PUPILS from two primary schools in County Durham visited the Outward Bound Trust at Howtown in the Lake District and Aberdovey in Wales.

Taking on the elements as part of a worldwide movement to inspire and celebrate outdoor play and learning outside the classroom – Outdoor Classroom Day on November 3, 2022.

As part of their residential, pupils from Tanfield Lea Primary School in Stanley, and Brandon Primary School in Durham, got to explore some of the wildest corners and tallest mountains the UK has to offer.

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Taking time away from textbooks, technology and TikTok to test themselves with activities like gorge scrambling, rock climbing, rowing, and jog and dip.

Their experience contrasts with many young people across the country who are spending less time outdoors than ever before – affecting their health, wellbeing, and development, with the average young person estimated to spend around 95 per cent of their time indoors.

Their Outward Bound course was tailored to confront this worrying trend, by demonstrating how connecting with nature and getting outdoors can benefit them personally . Their course also challenged them to never give up, to change their perspective and to learn the most important lesson they could ever learn: to believe in themselves.

Kay Hemmings, headteacher at Tanfield Lea Primary School said: “If we want happy and resilient children, they need to experience the outdoors. We must take time to weave nature and non-formal education into our learning by giving young people opportunities like these. By supporting Outdoor Classroom Day and visiting Outward Bound, we can help instil a message within all our pupils that they are capable of more than they know.”

Tanfield Lea Primary School pupil, Kaiden, 10, said, after experiencing the job and dip: “I’d never done a jump like that. It was absolutely freezing but I was so proud I did it – and now, I know I’d love to do it again.”

Judith Hodgson, headteacher at Brandon Primary added: “We’re super proud that our team of young people made it to the summit of the mountain on Outdoor Classroom Day. The children pushed through barriers and went out of their comfort zones, and the end results were amazing. The children's faces where fantastic to see, as was the view. Wales is definitely living up to its reputation of being wet, we've even had hail stones!”

Outward Bound’s mission is to inspire young people so they can achieve more than they ever thought possible. As a charity they fund disadvantaged and underrepresented communities from across the UK to experience Britain’s wildest places. Their programmes run throughout the year and a total of 418 young people participated in Outdoor Classroom Day at their Centres this November.

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