Why Schools Should Develop Outdoor Learning After The Covid-19 Outbreak

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Up to 1.5 billion school students worldwide have experienced disruptions in their education as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now more than ever schools must change their teaching procedures to ensure students can safely return to their education as soon as possible.

Since the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic, we all have been forced to make changes to our daily lives. Whether this may be using elbow touches for greetings, learning how to operate zoom calls for meetings or singing happy birthday as we wash our hands, covid-19 has forced us to adapt our daily lifestyle.

As soon as pupils return back to school in September, appropriate adaptations will have to occur too. Procedures involving split classes, hand sanitising stations and most importantly outdoor learning will take place.

Outdoor learning will play such an important role in this transition of school procedures. We have already seen its role in countries like Denmark where, since the reopening of schools, there has been minimal negative impact along with Scotland advocating this teaching method to be implemented on the reopening of schools in August.

But why exactly is it that this outdoor learning method is being advocated so heavily you may be asking?

The Hideout House Company suggests that there are five reasons for why schools should implement outdoor learning:

 

  1. Enables teaching with social distancing

Without being confined to the limited spaces of a classroom, teaching outdoors will enable social distancing procedures to be put in place.

Social distancing and being outdoors will also reduce the likelihood of infection spreading amongst teachers and students enabling schools to reopen safely.

 

  1. Student Mental Health and Well-being

In such unprecedented and uncertain times, many young adults and children will have feelings of anxiety and have concern about their futures after the devastation of the covid-19 outbreak.

With no routine for children and with minimal human contact from lock-down, this will open up the opportunity for mental health issues to occur.

This is where outdoor learning comes into its’ own. Learning outdoors has been proven to reduce stress and improve the mental well-being of pupils by keeping them actively engaged with innovative learning activities.

 

  1. Reduce pressure on staff

Outdoor teaching is not only effective in promoting a healthy mind-set amongst the students but also the teachers.

Since the development of the covid-19 outbreak, schools will experience merging of classes and a reduction in the size of their workforce.

Outdoor teaching during one of the best British summers we have experienced will significantly reduce the stress and pressure put on teachers from their work overload.

 

  1. Development of risk assessment and resilience

 By providing this new and unique learning environment, students will be able to have an understanding of how to assess risks outside the confines of a classroom and develop resilience.

 

  1. The Natural World

Before and during the development of the corona virus pandemic there has been wide speculation about the global environment. With reduced transport and energy usage, there have been noticeable improvements in the natural environment whether this may be the blue skies in Beijing or the clear water canals in Venice, the Earth’s natural beauty is more appreciated.

Outdoor learning can provide such an appreciation of the natural world for children and a first-hand learning of why sustainability will play such an important role in their own lifetime.

 

What the Hideout House for schools after the Covid-19 pandemic?

In these unprecedented times, the Hideout House Company is here to help in this transition period which schools will have to go through in order to reopen their doors safely for students. Our comprehensive range of outdoor classrooms and shelters will enable children to adapt to these changes and to learn outdoors whilst also offering protection from the elements. We can supply something as simple as logs for children to sit on right up to a fully enclosed, insulated outdoor eco classroom.

We feel that these current times will be the new “normal” for quite some time to come yet and schools would therefore be well advised to adapt these procedures early on to allow for a smoother transition to learning outside of the classroom.

For further details, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01832 275902 or email: info@hidehouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com

 

outdoor classrooms

With cedar shingle tile roof

 

 

 

 

Solutions to Social Distancing Outdoor Learning In Schools

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With a lot of primary schools now opening up their doors to select year groups since lock down started back in March, the Government has laid out certain stipulations for how schools can and should safely manage the return of children and staff alike.

A lot of schools are therefore now taking lessons outdoors where it is relatively safer for the children and where it is easier to implement the 2m social distancing measures as a result of the corona virus. At the Hideout House Company, we are therefore in a good position to be able to offer solutions for social distancing outdoor learning which is probably going to be with us for some time to come.

