​Lessons in Muddy Boots: The Power of Outdoor Education

When you walk across the beautiful grounds of The Elms School on a crisp morning, the scene might surprise you. Alongside the usual prep school fare of English lessons, cricket nets and music, you’ll find children hauling feed buckets, checking on lambs, or coaxing piglets into pens, as all year groups enjoy a weekly lesson on the school farm plus an outdoor education lesson. For the Headmaster, Ed Lyddon, this is not a novelty – it is the essence of an education that blends tradition, rigour, and a deep respect for childhood.

“I often get asked why we invest so much in outdoor education and the farm,” he says. “The answer is simple: it teaches precious lessons that will stay with children for life.”

Lessons in Responsibility

Daily routines on the farm create habits of responsibility. Animals cannot wait until we humans feel rested, or the weather improves. “Under the guidance of the Farm Manager and his team, children soon learn that others depend on them,” Ed explains. “If we forget to feed the pigs, there are consequences – real ones. That sense of accountability seeps into everything: homework, friendships, even leadership roles in school life.”

From Equations to Enterprise

What fascinates Mr Lyddon most is how outdoor education reinforces academic learning. “Applied maths is everywhere, whether that is weighing feed, calculating growth rates, pricing eggs or sausages – suddenly maths isn’t abstract, it’s interesting and real.”

The entrepreneurial dimension goes further. Pupils are involved in rearing animals, producing pork, lamb, and beef, and then marketing and selling the produce. “They debate pricing and marketing, design labels, and sometimes deal with disappointment if a product doesn’t sell as well as they had hoped. They negotiate, compromise, and think creatively. These are the skills of future leaders and entrepreneurs.”

The Rugby Pitch Incident

And then there are the unexpected lessons. Ed laughs as he recalls a memorable afternoon: “A few of our piglets decided they would like to join in at a rugby training session and trotted straight onto the pitch! What could have been chaos turned into a masterclass in problem-solving. Some children blocked their path, others ran for food, others thought ahead and cut off alternative escape routes, or collected the pig boards. They thought on their feet, adapted quickly, and worked together. Those moments – half comic, half profound – teach agility, negotiation, and teamwork in ways no classroom could.”

Confidence in the Show Ring

Each year, as well as winning scores of prizes at local agricultural shows, The Elms hosts its own show, a highlight of the calendar where pupils present livestock, showcase produce, and demonstrate the skills they have learned on the school farm. Ed reflects “Educationally, the show is invaluable: it brings together responsibility, presentation, and entrepreneurship in a real-world context. Children prepare animals for judging, demonstrate their knowledge and their handling skills, and think on their feet in front of an audience. Imagine being twelve years old, stepping into a show ring in front of judges and spectators, with a one-tonne Hereford bull by your side. That takes poise, clear communication, and a certain confidence.”

Such experiences, he argues, are not about farming alone. They are about developing self-assurance, learning to present oneself, and advocating for something you care about. “The animals have been as valuable as any teacher in helping our pupils find their voice.”

Wellbeing in the Open Air

The mental health benefits of outdoor education are, for the Headmaster, undeniable. “Children today live with so much screen time and pressure. We take away the screens and offer an outdoors balance, which pupils love. I see pupils come back from feeding lambs or learning how to light campfires calmer, happier, and more focused.”

The school’s green tranquil spaces complement this philosophy, giving children quiet spaces to take a moment too. “But really, the whole farm is a wellbeing space,” he says. “Caring for animals grounds you. It puts your worries in perspective.”

A Rite of Passage on the Hills

For our oldest pupils, the culmination of years of outdoor learning comes in the form of a ten-mile night walk across the Malvern Hills. Setting out at dusk and navigating without torches, Year 8 pupils experience the landscape in a completely new way — one that demands endurance, teamwork, and quiet reflection. Along the ridgeline, they find both challenge and perspective: conversations flow, laughter carries on the wind, and every summit reached feels hard-earned. By the time dawn breaks, they have completed more than a walk — they’ve taken part in a rite of passage that symbolises their growth, resilience, and readiness for the next stage of their journey.

Support for Military and Boarding Families

The Elms has long been a school of choice for military families and families whose work takes them abroad on business, and the farm and equestrian centre play a role in that too. “When a parent is deployed or away on a business trip, knowing their child is happily immersed on the farm or exploring the stream with friends provides structure and security,” Ed explains. Boarding offers continuity, and the school community becomes an extended family. “We also understand the unique challenges service families face. The routine of helping to turn out or bring in the ponies at the ends of the school day are comforting for both parents and children. Looking after the farm animals together helps pupils form bonds and quickly forget any initial pangs of homesickness.”

Preparing for Senior Schools – and Life

Parents often ask whether time spent outdoors detracts from academic performance. Ed’s answer is emphatic. “Actually, it enhances it. Senior schools tell us our pupils stand out: they’re grounded, articulate, keen to embrace new challenges and unafraid of responsibility.” Many win scholarships in academics, art, music, or sport, but beyond the accolades, what matters is character.

Preserving Childhood, Cultivating Character

At the heart of the Headmaster’s vision is a belief that education should preserve childhood while preparing young people for adulthood. He pauses, then smiles. “Outdoor education shapes the head, the heart, and the hands. It makes childhood joyful and education meaningful. That’s why we do it—the farm and the outdoors aren’t extras—they’re classrooms without walls, teaching lessons that last a lifetime. And sometimes, those lessons arrive in the form of hand rearing a calf, or watching a newborn lamb take its first tentative steps .”

Ed Lyddon is Headmaster of The Elms School in Colwall, a co-ed prep for children ages 3–13.

W: www.elmsschool.co.uk