Extending the Boundaries of Learning

‘Learning Outside the Classroom’

Meridian Trust’s Vision for Extending the Boundaries of Learning:

‘Meridian Trust provides a breadth of experience through the curriculum and beyond, including an entitlement for all students to educational visits and other activities that enhance and extend the curriculum, including providing a range of opportunities for spiritual, moral, social and cultural education that instils the values of the trust and society more widely…’(Meridian Trust Extending the Boundaries of learning )

Nene Park Academy fully embraces Meridian Trust vision of ‘Extending the Boundaries of Learning’ and

‘Learning outside the classroom’ and encourages, commits and promotes these values through participating in local, national and international trips and visits through bringing in speakers, visiting national museums and participating in many events.  We also encourage outdoor lessons in many subject areas and participate in competitions within the trust, locally and nationally. 

We are really excited that Nene Park Academy has recently gained the Gold Award from the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom.  This award recognises the work the school does to ensure that we extend the Boundaries of all learners. 

Social Media post to celebrate:

‘We are thrilled to share that we are one of the 16 Meridian Trust secondary and special schools to have achieved the Quality Mark for Learning Outside the Classroom.

We are 1 of only 3 schools to have received the Gold mark , for which we are incredibly proud!

The LOtC Mark is awarded by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, championing taking learning beyond the classroom. 

Our staff are dedicated to Extending the Boundaries of Learning and passionate about providing practical experiences to prepare our students for the real world. Well done all!’

We continue to work with Council for Learning Outside the Classroom to ensure that we expand our offer to include many of the activities below.

NPA students are offered many exciting learning opportunities which take them out of the classroom environment.  Trips are just one aspect of this and are keenly enjoyed by many of our students from Year 7 to 13.

Some of our most popular trips take our students overseas to mainland Europe.  Our Year 7s are very lucky because in the summer term, they get the opportunity to visit France – just for the day!  A long but much-loved school trip sees students ordering food in French in restaurants and eating chips on the beach. Contextualising their language learning, this trip supports a life-long love of language learning.  What could be better? 

If students find that the Boulogne-Sur-Mer trip has whet their appetite for language trips, they need not worry since students from KS4 have enjoyed the school’s ‘Chateau’ trip which includes visits to the impressive and beautiful Mont St Michel and St Malo.  Zip wiring, fencing, archery, and other fun activities also form part of this fun July trip. 

In addition, there is also the Lille once again, offering students every opportunity to practice their French at a Christmas market by chatting to stall vendors and ordering delicious hot chocolate makes this a very popular trip.

Madrid has been an extremely successful trip. This trip will provide Spanish students with the opportunity to visit the country where the language is spoken and experience its culture first-hand.

The trip programme will offer students numerous opportunities to practice their Spanish and enhance fluency and confidence appreciation and understanding of Spanish culture.

Students explore elements of Spanish history and culture that are integral to the A Level Spanish syllabus, including seeing a live performance of the play they are studying.

Each year, many of our new year 7s go off on a PGL adventure weekend.  An opportunity to cement new friendships, students are taken out of their comfort zones as they build their team building and challenge skills, negotiating high ropes, abseiling and doing archery, to mention just a few!  Always about the friends we have not yet made.

Key Stage 4 and 6th form students see many opportunities to visit universities, gain valuable experiences about apprenticeships and preparation for the wider world. 

Year 9 Geography students to attend the a trip to Lincoln where they have the opportunity to carry out different fieldwork techniques. They will be investigating how quality of life varies in different areas of the city by carrying out environmental quality surveys, pedestrian and traffic counts, housing quality surveys, land use transects, vandalism surveys and questionnaires. When students return to school, they will be writing up their investigation based on their findings.

Year 13 Geographers experience field work trip to Dorset, that includes:

• Return Transport to and from Dorset
• Accommodation – Bournemouth Travelodge
• Opportunity to complete human fieldwork or physical fieldwork in Bournemouth or Swanage.
• Boat tour of the Jurassic Coast to see some of the key geographical landforms including Old Harry Rocks.

Trips are certainly an important part of the NPA experience, from visits to Peterborough sites and museums to travel abroad, we want our students to learn and develop outside of the classroom, as well as in it.  Ensuring our students leave us as self-assured, confident people, means we are keen to continue to develop our programme of study and experiences which happen beyond the classroom.

As a member of Meridian trust we also subscribe to the Trust wide PLEDGES programme and challenges more information on this can be found here: Nene Park Academy PLEDGES Programme – Nene Park Academy.

We promote a number of challenges at different stages in our students’ lives and these include 41, 61 and 81 things to do before you’re 14, 16 and 18 – #npachallenge – Nene Park Academy

We have a very comprehensive after school/extra curricular/ session 6 set of activities and a list of these can be found Session 6 at NPA – Nene Park Academy

We celebrate and publicise the trips visits and learning we do through social media and the newsletters.

We also have a very comprehensive and offer to all students who are in receipt of Pupil Premium Funding to ensure we close the experiential gap and this can be found in the Meridian Trust PP charter here.

We have very strong links with local businesses who provide invaluable support and opportunities to enhance our broad and balanced curriculum. We are also always delighted to hear from new contacts, alumni or businesses who would be interested in working with us.

Please contact Vicki Barkney Careers Leader Careers Adviser Work Experience Co-ordinator. Email: vbarkney@neneparkacademy.org