Outdoor Learning Centre (OLC)
History
Originally a working farm on the Broadlands Estate, New Forest School began to convert the milking parlour and cattle pens into a small Key Stage 2 provision and outdoor learning facilities in 2018. Since then we have gradually developed the site converting the various barns on site into additional classrooms and facilities culminating in a new build for Key Stage 3 and 4 students.
Age Range and Focus
Year 3 to Year 11
The OLC provides the full national curriculum for both Junior and Secondary students who benefit from a more practical route to qualifications and utilising the outdoors and an engagement model.
Facilities
The Outdoor Learning Centre is based on the outskirts of Romsey, the site has 60 acres of grassland, for grazing sheep and other livestock. It has a further 5 acres of woodland for its exclusive use, for students to engage in Forest school and wildlife/woodland management. The school is surrounded by nature and has lessons dedicated to environmental studies.
Our single storey purpose built school building can cater for up to 24 children in key stage 3 and 4. There is an occupational therapy room onsite and a designated therapeutic intervention space for speech and language.
We are lucky enough to have a climbing and archery barn on site which all of our students benefit from during outdoor education lessons and can be used during movement breaks. We also have an allotment and two poly tunnels where are students are able to enjoy horticulture lessons throughout the school week. During farm study sessions students will have the opportunity to work with the variety of farm animals that we have on site, different breeds of pig, chickens, sheep and highland cattle.
