Schools: place and attainment
Considering a pupil-led school project that integrates local place, sustainability and action planning while delivering on curricular aims? Get in touchFor nursery, primary and secondary schools, and local authorities, who want to improve pupil attainment and staff CPD through place-based projects or outdoor learning.
Our team has a proven track record at working with schools and teachers to develop and carry out successful pupil-led place-oriented projects, where attainment impacts can be measured and demonstrated.
“Given the challenges we face, education doesn’t need to be reformed — it needs to be transformed. The key to this transformation is not to standardize education, but to personalize it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions”
Our Executive Team and Board include PhD-level expertise in outdoor learning, and extensive experience facilitating local place planning, community engagement, and school ground redesign. Our tried-and-trusted approaches have proved motivating and successful with pupils of all ages, and we are specialists at working with early years children.
Our knowledge and experience enables us to tailor our approach to the specific context, while delivering on your educational goals. Whether you have a particular objective in mind, or want to explore more open-ended ways of leveraging place to improve attainment, we’ll support you in taking your project forward in the way which works best for you.
Are you considering a pupil-led school project, which integrates local place, sustainability and action planning, while delivering on curricular aims?
Case study: Engaging nursery children in local place planning
As a part of working with The Scottish Government and Play Scotland to develop a Place Standard Tool for Children and Young People, APiC investigated the feasibility of engaging nursery schoolchildren in planning processes.
Together with a Glasgow City nursery, we co-developed and piloted an experiential mapping process with children of 3 years+. This enabled them to express what they liked and what could be better about their local area.
Because they emphasised the children’s love of nature, the outcomes will be used in support of a proposal to develop an underused urban space as a forest kindergarten.
“’We are absolutely delighted with your research findings and report. It captures exactly the importance of “Pupil Voice” in empowering children’s choices and views being brought to bear in the vision of their Early Years experiences. The staff who went on your Place Standard Adventure all benefitted from the experience, adding to their professional knowledge – the best kind of CPD. Thank you!” Headteacher