Foundation phase
Foundation phase is scoped through the learning block, with lesson objective, observed work, reading fluency, field record and teacher follow-up. The boundary, exclusions and handover evidence are stated before work begins.
The classroom has walls when the lesson needs them.
Read the briefOffer / scope
A compact service index
Intermediate phase
Intermediate phase is scoped through the learning block, with lesson objective, observed work, reading fluency, field record and teacher follow-up. Capacity, constraints and decision ownership stay visible from intake to closeout.
Field science
Field science is scoped through the learning block, with lesson objective, observed work, reading fluency, field record and teacher follow-up. The boundary, exclusions and handover evidence are stated before work begins.
After-school workshop
After-school workshop is scoped through the learning block, with lesson objective, observed work, reading fluency, field record and teacher follow-up. Capacity, constraints and decision ownership stay visible from intake to closeout.
About / charter
Timberline School
Timberline School is a fictional small primary school where literacy, mathematics and science are taught through strong direct instruction plus daily field time in gardens, woodland and workshop spaces. Outdoor learning is a method, not a substitute for curriculum depth.
Native unit
learning block
Evidence
lesson objective, observed work, reading fluency, field record and teacher follow-up
Operating promise
The classroom has walls when the lesson needs them.
Projects / work
Recent work, told through constraints
Case 01
River maths week
Year 5 learners used flow measurements to build ratio, graphing and estimation tasks before returning to formal exercises.
Case 02
Reading orchard
Daily paired reading continued outdoors during warm months, with fluency tracking unchanged by the location shift.
Case 03
Tool literacy block
Year 6 learners planned, cut and assembled small timber frames while documenting measurement error and revision.
Sequence
Read left to right, then hand the record forward
- 1
Teach the core idea
Teach the core idea is the entry control point for a learning block. The team records lesson objective, observed work, reading fluency, field record and teacher follow-up so the next decision is made from an explicit state, not memory or assumption.
- 2
Take it into the field
Take it into the field is the next control point for a learning block. The team records lesson objective, observed work, reading fluency, field record and teacher follow-up so the next decision is made from an explicit state, not memory or assumption.
- 3
Make or measure something
Make or measure something is the next control point for a learning block. The team records lesson objective, observed work, reading fluency, field record and teacher follow-up so the next decision is made from an explicit state, not memory or assumption.
- 4
Return to written reflection
Return to written reflection is the next control point for a learning block. The team records lesson objective, observed work, reading fluency, field record and teacher follow-up so the next decision is made from an explicit state, not memory or assumption.
Results ledger
16maximum class size
90 mindaily protected literacy block
5 daysweekly outdoor field time
3×formal parent learning reviews per year
Insights / detail
Notes from the work
Note 1
Outdoor learning still needs explicit teaching
Outdoor learning still needs explicit teaching. A working note from Timberline School on the decisions hidden inside outdoor primary school / place-based education. It connects the claim back to learning block and names where professional judgement or uncertainty remains.
Note 2
Why small classes are used for feedback, not ambience
Why small classes are used for feedback, not ambience. A working note from Timberline School on the decisions hidden inside outdoor primary school / place-based education. It connects the claim back to lesson objective, observed work, reading fluency, field record and teacher follow-up and names where professional judgement or uncertainty remains.
Note 3
A field notebook can be rigorous evidence
A field notebook can be rigorous evidence. A working note from Timberline School on the decisions hidden inside outdoor primary school / place-based education. It connects the claim back to lesson objective, observed work, reading fluency, field record and teacher follow-up and names where professional judgement or uncertainty remains.
People
The names behind the handoffs.
01
Nandi Jacobs
Head teacher
Nandi Jacobs leads head teacher and owns the decisions that touch each learning block. The role is described by responsibility, not decorative biography.
02
Oliver Mokoena
Foundation phase lead
Oliver Mokoena leads foundation phase lead and owns the decisions that touch each learning block. The role is described by responsibility, not decorative biography.
03
Ruth Botha
Field science educator
Ruth Botha leads field science educator and owns the decisions that touch each learning block. The role is described by responsibility, not decorative biography.
Questions / limits
What happens in bad weather?
Learning continues. Clothing, shelter and risk thresholds are planned, while severe weather moves the class indoors without turning the day into free time.
Is this an alternative curriculum?
No. The fictional school follows a conventional primary curriculum and uses place-based work to deepen rather than replace core knowledge.
Do children spend all day outside?
No. Reading, writing, mathematics and focused instruction often work best indoors; field time is chosen when the environment improves the task.
Contact / 117