Network Group Final Project Report
Please make sure that you read this BEFORE your project starts as your Final Project Report should include answers to all the following questions. E.g. you will need to make sure that you keep accurate records of the numbers of people involved in the project.
The Project Report is due no later than 6 months from the date on which you receive the cheque from the OLW Grant Scheme.
Please include a detailed financial breakdown including a statement of the final income and expenditure. These accounts will be subject to sample audit.
If the project has not been completed within these six months a brief interim report will be required with a full project report on completion.
If for any reason the project does not take place, please note that the OLW Grant Scheme reserves the right to request the return the grant (or part of it, if the project has been only partially completed).
Once stored on the website the information you provide will enable other network groups to duplicate all or part of your project, locate the resources you have produced or contact your networkgroup to share ideas and best practice.
Please include photos of the project & confirm that OLW has permission to use photos / images of the project on the OLW website, social media or in future publicity material.
PROJECT INFORMATION
Project Title / CPD Training for Trainee TeachersProject Reference Number
Name of cluster group
/ Gwynedd Network GroupProject start and completion date. / March 2015
July 2016
Where did the project take place? Who owned the land? Contact details if applicable. / Treborth Botanic Garden
Bangor University
Bangor
LL57 2QR
Lead organisation for project and contact details / Wild Elements
List any other partners or organisations involved / North Wales Wildlife Trust, Wonderwoods, Snowdonia National Park Authority.
Network Group Final Project06/05/2014
Network Group Final Project Report
PROJECT SUMMARY
Where did the idea for your project come from? /The idea came from discussions with trainee teachers through a series of teacher Twilight Sessionsover the course of a year.One of the major concerns that the trainee teachers had was that they were given all the theory of Forest School and told about the importance to getting children outdoors, but they never had enough time and opportunity to practice or do trial activities to give them the confidence to teach in an outdoor setting.
Give a description of project.
/The aim of the project is to develop and deliver 12 tailored training days for trainee teachers for both primary and secondary education.
The themes include Numeracy and Literacy with outdoor activities, Forest School ethos and woodland activities,Citizen Sciences, and Myths and Legends.
Give details of how the project met the specified learning curriculums or programmes
/ The Forest School ethos and woodland activities CPD session – this looked at the development of Forest School and how it can be used for traditionalsubjects such as Science, Art, English and Maths; and also how it can be used for PSE and Welsh Baccalaureate, linking this in with other programmes such as the John Muir Award.The Numeracy andLiteracy with outdoor activities CPD session – thislooked at calculations, climate change, wildlife gardening, and garden design. This was geared to focus on providing activities that would give meaning to the children and bring the Numeracy and Literacy Framework alive with real-life meaning including carbon capture and ecological techniques. There were also practical applications for measuring shapes and sizes to build a garden area.
The Myths and Legends gave the participants an insight intostories of the Snowdonia area and then gave them the chance to try out creating a play around them. There were great discussions about the importance of giving children the opportunity to use their imagination to create stories and develop them through play and then from this they can work on writing them down in further lessons.
In the Secondary School programme we had a day discussing the importance of Citizen Science getting children and the general public to contribute to science and looking at the different ways that people could get involved.
In the Primary School programme we looked at the importance of Nature in the development of children. We looked at activities which would inspire the use of different habitats that may not be thought of, such as the churchyard. Also the importance of mud and dynamic risk assessment were discussed.
How did the project meet OLW aim and objectives?
/- Developing environmental awarenessby understanding, appreciating andusing Wales’ natural resourcessustainably.
- Increasing first-hand outdoor learningopportunities in and about the naturalenvironment.
- Improving physical and emotionalwell-being through opportunities inthe natural environment.
INPUTS
OLW funding
/Amount Requested = £4988.00
/Amount Awarded = £4988.00
List project costs and total expenditure indicating items funded by OLW.
(Attach a separate account if available).
For the 11 CPD Training Days Wild Elements has billed GOLWNG £3,949 (£359 per session)- this is to pay for the Leader, Assistant, resources, and admin costs.For the Administration of the project, Wild Elements has billed GOLWNG £680 – this to pay a member of the team to organise the training days and liaise with members of the team and Bangor University staff to organise the days.
List source and amount of actual additional funding.
124Participants attending paying £15 contribution = £1860
Was any money left over? If so, on what was it spent? NB: Significant under spends should be declared and returned.
