Rethinking Curriculum – The Importance of Nature and Outdoor Learning in Curriculum Design- Treescapes
Are you interested in developing your primary curriculum? Hear from colleagues from Treescapes and schools working with Treescapes and how they have used the wondrous world of Trees to ensure Nature and Outdoor learning build a rich curriculum.
This webinar comes to you as part of the Rethinking Curriculum webinar series. The project aims to support and equip teachers and school leaders with the knowledge and skills to identify, plan and implement curriculum development work in a sustainable, creative and place-based approach. This will mean that all pupils will have access to an expansive, inspiring curriculum that connects them with local communities and enables them to lead healthy, fulfilled lives.
The session will be hosted by Jenna Crittenden (Teacher Advocacy Lead).
Jenna Crittenden is Teacher Advocacy Lead at the Chartered College of Teaching, leading a national project ‘Rethinking Curriculum’ that aims to support and equip teachers and school leaders with the knowledge and skills to identify, plan and implement curriculum development work in a sustainable, context specific and impactful approach. This will mean that all pupils will have access to an expansive, inspiring curriculum that connects them with local communities and enables them to lead healthy, fulfilled lives. Jenna also leads the college teacher advocacy work, from fellowship round tables to policy engagement. Prior to joining the college Jenna has been a Primary Headteacher, Curriculum Design lead, governor and also acts as a trustee for MTPT and Team Up.
Kate Pahl is Professor of Arts and Literacy at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her work on the Voices of the Future project has involved with with children and young people to realise their visions of the future by designing, planting, measuring and caring for treescapes. She is the author of ‘Living Literacies: Literacy for Social Change’ with Jennifer Rowsell (2020) which describes a lived experience approach to literacy.
Katie Jones is a Delivery Coordinator at City of trees with a focus on Community Engagement & Education. City of Trees are the Community Forest charity for the Greater Manchester area. We are rooted in Greater Manchester where we plant trees, look after trees and promote a culture of trees.
Charles Hewitt is a Headteacher at Fender Primary School on the Woodchurch Estate, Wirral, as well as one of the founders of Oracy North West, a network of educators invested in sharing best practice within the world of spoken language. His first book, based on embedding ambitious spoken language curriculums in schools, is set for release with Bloomsbury Ed in late 2025, early 2026.
Peter Kraftl is Professor of Human Geography at the University of Birmingham. His research focuses on children and young people’s experiences of their environments – from formal to alternative education spaces and from newly-built urban places to treescapes. He has led or co-led over 40 funded projects on these topics, leading to the publication of 10 books and over 100 journal articles and book chapters. Peter’s work has informed policy and practice through organisations including UK Local Authorities, the TCPA, RTPI and Homes England, UNESCO and UNICEF.
Please find links to our speakers work here:
https://www.cityoftrees.org.uk/
https://treescapes-voices.mmu.ac.uk/
https://www.communityforest-trust.org/englands-community-forests-map
Please find here the presentations to go alongside the recording of the webinar:
