PES Pathfinders brings outdoor education to the Pelican
This term marks the launch of PES Pathfinders, a brand-new outdoor education programme for our Year 1 and Year 2 children, and it has made for a brilliant start to the summer term.
PES Pathfinders sits within the wider Perse Exploration Society (PES) provision already enjoyed by children at the Prep and Upper School, joining PES Trailblazers which serves Years 3 to 6. Our youngest learners now have their very own place within this exciting and well-established offer.
Sessions take place during the school day in the first half of the summer term and are led by highly qualified and experienced staff from the Perse Outdoor Education Department at the Upper School. Each session is carefully designed to link with our much-loved Learning Friends: Tommy Tortoise, Bertie Bee, Ursula Unicorn, Oscar Owl and Clara Cat. This weaves in key skills such as perseverance, collaboration, creativity, reflection and curiosity in a hands-on, active way.
Activities span three fantastic venues: the Upper School’s Wild Garden, the Outdoor Education Centre and the Perse Sports Centre. Children can look forward to a varied range of experiences, from nature art and potion trails to storytelling stages, shelter building, climbing and bouldering.
This week, Pine Class (Year 1) and Cedar Class (Year 2) were among the first to take part. Pine Class headed to the Wild Garden for Nature Art and a Potion Trail, using picture cards and colour charts to search for natural ingredients, while Cedar Class brought stories to life on the Storytelling Stage using Julia Donaldson tales and natural props to perform their own outdoor theatre.
Nursery and Reception children will also have the chance to get involved this term, with taster sessions taking place right here at the Pelican, a lovely introduction to the programme for our youngest children.
Our Director of Outdoor Education, Ben Parker, says: “Being outdoors and away from the classroom gives children the freedom to take risks, solve problems and discover things about themselves that they otherwise can’t sitting at a desk,”
“Whether they’re creating nature art, building shelters or tackling a climbing challenge, our youngest learners are developing real confidence, creativity and resilience, all while having an absolute adventure.”
We can’t wait to see what our Pathfinders get up to over the weeks ahead.
To find out more about PES Pathfinders and The Pelican School, join us for our Pelican Open Week from Monday 1 June to Friday 5 June, 2026.