Our comprehensive range of outdoor learning products can therefore help your school facilitate this initiative – ranging from a set of outdoor cushions right up to fully enclosed and insulated outdoor classrooms.

We are able to offer waterproof outdoor cushions and woodland style free-standing benching; picnic tables with roofs; amphitheatre style seating units; outdoor classrooms and shelters which can be used by “bubble” groups of 15 children all seating 2m apart; fully enclosed outdoor classrooms and classroom “pods“.

Some of these products are featured in the pictures below but for further details, you need to contact us on 01832 275902 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

Current Government advice on schools returning from June 1st can be found on the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers/reopening-schools-and-other-educational-settings-from-1-june

6m x 4m amphitheatre unit

enclosed outdoor classrooms

With eco renewable energy system

12m x 5m Rectangular outdoor classroom

5m outdoor shelter with timber decking floor

Outdoor seating set of nature inspired cushions

 

set of woodland benches

Funding Opportunities For New School Playground Projects

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How We Can Save You A Lot of Time and Hassle When Looking To Raise Funds For Your School Playground Project

If you are looking to raise funds to pay for a new playground project at your school – this could be playground equipment, outdoor classrooms and shelters, safety surfacing, trim trails, forest school projects, sensory and communication spaces, gardening projects etc – then we have 25 years experience of helping schools find and raise the required funds to pay for our products.

But the first question we always ask of schools is this – how much time do you realistically have to give to this? Raising money is something that typically requires quite a bit of effort on all stakeholders’ behalves   –  researching applicable grants, reading all of the funding criteria, completing and submitting bids, knowing what makes a successful application or not, re-submitting if turned down originally etc.

But at the Hideout House Company, we can offer you a solution and a way round all of this. Firstly, we don’t just rely on one particular avenue for funding (e.g grants) as we feel that it makes much more sense to pursue a varied mix of initiatives so as to maximize opportunities and thereby reach your funding target a lot faster. Our proven method involves accessing grants (and we can tell you which ones we would recommend you apply for and which are applicable), crowdfunding, unique PTA fundraising ideas, company or corporate sponsorship, the exploitation of revenue generating streams (such as renting out your existing school grounds and facilities) and we can also offer part payment plans whereby you can pay in annual, monthly or termly instalments over typically three to five years. If you have already raised some money towards your playground project, then you can have the equipment installed now (and the children can enjoy the benefit of it immediately) but this gives your school the flexibility to pay in pre-arranged instalments over a longer period of time which can work within your budgets. Once we have your quote drawn up, we can easily give you some quotes for using this option.

We have built up many associations and partnerships with specialist companies who can help you with all of the above and we have proved that they work. We have also put together a comprehensive and informative page on our website which can be found on this link: School Grant and Funding

Basically, we can get you from A to B a lot faster and with far less hassle.

To see our comprehensive product range of school playground products, please have a look at our website www.hideouthouse.com

And then please get in contact with us so that we can talk through your project with you, offer some suggestions and advice and explain how we can help with funding opportunities.

The Hideout House Company

Tel: 01832 275902 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

 

 

 

 

Corona Virus (Covid-19) PPE Face Shields For Schools

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Hope you and your staff and families are well in these difficult times.

One of our suppliers temporarily shut up shop because of the corona virus as their orders dried up overnight. However, they were approached by a local care home who asked them to make some protective face shields for their staff. Within 48 hours, they had designed and developed a face shield to protect against the corona virus and are now currently producing 2,500 face shields per day with shipments currently going out to hospitals, care homes, GP surgeries, dentists and local councils.

If you would like to order some of these shields for your school staff, these are the details below:

FlexiPPE Face Visor (Min Pack of 5) 

The Flexi face visor is made of Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC). This enables the visor to be cleaned, and used multiple times.

The elasticated head band can be removed, cleaned, and if necessary, replaced.

The face shield visors are hand made in the UK in an effort to support the national fight against COVID-19.

