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First-year degree students at King’s Lynn College of West Anglia were delighted to have the chance to meet one of the top authorities on childhood studies whose books are used as part of their course. Childhood studies students 2013 Sixteen students from Lynn joined other first year students to attend an all-day conference with workshops to support their studies with Anglia Ruskin University who validate the degree programme at the College. The 16 met others from the University sites at Cambridge, Chelmsford, Harlow and Peterborough and joined workshops on a range of subjects, such as outdoor play, health and wellbeing. But one of the day’s highlights was to meet  ARU lecturer Sara Knight , who is a respected author of books on Forest schools and outdoor play and learning. The concept of “Forest” schools originates in Scandinavia and promotes young people learning in an outdoors environment. Kathryn Le Serve, course director and lecturer for childhood studies at King’s Lynn, said those undertaking the first-year of the degree course, were a mixture of teaching assistants and early years practitioners, such as those working in nurseries, most of whom will progress on to primary teacher training. They are studying for a BA Hons in Early Childhood Professional Studies. She said there needed to be a greater focus on encouraging outdoor play and learning for children and for students to learn about the importance of wellbeing, outdoor play, healthy eating and physical activity. “Children do not get outside enough to play, like they used to,” she said. If they did, youngsters benefited with greater feelings of wellbeing, happiness and self-esteem. Students from other colleges had been amazed at some of the work displayed by those on the degree course at the College of West Anglia, which scored a 100 per cent course satisfaction in the National Student Survey, the results of which were revealed earlier this year. At present there are near 50 people undertaking childhood studies degrees at the college. For more information on the degree programme at the college, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. PICTURE Childcare degree students from the College of West Anglia at Anglia Ruskin University. Far left at the back is Sara Knight who is a lecturer at ARU and author of several books on Forest Schools and outdoor learning.

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