CLOtC secures funding
We are delighted to announce that the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom has secured funding to support its core operations for the next 3 years. This is a massive achievement in these challenging times, but it means we need your support more than ever as we must meet our membership income targets in order to unlock this funding every 6 months.
Please join the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom and add your voice to our mission to ensure that every child should experience the world beyond the classroom walls as an essential part of learning and development, whatever their age, ability and circumstances. By joining, you are also demonstrating your commitment to providing quality LOtC experiences and helping to provide a stable financial base for the Council, a registered charity. As a member you will receive this newsletter and other CLOtC membership benefits. Join CLOtC today.
You can also help us by nominating a school, colleague or contact who you think should join CLOtC. If you make a nomination you will gain the chance to win a complete set of English and Maths & Science LOtC Teacher Packs full of LOtC activity ideas from EYFS through to key stage 5. To make a nomination email elaine.skates@lotc.org.uk.
The place of LOtC in the Ofsted new inspection framework
Ofsted’s Robin Hammerton, HMI, addressed the CLOtC annual conference in November with an informative and inspiring presentation looking at curriculum innovation in schools. He commented on the value of LOtC in improving attainment and achievement whilst supporting the personal, social and emotional development of young people. Robin provided an overview of the new inspection framework due to come into force in January 2012 and urged schools to make explicit reference to their LOtC provision both within their SEF (or other evidence made available to the inspector), and during their on-site inspection. He challenged heads to introduce inspectors to LOtC taking place during the visit – inspection outside the classroom! View Robin's full presentation.
Striving for Excellence in LOtC at the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom Annual Conference
In November, teachers, early years practitioners and LOtC providers gathered in Shropshire at JCA’s atmospheric new centre, Condover Hall, to share best practice and strive for excellence in LOtC. The conference opened with a key note speech from mountaineer Rhys Jones who, on the morning of his 20th birthday, stood on the summit of Mount Everest and claimed a World Record as the youngest person to climb the highest mountain on each continent, known as the Seven Summits Challenge. View the conference presentations.
Fundraising for LOtC
LOtC needn’t be expensive. The best LOtC provision makes the most of the opportunities in the school grounds or local area and aims to get children out and about on a regular basis- aiming for frequent, continuous and progressive LOtC that is integrated across the curriculum. However, those with more ambitious plans may benefit from developing and implementing a fundraising strategy to support LOtC. Discover the basics of fundraising to help you develop a fundraising plan for your school or organisation.
Fundraising case study: Ian Squire from Red Marsh School describes how they have successfully raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to support LOtC in their curriculum. Learn the secrets of Red Marsh's fundraising success.
Looking for inspirational ways to integrate LOtC into your curriculum?
The winners of the LOtC Awards for Excellence and Innovation (in association with Learning through Landscapes) have now been announced. Read their inspiring stories and gain an insight into how LOtC can help raise attainment and engage even the most challenging pupils.
Support for schools from CLOtC
CLOtC’s role is to help schools offer frequent, continuous and progressive LOtC experiences for all children regardless of age, ability and personal circumstances. LOtC has the most benefit in expanding horizons, raising attainment, improving behaviour and re motivating children who do not engage well in the classroom environment when the experiences are integrated across the curriculum, rather than being a one off school trip. The following support has been developed to help you overcome the barriers to LOtC and make the most of the LOtC opportunities available for your young people:
§ FREE online guidance to help you plan, run and evaluate effective LOtC experiences is available at www.lotc.org.uk.
§ CLOtC membership will help you access ideas, share information online with other professionals, access enhanced resources and keep up to date with the latest news through a termly newsletter. Members benefit from access to local and national events, and the support of your local LOtC Network. Joing CLOtC online today. To receive more information on the latest events, email events@lotc.org.uk
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