They are constructed using a high frequency welding machine with a step process tool, in order to efficiently create a robust product.

Flexiplastics has extensive experience in the medical isolation and protection industry. With all our materials we operate to the highest standard; including ensuring the material is UV resistant and fire retardant.

 Features of the FlexiPPE Face Visors 

With unbreakable materials and contouring fit, the FlexiPPE Face Visor is as comfortable as it is convenient

  • Unbreakable material
  • Latex-free
  • Glare resistant
  • Contoured foam along the band makes for a comfortable fit
  • Fits comfortably with glasses or surgical masks
  • Convenient alternative to goggles
  • Material used 20thou.


Price: £8.50 + VAT per face shield

Minimum order quantity per school: 5 units

Delivery: 1-50 x units: £6.95 + VAT

Delivery times: 3 – 5 working days
For every order received we, as the Hideout House Company, shall donate £1 (per shield) to an NHS Charity

The Hideout House Company

Tel: 01832 275902

Email: info@hideouthouse.com

We Are Still Open For Business

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We are still here and open for business  – so please do contact us to place your order or enquire about our products.

We would love to hear from you as always

Article in Q&A Magazine

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The most recent issue of Q&A Magazine (the most essential guide for schools to purchasing services and products) has featured an article from our managing director Simon Fearnehough. The article talks about how the company is supporting environmental issues by incorporating them into the design of our products – most notably, our play equipment range which is manufactured entirely out of recycled plastic and our unique eco classrooms.

The article can be seen below

Funding Assistance For Our Playground Products

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A lot of schools need to find external funding for our extensive range of playground products and we get asked so many times about where do you start and how much time is this all going to take. We have therefore recently partnered with an excellent company called GD Funding who can help schools access the required funds for their projects.

GD Funding are one of the UK’s leading and most successful funding providers who have delivered funding solutions to well over 700 schools since 2014. As part of their overall service, they provide an extensive funding and bid writing service for schools & community organisations (including PTAs) to obtain funding through a variety of different sources. Projects we can help you find funding for include the following:

FOREST SCHOOL PROJECTS including fire pit shelters and cabins; den making; seating; storage
TRIM TRAILS including adventure and fitness trails in recycled plastic or timber
OUTDOOR CLASSROOMS AND SHELTERS

ECO CLASSROOMS

ARTS AND PERFORMANCE PROJECTS
SENSORY AND COMMUNICATION SPACES
NATURE OBSERVATION PROJECTS
GARDENING

We know how hard it can be to raise funds to get those all important upgrades and new equipment items. We are here to help ! With over 15 years experience in achieving funding totalling over £8,000,000, we can now offer low cost solutions to achieve your funding goals and allow you the time to do what you do best.

Business as Unusual

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What strange and challenging times we currently find ourselves in where the only certainty at the moment is the uncertainty.

With schools now shut until further notice, we do all appreciate that there will be a sense of nervousness about the future – which is totally understandable in light of the mitigating circumstances – but this time will pass and we will beat it. Life will eventually go on – it has to.

At the Hideout House Company, we are taking every single day in our stride and are going forward with a positive mindset. Of course, our primary aims are to keep our staff safe and well, to keep business coming in and to keep installing at schools up and down the country.

We are always asked by school staff for a holiday time installation for the products we sell them. It is simply easier as you don’t have to disrupt a school day if there are workmen on site installing playground equipment or an outdoor classroom, we don’t have to work to restricted arrival times for unloading etc and we can easily get access to the school building for toilets, power and water. And we don’t have to down tools during play time hours or seal off the site area with security tape and cordons.

So let’s take advantage therefore of this extraordinary time when schools are shut due to the corona virus. Our installation crews – which are usually no more than two to three men – will be working outdoors (and not indoors) so there is very little risk of passing on the virus and they will keep to the social distancing guidelines when they do meet staff at the school such as the site manager.

