Case studies
Barry Island Primary School
Case study group: primary
Barry Island Primary School Case study group: Primary Barry Island Primary School is situated on a headland overlooking Barry Docks, once one of the busiest coal ports in the world. It is an urban school surrounded by streets of terraced houses and very little open space, and the school playground consists entirely of tarmac. However, through hard work, community involvement and some generous donations they have succeeded in creating an outdoor space which everyone at the school is justifiably proud of. Opposite the school was a small, run-down patch of wasteland owned by Associated British Ports. A couple of years ago they kindly donated the land to the school - and there the hard work began! By involving their local community, the school managed to call on resources which they would not normally have access to. The local branch of the mental health charity MIND volunteered to help with the digging, as did older members of the community. It seemed that everyone in the area could see that this tiny patch of waste ground had the potential to become the only green space amongst the terraced houses. This enthusiasm continues today, with several neighbours giving up their time to help maintain the garden, as it is now called. This community involvement enabled the school to apply for funding from a number of sources, including leading pharmaceutical company Pfizer. The money the school raised was put to good use by a professional landscaper and they also invested in some fixed play equipment, raised beds, a pond and a spectacular story-telling circle. "The garden is a fantastic addition to the school's outdoor spaces," says Deputy Head Paul Tucker. "The children have space to run and move about without fear of getting hurt, there are seats for them to sit and talk to their friends as well as a physically challenging timber trail." The school has also spent time on their tarmac playground, with a friendship stop, zoning and even a sheltered stage for the children to perform on. The Early Years department also makes good use of the outdoors, with a number of stimulating and challenging features. The practitioners have noticed a number of benefits to outdoor learning. "I take my class into the garden for Welsh lessons," says Paul. "In the outdoors the children are able to talk more without disturbing their neighbours or the class next door. I find they concentrate much better when we're outdoors because they feel far less constrained."
"Science is also far more effective taught outdoors," says Paul. "Because the children have first-hand experience of growing plants and vegetables, they can see why it's important to water them, when they need to weed the beds and when the vegetables are ready to be eaten. Their understanding goes far deeper than if they had read about it in a book." Barry Island Primary School has achieved a great deal in a relatively short space of time, and they have succeeded in doing this because they have worked with the whole community. There is a real sense of pride in the garden, and this has flowed through into the playground itself. Most importantly, they see that this is an evolving process, and are already planning the next phase of their outdoor revolution!