Wild Wiltshire Study, Dr Mel McCree

Wild Wiltshire
Year 1 findings of a 3 year longitudinal evaluation of the impact upon
disadvantaged primary age children
attending Forest School and outdoor learning
Sunday, 26 October 2014

Project Partners
• Wiltshire Wildlife Trust
• Ivy Lane Primary School
• Funded by The Blagrave Trust
• Dr Mel McCree, Free Range Creativity
Research Consultancy and Plymouth
University
Free Range Creativity

The Project
• Three year project
• Term time and school holidays
• Half / one day per week
• 13 children
• Same children
• Years 2 to 4 at start (ages 6-9)
• One / two WWT staff plus two
school staff

The Children
• Struggle to thrive in a classroom setting
• Seen as likely to underachieve:
“all of the children are making less than
expected progress in many core areas of
learning (speaking and listening, reading,
writing and maths) and most had lower than
average starting points in these areas“
• Disadvantaged:
“economically & emotionally
disadvantaged & with special education
needs (including behaviour difficulties)”

The Children
Pen Portrait Headlines
12/13:
Free School Meals
13/13:
additional support
(all int /4 ext)
5 in Year 2
3 in Year 3
5 in Year 4
11/13:
known family
breakdowns
13/13:
SEN
2/13:
young
carers
2/13:
behavioural
difficulties
2/13:
safeguarding issues

What and where
• Learning outside the
classroom, outdoor
learning, Forest School,
learning in the natural
environment, fieldwork,
bushcraft, conservation,
nature-based play, wild
play…
• On a variety of WWT nature
reserves, with regular visits
to one woodland
• Local and further afield

The Ethos
“For us this is not just about the '3 Rs’
but making sure that children are
emotionally and socially ready [for
secondary school] and that some
children need more and continued
support with this. We believe that using
nature to achieve this is a worthwhile
approach”
• Process not outcome
• Choice of activities
• Self-directed
• Self-expression
• Self-regulation

The Ethos
Provision of emotional time and space
“Can you catch?”
“No”
“Well learn then”
“I will be the Master of Catching…when I
am ready”
“When we get in to the woods, please can I
go and sit somewhere by myself for five
minutes”
“Of course. Why would you like to do that?”
“Because this is the only time I get some
peace and quiet”

Provide the
opportunity…

…to thrive

…to learn about themselves

…be happy

…be safe

...express ourselves

…connect with nature

...help
conserve

Have fun!

Research questions
Qualitative, interpretive, multi-method
process: pilot year
exploring methods & aims
1. Changes to overall wellbeing
and academic development?
2. What factors enable this?
3. Which changes are
recognised by school?
4. Significant changes over
time?

Caution re outcome claims
• What links from experience to
improved wellbeing to
improved attainment?
• Cannot separate influence of
WW from other variable
factors
• Gather a triangulated mosaic
of in-depth evidence
• Observe direct links made
• Challenge bias and methods
• Improve validity & credibility

Mosaic framework
• Multi-method
• Participatory co-investigators
• Reflexive
• Focus on children’s lived
experiences
• Embedded into practice
Clark and Moss, 2001
Gallacher and Gallagher, 2008

2 stage Mosaic design
• Gathering data, documentation,
reflections, researcher
observation to create a MOSAIC
• Reflect this to participants and
listen to their perspectives
• Helps to show these
perspectives and develop
understanding of the complex
meaning-making & narratives
data analysis

Multi-method
Questionnaires
Observation
Assessment scales
Documentation: photos,
child-led filming, scrapbook
diaries
‘Magic Den’ interviews
Staff & parent focus groups
Quantative school data
Magic Dens include:
Reviewing film & photos
Choosing preferences
Activities: Jellybeans
Mapping

Year 1 Themes
Most popular experiences:
NURTURE
PHYSICALITY
SOCIAL TIME
HANDS ON
NATURE

Hot chocolate!
• Nurture as the prime
ingredient to engage
• Hungry, tired, cold,
stressed...
• Hot chocolate and
snacks around the fire
• Possibly decreases as
a need as feelings of
security increase?

Physicality
New space,
new adventures
Hiding, climbing, running
& exploring the woods

Shared and social
Talking,
playing &
sharing time
with friends
"I'm going to let
people join in my
hole digging
today….
because some
people want to do
it and I haven't let
them and it might
make them
happy"
choice

Hands-on
Making fires, dens, holes,
tool use, films, art, stories,
imaginative play.
open
enquiry
choice
experiential learning

Connecting with nature
•
Discovering & learning
about the living world
Implicit or
explicit?
How to measure and assess?

Assessment scales
Leuven scales: engagement and
involvement as “deep-level
learning” (Laevers, 1993)
triangulated with field notes,
school data & participants’ evaluation
“She's been off all week, she's not 100%
but she didn't want to miss WW today”

Assessment scales 2

Issues raised
• Funding research provision
(informing wider policy)
• Both school and practitioner’s
aims have evolved during
project, informing the research
• Setting collaboration
• Data collection bias &/or
sector insight? Implications
for practitioner-led research
• Making the link between
children’s nature connection,
wellbeing and attainment

Crystallisation process
wellbeing through long term
nature connection...
longitudinal...
emergent...
understanding...
the long way
round to attainment?

Dissemination
Where could this lead?
• Collaboration
• Sharing experience
• Publication
• Contagion
• Increased provision

Thank You
Year 1
Pilot report
available at:
www.freerangecreativity.org.uk

Wild Wiltshire Study, Dr Mel McCree

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