Outdoor Adventurous Activities

Outdoor Adventurous Activities (OAA) is an essential part of the PE curriculum and our ‘Beyond the classroom’ offer. Our unique approach highlights and places extra emphasis on the need for children to explore the outdoors and develop a range of physical skills they might not be able to indoors.

Outdoor Adventurous Activities (OAA) give children the opportunity to get outside, have an adventure and work on their physical skills. It allows children to develop their problem-solving skills whilst working in small teams and acquiring new leadership skills. Whilst taking part in these OAA sessions, children will learn how to navigate around both a familiar and unfamiliar space, whilst developing basic map-reading skills.

Why OAA is an important part of our curriculum?

Led by Miss Biles, Year 5 teacher and Outdoor Adventurous Activities (OAA) lead, OAA is important and valued part of our curriculum offer as it gives children the chance to experience new and exciting sports and activities, challenging them both mentally and physically. It helps to improve a child's personal and social development through team exercises and activities and teaches them the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.

OAA sessions encourage children to draw upon mental as well as physical skills including leadership, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

Through sports and activities, children can develop and build on physical skills such as balance, control, running, throwing, catching etc. They can also learn how to communicate and work effectively with their peers through team building exercises and games, which help them to develop strong relationships and social skills.

This means that OAA lessons are great for helping to prepare children with the full range of skills they'll need to be successful in the real world.

Closing the disadvantage gap

Regular and planned outdoor adventure learning also provides opportunities for disadvantaged pupils to participate in activities that they otherwise might not be able to access. Through participation in these challenging physical and emotional activities, outdoor adventure learning interventions can help pupils to develop non-cognitive skills such as resilience, self-confidence and motivation.