And with school staff and leadership teams working from home, we are very much hoping that orders can still be processed and placed with companies such as ours so that we don’t have to shut our doors with the obvious consequences. We will always support schools with our high quality products at affordable prices and so therefore we very much hope that they will continue to help companies such as ours by placing orders to keep the old engine ticking over until the better times return.

In the meantime, stay safe and positive.

 

If you would like any further information regarding the above, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The Sunday School Room Cabin at St John the Evangelist Church

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We have just completed a building for St John the Evangelist Church in Littlewick Green, Berkshire which is going to be used as a Sunday school room. We have provided many kinds of these types of buildings in the past to schools but not one for a church so it was quite a unique and welcome brief for us.

The reason for the building’s requirement in the first place is that there is nowhere within the current church where families and children can congregate on a Sunday and where the local church community can also convene.

The church wanted a building which was sympathetic to the local environment, was not a me too “box” and was capable of being self-sufficient. We therefore designed a 7m x 4m building which was to be clad externally in cedar in order to give it that extra “cabin” look and feel with a hipped cedar shingle tile roof.

The building was also to feature a lot of glass to allow in extra natural daylight. Internally, we allowed for a timber vaulted ceiling (rather than have a suspended roof which would have boxed in the cabin) and the internal walls featured a white painted, profile grooved boarding. As the cabin had to be independent from the church, we also allowed for a WC (which is actually off grid) and a kitchenette facility to make hot drinks and to act as a food preparation area. The building is also fully insulated to the floor, roof and walls.

Part of the stipulations of the planning permission was that we had to protect the roots of the nearby surrounding trees so our standard foundations were not in play in this instance. We therefore used a non-intrusive plinth foundation system which is only dug into the ground by a maximum of 300mm thereby not disturbing any of the roots. 12 of these were used under the building.

After gaining all of the necessary consents from the planning authorities and the Church, we started the work fairly quickly once it had been green lighted. The whole build job was completed within 10 days including all of the electrics and plumbing which were undertaken by local contractors. The Church are already using it and are delighted with the building.

These buildings are modular so we can build them to different shapes and sizes and we offer a whole host of options – roof and external timber claddings, hipped, pent and traditional pitched roofs, different levels of insulation, foundation systems including ground screws and plinths, renewable energy systems and assistance with planning if so required.

For further information on our range of enclosed buildings, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01832 275902 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

With toilet and kitchenette

Grants Supporting Environmental Projects in Schools

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For a long time now, we have developing products for schools which promote environmental awareness and nurture an appreciation of the planet and its finite resources. Such products include our playground equipment and other playground products (planters, sandboxes, mud kitchens etc) made entirely out of recycled plastic; our eco classrooms which feature living roofs and living walls, renewable energy systems, sheepswool insulation and even special dynamo bikes the children have to pedal to produce electricity!

This year we have seen an increasing amount of sales for our educational renewable energy equipment. We usually sell this as part of our eco classroom package but this equipment can also be installed onto existing playground buildings. The equipment is comprised of a solar panel and mini wind turbine (roof mounted) which then feeds down into a control board which is usually sited within our outdoor classroom. This board features two isolator switches, a datalogger, a battery (to store energy produced by the solar panel and turbine), an inverter, two power sockets and a bulk head light.

We have therefore been doing some research work on trying to find specific grants which will fund such equipment and have come up with the list below. This list is by no means exhaustive but is a good as place to start as any.

1) Greggs Environmental Grant
https://www.greggsfoundation.org.uk/environmental-grant

2) Joseph Rowntree Sustainable Fund
https://www.jrct.org.uk/sustainable-future

3) Ernest Cook Trust
http://ernestcooktrust.org.uk/grants/

4) Persimmon Community Champions
https://www.persimmonhomes.com/charity

5) Heathrow Community Trust
https://www.heathrowcommunitytrust.org/need-funding/environmental-and-sustainability-grants

6) M&S Energy Community Fund
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/mandsenergyfund

 

For more information on our product range, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01832 275902 or email: info@hideouthouse.com