What do you think of when you read that teachers are using the campus as a classroom? For most people, it will conjure up images of bug hunts and water testing and while these are valuable and should happen, the wider Traidhos campus offers many other opportunities to be curious, to consider global issues locally and to take action.

During Monday’s personal development day, teachers explored the benefits of pausing and being intentional with their attention during a mindfulness session. With blended learning resulting in increased time in front of a screen, many teachers expressed gratitude for time to focus on the green of campus, the sunlight through the trees and a moment with permission to do nothing more than to watch a butterfly flutter from leaf to leaf. Mindfulness practice in the outside classroom has an important role in developing resilience, equipping students with strategies to manage stress and anxieties allowing them to connect with a natural environment that can soothe and rebalance.

Another often overlooked aspect of our campus is the opportunity for students to explore global issues around clean energy; the role of technology in increasing crop yield in rural communities and possibilities for increasing food production in urban areas. Teachers visited the farm’s aquaponic system to see how this simple system driven by energy from the solar panel, uses fish pond water to provide nutrients to vegetables growing without soil. Clean energy and energy transfer were highlighted as bikes were pedaled to make smoothies and to irrigate vegetable beds.

Feedback reflected a high level of engagement while participating in our campus classroom and the opportunities available to teach aspects of the curriculum through practical outdoor experiences.

What an amazing learning resource Prem students have access to.

Lynda Rolph 

Head of Community