The Optimus blog

The blog that inspires leaders in the UK education sector

The Optimus blog

The blog that inspires leaders in the UK education sector

Anita Foster

Anita Foster is a qualified teacher who has spent the last 25 years teaching and learning outside the classroom.

She runs School Grounds North East and works with teachers to help them explore and realise the potential of their outdoor spaces, and to take the curriculum outside.

She is also a lead teacher on the Wilderness Schooling project, and is a Director of Maximising Learning.

Latest blog posts

Anita Foster

Help pupils make memories, not take photos!

We snap, share and store our memories all the time - but if we truly want to help children learn, we need to consider swapping tablets for trees. Many years ago, I was lucky enough to whale watch in New Zealand. Sperm whales just off the coast of the South Island. I have many photos, including...
Read more...
Anita Foster

Effective teaching in the great outdoors

Outdoor learning can be a great way to enrich a school's curriculum and engage pupils in new opportunities beyond the typical forest school afternoon. When I tell people what I do, I often get a response along the lines of ‘Oh, forest schools?’ While I appreciate much of what forest schools can do...
Read more...