There remains enough money, £339, for one more session.It has been agreed to use this for a further day’s training to promote a wide range of activities within the natural world.
OUTCOMES / These are all the changes, benefits, learning or other effects that happen as a result of what is delivered. They can be expected or unexpected, positive or negative, intermediate or end
What benefits has the project produced?
Short term?
Long term? / Short Term
We have engaged with 124 participants and made them aware of the different kinds of activity they can use in their teaching. We have given them time to explore and understand some of the benefits of being outdoors. We have looked at the benefits of the outdoor environment on wellbeing and emotional development.
We have given them time and space to test out some of the activities, in order to give them confidence in delivering them.
Long Term
This will inspire the next generation of teachers to get the children in their care outside, and to use the outdoors as a classroom and resource.
There was a lot of capacity building, and feedback from the teachers:
“Thank you very much for the course today. I enjoyed the course very much so I've bought a little green house and planted some seeds tonight.”
“The morning session was great to support knowledge of plants/planting. The afternoon was also really good with some very useable activities.”
“Great insight into getting past red tape at school.”
“Getting people to act out a story as people, animals & props, a great way to engage everyone in the story.”
(these are a few of the comments but there lots more on the Excel sheet attached)
Detail the sustainable aspects of the project if present. If not, detail the
Barriers to this. / We hope that the University will value the project and work in partnership with us to develop a long-term programme for their students. However, there has been a recent policy change regarding the attendance structure,which will be a barrier in developing the programme further, but we are in discussions with them that we hope will end in a resolution that suits everyone.
Give details of who has benefitted from the project?
/ 99 Bangor University Secondary Trainee Teachers11 Independent Practitioners
10 Interested individuals
4 Teachers
What resources were produced? / CD of materials
Paper copy of most of the materials
How have the resources been shared and who with? / At present resources have been shared with just with the participants and leaders. Participants were given the resources on the days they attended.
Provide details of how the project raised awareness of OLW, locally and/or nationally (e.g. was there an opportunity for a press release?) / Promotion within the University and among students.
Press release in print.
Outputs
/Actual numbers
Number of settings / schools / groups who participated in the project
/124 individual
Number of pre-school groups involved
/0
Number of pre-school children involved
/0
Number of primary schools involved
/0
Number of primary school children involved
/0
Number of secondary schools involved
/0
Number of secondary school children involved
/0
Number of Tertiary settings involved
/0
Number of tertiary students involved
/99
Number of community groups and organisations involved
/5
Number and age range of community groups and organisations participants involved
/0
Number of teachers involved
/103
Number of volunteers involved
/3
How many individuals are from ethnic minority backgrounds?
/1
How many individuals are disabled?
/0
Evaluation / Give details of the success (or lack)of the project. How did you measure this?Did the project change from the original plan?
What worked well, what would you have done differently, what elements made it successful?
Was the project good value for money?
What advice would you give to another network group trying to replicate this project?
Due to time constraints set by the University because of their tight schedule for the Post Graduate Certificate of Education programme, we have only been able to complete 2 of the 12 planned CPD training days.
However, we are in discussion to do a further 3 to 4 this term, leaving 6 to be completed in the new year. This will allow maximum opportunity for the trainee teachers to attend the sessions.
We have gathered information from the 2 training days already run, and will use the feedback to develop and enhance the remaining training sessions.
One element that made the days a success is that we have been able to have the time to spend longer on the activities, giving the participants the time to complete and then evaluate the activities, and then discuss them to see how they would adapt them for their lessons and teaching.
We had been able to break down barriers in the minds of trainee teachers: they felt that they needed a woodland and a garden to do these activities. However,through the discussion of how to adapt the activitiesthey realised they could perform those using trees and a field within school grounds.
This project has been good value for money as it has allowed the participants to gain experience and confidence in using the activities, and then to use these tools to develop creative plans outdoors, so that they can get used to the idea that they can use the outdoors as a classroom and resource.
There has been a problem with the booking of the course with the University, in that they wanted the students to use their online booking system.However, it would have been preferable if the students had booked through our system (as we are the lead organisation), as we ended up not getting important information until the day making it difficult to tailor the sessions to the trainees’ needs.
Please return this form to your National OLW Co-ordinator by email –
Please also send a copy to the OLW Grant Scheme Manager
)
Where possible information provided will be made available on the website.
If there is any part of the report you wish to keep confidential please make this clear.
Network Group Final Project06/05/2014