies as well as for our Lego Therapy and reading groups.' - Nicola Bailey, Assistant Head & SENCO
How has your Outdoor Classroom transformed ELSA sessions?
'Before we had The Pod, I was all over the place. I had a box which I would cart around the whole school! Sometimes, sessions used to take place in the library but this was open plan and so not ideal for the children as they need to have a safe spot where they can open up. Here in the cabin, we have a really nice safe space. I can have all of my resources out and the children can come and help themselves to colouring or craft materials and we can just sit and make things and have a chat. It's great!' - Jo Purkis, Teaching Assistant & ELSA
