During FSC Forest Week, LWC’s Outdoor Learning Team are as evangelical as ever about their environment….

“What we have planned is so exciting,” beams Richard Lovell, LWC’s Head of Outdoor Learning. “I want to leave a legacy here. We have an amazing opportunity.”

This is a man who loves his outside space. Together with Lucy Wilson, Outdoor Learning Graduate, who is on a placement year at LWC, he is passionate about using LWC’s 1200 acres in all kinds of different ways.

“Evidence backs up the fact that more learning takes place outside than it does in the classroom,” Richard explains. “If you make things active, people learn. With a creative, inspiring teacher, you can do anything outdoors. In my previous job, I worked with hard-to-reach learners. You put them in a classroom and it’s like being in a cage. Outdoors, it’s less defined and they can explore and develop.”

Lord Wandsworth College certainly has the space to explore and develop. The natural world has been at the heart of LWC since its inception. Whilst the backdrop is rooted in history, the ways in which the College utilises the 1200 for the benefit of its students is ever-evolving.

“There’s a development plan that has just gone in to build a wilderness campsite in the woods at Sheephouse Copse,” Richard reveals. “This is a great space. At the moment, we have a parachute and fire pit up there. Next weekend, there’ll be 50 camping overnight in the clearing. A week later, 2^nd Form will be spending the night there. It’ll also be used by students camping for their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.” At this point, he tails off and wistfully reflects: “One of the best times we had in the Copse was when we could see the Northern Lights; it’s a very special place. There’s something about being there at 5.30 on a summer’s morning…just the greenery and the stillness. You can’t help but feel good.”

“There are so many opportunities to self-regulate outdoors. Once you can harness those feelings, you can do anything”

—Richard Lovell

Whilst the picture Richard paints of a cool, emerald glade is an appealing one, he admits that sometimes the weather creates a very different canvas. “We don’t stop,” he quips. “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong choice of clothing.” Along with his role as Head of Outdoor Learning, Richard also coaches LWC’s champion canoeists, who also don’t escape the elements. “Last year when it snowed, we couldn’t get the vans to the canal, but we still trained. Interestingly, some of them were telling me last night that this was one of their highlights of last year; the time they got off the water, covered in ice. It’s secondary fun isn’t it?”

Richard and Lucy are both clear that the outdoors isn’t only a place for engaging those who struggle in the classroom, or entertaining those who embrace being outside of it. They have just returned from a three-day residential trip to the Mendip Hills, where the newest members of LWC in 1^st Form, were encouraged to get stuck into caving, climbing and abseiling.

“We were trying to do activities the children would probably feel nervous about,” explains Lucy. “We had one who started to panic when she was going over the edge in abseiling, but we brought her back, chatted to her and she wanted to try again. She managed to get all the way down. It’s really positive for them.”

Richard goes on to explain that the real aim of the Mendips trip was to help students gain an understanding of interoception; the sensing of internal signals from your body. He illustrates with an example; “Say we mention we are going caving and it makes you feel scared. We then explain that the definition of caving isn’t going through a tiny hole, but instead it’s coming into this room with the lights out. You need to trust the instructors and staff. Then, your heart rate slows, you calm down internally. You’re managing to self-regulate and there are so many opportunities to self-regulate outdoors. Once you can harness those feelings, you can do anything. There’s more in you than you know there is.” He then proudly points out that the company working with LWC in the Mendips, hadn’t seen a higher success rate when it came to the number of children caving.

The reason self-regulation is crucial according to Richard, is because in order to grow, children need to push themselves outside of their comfort zone, into territory that may feel uncomfortable for a while. “There’s a model called Comfort, Stretch and Panic,” he continues. “If you’re in the comfort zone, you don’t learn. If you’re in the panic stage, you tend not to learn because you’re too busy panicking. It’s only by allowing yourself to self-regulate and be in that stretch zone, that you can reap the rewards.”

After six years of being at LWC, Richard never takes his 1200 acre classroom for granted. “The other night, I was out as it was getting dark and spotted Paul, the farmer in the fields with his combine harvester. I just stopped and sat there. We should all embrace this. It’s so magical.”