Bush School

St Pius X

Bush School Handbook - St Pius X - Click Here

The St Pius X Bush School Programme in partnership with Nature Play Learning was initiated with children’s wellbeing, voice and agency in mind. Bush School offers numerous exciting benefits to children, their learning and their community, which are in line with school initiatives and Department of Education and Training (DET) recommendations.

Bush School is an outdoor, child-led, inquiry-based approach to learning. First pioneered in Denmark, developed in the UK and now gaining momentum in Australia, Australian Bush Schools had their origins in Nature Play Queensland in 2014. This organisation was formed in response to studies showing that children in Australia, on average, spent less than 2 hours outdoors every day. Case studies reported on the Nature Play Queensland website show improved student agency of their learning, leading to great benefits in self-esteem, especially for children with special needs; improvements in motor skills, attention span and focus; and greater connection to the community and the outdoors, facilitated by the children themselves.

Recent research by the DET has shown the immeasurable benefits of student voice and agency; i.e. children being able to have a say in their learning, with adults acting as guides when needed. According to the Department website, “Authentic student voice provides opportunities for students to collaborate and make decisions with adults around what and how they learn and how their learning is assessed. This is known to lead to improved educational outcomes… Student voice and agency are intrinsically linked. Agency gives students the power to direct and take responsibility for their learning, creating independent and self-regulating learners.”

Student voice and agency are inherent in Bush School. The structure of the program allows for student-led learning, with the teacher providing tools, resources and guidance if required.

Therefore, our vision is:

To foster a sense of wellbeing, resilience, agency and connection to nature in every child, through child-led, authentic, outdoor learning experiences.

Our bush school program will run throughout 2022 at the Darebin Creek in Heidelberg West.

To see a plan of the learning and how our teachers will be incorporating the curriculum, click here.

To find out more, fill in a contact form and send us your questions!

Nature Play Learning acknowledges the Wurundjeri people as the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which we play each week. We pay our respects to the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation and their ancestors and elders - past, present, and emerging. We recognise that this land always was and always will be indigenous land and we will continue to support, protect and promote indigenous rights and freedoms.