Outdoor Education

Welcome to Outdoor Education and Physical Education at Marland School.

 Sport and physical activity/outdoor education are a high priority at Marland School, including across the extended day at our residential site.

We have a purpose designed sports hall and gym on the site, outdoor tennis court and football pitch. The school has 5 acres of woodland just down the road that are used for shelter building, outdoor cooking, fire building, and exploring the natural world amongst other things.

Activities that are offered as part of our Outdoor Education programme include surfing, canoeing, swimming, rock climbing, outdoor cooking, shelter building, wakeboarding, mountain biking, fishing and sledging (if it snows).  Our aim is to teach and develop students’ physical and teamwork skills to their full potential.  Also to help them to broaden their life experiences by improving their fitness and health through a range of fun and exciting physically challenging activities. Pupils have the chance to take part in the Ten Tors challenge on Dartmoor and to complete their Duke of Edinburgh Awards and John Muir Award.

The Outdoor & Physical Education programmes focus on three key aspects of personal development:

1)    Building confidence:  Many students will be trying these activities for the first time and the programme is designed to encourage each young person to explore and develop their full physical and cognitive potential.

2)    Personal fitness:  The activities are designed to allow all students, whatever their physical capability, to push themselves and challenge their own limits on a daily basis.  Within the programme is a strong focus on exercising different muscles, developing control and coordination and improving stamina and strength.

3)    Environment:  Appreciation of PE and outside environments is an essential part of our approach.  A range of different indoor and outdoor venues are utilised across Devon and Cornwall’s unique and beautiful but challenging landscape.  These help students to gain an appreciation of environmental issues whilst hopefully developing a far healthier long term lifestyle, including interests and hobbies that can be maintained and further developed into adulthood.

Coasteering 

We took 2 buses and headed to Croyde for our session in the water and on the rocks. The weather and sea conditions were excellent and all of the boys and staff attending loved it.