Traditionally, outdoor learning in primary schools was a combination of adventure and environmental activities often carried out outside school hours.

These included nature walks, weather-mapping, map-reading and litter-picking.

Over the past decade, the focus on outdoor learning has shifted, and offers a far broader experience. The concept has been embraced as a vital area of learning, being built into lessons plans and forging links with the National Curriculum.

Outdoor classrooms can be found in a variety of locations – school grounds, parks, woodlands, urban spaces, rural or city farms, and at outdoor centres – and can offer rich learning experiences that cannot be found indoors.

Children in Bradford have been found to benefit, both physically and mentally, from learning outdoors, and now more pupils are reaping those rewards.

In the first project of its kind in the district, funding is bringing outdoor classrooms and green spaces to 12 primary schools and two pupil referral units.

Two schools in each of six wards – Manningham, Bowling and Barkerend, Bradford Moor, Idle and Thackley, Eccleshill and Bolton, and Undercliffe are involved in the initiative, which aims to create and use outdoor classrooms as part of the curriculum to teach pupils about the environment.

Bradford North Area Committee awarded £42,000 to fund the delivery of the scheme by Bradford Community Environment Project.

Bradford-based Be Involved, which forges partnerships between businesses and schools, also plays a major role, while Habitat Heroes is the education/training arm of the project, helping with practical work such as building bird boxes or creating ponds.

“The different partners go into schools and work with the pupils to draw up a plan for the outdoor classroom, which could include things like a mini-beast hotel, a woodland trail, vegetable patch, wildflower meadow or ponds,” says Lisa Banks, ward co-ordinator with Bradford North Area Co-ordinator’s Office.

“Be Involved then arrange for volunteers to go into the school and help to bring the outdoors to life. It gives pupils an opportunity to expand their learning experience.”

Lessons that would normally have been indoors are being held outside. Subjects being covered include science, mathematics, geography and art, and craft activities such as woodwork.

Pupils have given a positive reaction to the project. “I like it, as it’s good to grow our own vegetables and plants and I enjoy watching them grow,” says nine-year-old Chloe Feather, who attends Swain House Primary School in Bradford, where raised beds have been created and plans are in place for a birdwatching hide and pond.

Adds fellow pupil Leon Cotterell, also nine: “It’s a good place to relax and chill out listening to birds.”

And classmate Ekundayo Crawford says: “It’s cool – we get to spend more time outdoors than we normally would.”

Other schools that are benefiting from the project include Killinghall Primary, where new features include a wildflower meadow, bog garden and willow domes, and Holybrook Primary in Idle where raised beds, a rockery, mini-beast hotels and seating circle have been made.

Be Involved aims to bring £3,000-worth of business investment into the school which could mean negotiating cheaper prices for materials or arranging for volunteers to help with the work. Teams of volunteers often come from local businesses such as the Yorkshire Building Society and Provident Financial.

Paul Kilgallon, project facilitator with Be Involved, says: “Teachers and pupils are very much a part of the process and come up with many of the ideas. Pupils are consulted about what they would like, and what sort of activities they enjoy taking part in outdoors.”

He refers to Peel Park Primary School, where 32 raised beds have been created, as well as a large pond and bog garden.

He adds: “Not all the schools wanted outdoor classrooms. Some wanted land opening up for other environmental activities.”

Work will continue on the project for years to come. “We will help schools find further funding,” says Paul.

Colin Green, community environment worker with Habitat Heroes, says: “The project is going really well. The schools are all at different stages and working on a variety of projects depending upon time, space and volunteers.”

Adds Lisa: “What is particularly good about this project is the sustainability of it. It is about the creation of a long-lasting school resource that supports curricular learning around the environment.”