Shinfield schools celebrate opening of new classrooms

Junior School and Shinfield Infant and Nursery School were officially opened on November 7, to coincide with Outdoor Classroom Day.

The University of Reading provided the outdoor spaces and worked with the schools, particularly the school children, to develop the sites into unique settings that best meet their needs.

School children and teachers from Shinfield Infant School enjoy their new woodland classroom (Image: University of Reading)

Shinfield St Mary's C.E. Junior School now has access to a meadow classroom that features a new pond, with a wooden bridge for pond-dipping, new planting and footpaths, new habitats for wildlife, including bee mounds, a large wooden bug hotel, bird boxes and hedgehog homes, a learning circle with wooden benches, and new gates and fencing to ensure the children's safety.

Shinfield Infant and Nursery School has had a small woodland copse made available to them, which is just a few minutes' walk from the school site.

The University improved the space by clearing litter, cutting back overgrown brambles and nettles, and installing low-impact fencing on the outer edge.

New wooden benches and a wood-clad bin have recently been installed, at the request of the school children.

Matt Knight, head of ecology and sustainability at Shinfield St Mary's Junior School, said: "It has been fantastic working with the University on the meadow project.

"They kept us involved throughout the process; our children were actually able to design many of the features in the area.

"The team were brilliant, they really helped the children's ideas come to life.

Students from Shinfield St Mary's get stuck into a muddy activity (Image: University of Reading)

"We pride ourselves on our outdoor provision at Shinfield St Mary's and projects like this help to further improve the quality of learning available to the children.

"We look forward to working with the University in the future, continuing our close relationship with their education department."

The University hosted separate events at Shinfield St Mary's and Shinfield Infant School on Thursday, November 7, Outdoor Classroom Day, to mark the official opening of the outdoor spaces.

Both events consisted of nature-based activities that the children could enjoy, such as tree planting, conker creations, making wildflower seed bombs, and more.

Professor Helen Bilton, an expert in outdoor learning and play at the University's Institute of Education, opened both events.

She said: "It is vital for young children to have regular access to nature and the chance to learn through play.

"Learning outside a traditional classroom has many benefits for children, from physical, to psychological to social."