Peter Middleton

I always enjoy spending time with the Reception pupils- the very youngest of pupils at our school at just 5 years old- and greatly look forward to popping in to see them at Bellan House every Tuesday afternoon.  Getting down to carpet level- and listening to them reading stories, playing with tractors, seeing them dressed up as super-heroes, trying to keep myself steady as they grab my legs one after another and threaten to topple me like a giant tree… whatever it is they are doing, it is always an energising time being with them.  Like we all once were, they are at the start of their Learning Journey, and it is wonderful to see their enthusiasm, curiosity and creativity in action.

A month or so ago I spent a morning with them during their Forest School time.  As my pupils and staff know, I’m a bit of a Big Kid at heart and try not to take myself too seriously, so getting a bit muddy and doing some digging and exploring was right up my street, or rather…right up my Forest!  

It was a greatly enjoyable hour or two, but what I was particularly struck by was the complexity of the Learning Experience and the skills and abilities that were being demonstrated and developed.  A fact-finding trail involved the boys and girls working in small groups using a map to find the locations of dinosaur bones (spoiler alert: they weren’t real dinosaur bones…!).   

They had to work together as a team.  They needed to communicate effectively.  They needed to think creatively.  They needed to problem solve.  They needed to be resilient and cope with making mistakes.  Cope with the frustration of getting it wrong, or maybe not being as quick as others.  

They experienced the thrill of success.  The rich reward of putting in the hard work.  They enjoyed the camaraderie of collective achievement.  And, above all else, they enjoyed getting muddy and Digging Stuff Up.  Well, who doesn’t?!  

Learning doesn’t only take place in the classroom; as our school motto puts it, ‘We Learn Not for School But for Life’… and we’re doing that in everything we do here at Oswestry whether that’s in the Maths classroom or the mountains we climb, whether in Chemistry Lab or Concert Hall, whether DT workshop or Drama Stage.  

I was reminded again of this recently as I observed the inaugural Gun Run activity with the CCF one Friday afternoon with the delivery that week of a rather impressive 5.5m-long wheeled cannon (Spoiler alert: not a real gun…).

The Gun Run is a team competition against the clock where the component parts have to be taken apart and put back together again as quickly as possible.  The gun is made up of two sections:  The Limber section made up of a 55kg Frame and boxes, and two detachable wheels; The Field Gun section made up of 2 detachable wheels, a 35kg detachable gun barrel, and a 35kg Barrel Support Arm.   The parts are very heavy- with a total mass of 220kg- so if you drop them on your foot it’s going to hurt. A lot!  

It’s a high-octane, fast-paced competition.  Working in teams of 8, this is the very definition of teamwork.  It’s a pressurised environment.  One mistake and it’s going to cost you.  

You have to stay calm under pressure.  You have to focus on your own particular job.  Being precise, deliberate in your actions.  Communicating effectively with your teammates, not panicking when the pressures ramps up, when the clock ticks, when things don’t go quite as well as you want.   

You need leaders to step up to get the very best out of their team; leaders to motivate; leaders to encourage; leaders to inspire confidence.  And you need a team who will work together effectively; work collaboratively; work efficiently; work towards shared goals.  

As with the Reception pupils at Forest School, I was struck again by just how important these skills and aptitudes are as part of the Learning Experience.  What was being experienced during the Gun Run activity- and what was being experienced during Forest School- these are skills that will powerfully prepare our youngsters for their adult lives beyond.  

What’s going to set you apart, set you up for successful living?

-The ability to collaborate
-The ability to communicate
-The ability to be creative/imaginative/innovative
-The ability to stay calm under pressure
-The ability to learn from mistakes
-The ability to set targets. And work hard towards them.
-The ability to be resilient, reflective, responsive.

All these things- and more- are being experienced every day at school both inside and outside the classroom.  So to answer those who are tempting to question ‘‘What’s the point of this all? What’s the use of it?’ I’d point to some of the lasting, character-building, person-defining skills and abilities that are being learned, developed and mastered each and every day within an holistic educational environment.  As our school motto puts it, We learn not for school but for life. And what is education for, after all, but to prepare our youngsters for adult lives where they can thrive, flourish and be happy.

We learn not for school but for life.