A new downloadable “activity passport” aimed at encouraging school pupils to ditch their gadgets and pursue “new interests” has been launched by the education secretary. The printable document, which allows pupils to tick when they’ve completed 140 prescribed activities such as searching for butterflies and taking part in a Roman banquet, is part of a drive to boost resilience in children. Other activities listed include climbing trees, staying away from home for a night, baking a cake and learning to sew buttons onto clothes. The list will be sent to schools in January, but is not mandatory. What’s on the inside – someone’s character, drive, resilience, and the ability to stick to a goal – is just as important as their academic achievements Damian Hinds said the list was inspired by his visit this year to St Werburgh’s Primary School in Bristol, where every child is encouraged to take part in a list of tasks and experiences, with key achievements for each school year to tick off. It is the second time in a week that the DfE has announced a new initiative inspired by the actions of a single school. On Thursday, the department announced Hinds’s desire to see all schools follow the lead of a school in Devon and go single-use-plastic-free by 2022. There are 20 activities for each primary school year group, and they get more complicated as children progress through school. For example, reception pupils will be encouraged to visit a farm, fly a kite or dress up as a pirate, while year 6 pupils are urged to write a speech, learn how to access the news or visit a new city. The front and back cover of the document Damian Hinds said: “When I first became education secretary, almost a year ago, I went around asking everyone I met what they wanted for their children. “The instinctive answer that came back was never about the curriculum or qualifications, vital as these are – what they wanted first and foremost was for their child to be happy and healthy. As a father that’s what I want for my children and as education secretary that’s what I want for all children in this country.” Hinds said he heard “regularly” from teachers “that it’s important that children have the chance to try things out, to get a taste of the world around them, to see and do things that they wouldn’t normally do, or go to places they wouldn’t normally go”. What year 1 and 4 pupils will be encouraged to do “Experience is a great teacher and can equip children with valuable skills that prepare for any challenges life may throw at them. What’s on the inside – someone’s character, drive, resilience, and the ability to stick to a goal – is just as important as their academic achievements.” The passports are endorsed by groups including the Scouts, Girlguiding, Action for Children and the National Trust. The activities Reception Visit a farm Paint a self portrait Plant some bulbs and watch them grow Go on an autumn walk Make leaf rubbings Make a sandwich Taste a new fruit Visit a place of worship Fly a kite Make a paper boat and see if it floats Perform a song Re-tell a story to an audience Post a letter Meet a friend’s pet Search for butterflies outdoors Take a photograph Make a treasure map Dress up like a pirate Look up where you live on a map Have a teddy bears picnic Year 1 Record different sounds and ask others toguess what they are Make some biscuits Make and taste chapattis Make a puppet Put on a shadow puppet show Borrow a book from a library Discover what is in a pond Create a piece of art for an exhibition Look up at the stars on a clear night Perform a dance Go on a hunt for some insects or small creatures Make a home for an insect or small creature Create a class collage Create a comic strip Take part in a play day Roll down a hill Make a daisy chain Join an extra-curricular club Build a den Perform in front of your class Year 2 Plan a party Play a board game Learn a poem off by heart Take a trip to the seaside or walk alongside a river Bake a cake Buy something and check your change Write a weather report for your class Build a bridge and test its strength Become a nature detective Dress up as a superhero Make a film Start a vegetable patch Pick blackberries Get soaking wet in the rain Go bird watching Learn a French song Walk barefoot on the sand or on a nature trail Start a collection and share it with your class Walk to a local landmark Make a mask Year 3 Compose a piece of music Take part in a Roman banquet Eat something you’ve not tried before Create a mosaic Design and make a board game Climb a tree Create a soundtrack for a piece of film Make a pinhole camera Make a musical instrument Light a candle Learn a new game Make something out of wood Cook outdoors Learn to play a game of cards Tell your class about your favourite character from a book Produce rubbings of fossils Try yoga Eat something you have grown Visit an art gallery Stay away from home for a night Year 4 Make chocolate Create a display for show and tell Write and perform a poem Perform in a play Watch a play or a dance production Use a camera to document a performance Choreograph a dance Make a sculpture Create a sculpture trail Explore inside a cave Walk through a forest Learn about a new religion and visit a new place of worship Make up your own game and teach it to someone Visit a museum Skim stones Visit a castle Swim outside Learn to sew on a button Go hiking Take part in a treasure hunt Year 5 Take part in a debate Learn something new about your local area Learn to moon walk Make and launch an air powered rocket Use an OS map Go orienteering Do a blind folded taste test Write a story for the Reception class Make a large scale model Visit a science laboratory Write a play Experience a Victorian school room Put on a performance Make papier mache planets Climb something that is taller than you Walk to the top of a hill Write in hieroglyphics Pick litter in your local area Plan and cook a meal Design and make an electric model Year 6 Keep a diary for a week Take a trip on a train Send an email Learn to knit Write a speech Vote in a school election Plan a tour around your local area Interview someone Visit a local charity and find out how you can support them Learn how to access the news Design a product or business idea and pitch it to ‘investors’ Choose objects to put in a time capsule Write and record/broadcast a radio play Sleep under canvas Make a dessert Organise tea for parents and carers See the sun set See the sun rise Go on a picnic Visit a new city
Janet 29 December 2018 Cue much nagging of parents as children say they’ve GOT to do these activities as many (most) can’t be done without adult supervision and expense. Checklists like this, though worthy in an imposing sort of way, invite tick-box syndrome. Once an activity’s been ticked off, it risks not being repeated even when repetition is essential (eg knitting, swimming, sewing, borrowing library books).
Barry 29 December 2018 Completely agree. Trying to encourage students to take part in experiences is laudable and an important part of responsible parenting but all the school Have arguably done towards it is come up with a tick list of activities parents should do with their children. How on earth they carry out an evaluation of the impact of these many and varied ‘activities’ on the students is a significant issue. Without this evaluation it is little more than an arbitrary list of things to do and nothing more.
Heather Weatherhead 30 December 2018 I am so glad that money is being spent on this! In my 40+ years of teaching I had never thought that children should do some of these activities! ( Sarcasm, for those who haven’t been taught what that is)
Rose 30 December 2018 I love this. A Balanced, creative curriculum will include much of this and I’m pleased to report most of my year3/4 class can tick off much of this list. Feeling smug
Mr F 26 August 2019 Fantastic words from the Ed Sec here. Super to see there is so much support for pupil wellbeing, mental health and social relationships. Very exciting time to be part of the profession and helps bring more people into the world of education when they see emphasis on these areas. Top stuff 😀