Revisioning School Camps

This resource supports teaching and learning in years 7-10 with the development of localised, place-responsive, student-centred school camp programmes for schools.

Case Studies from Revisioning School Camps PLD

Find these superb case studies compiled at the end of professional learning journeys made by teachers through Ministry of Education Networks of Expertise funding. The PLD supported teachers to develop localised, place-responsive and student-centred school camp programmes. We hope that by sharing these case studies you will come away feeling inspired to revision your own camp experiences or to try out some of the ideas shared by our case study schools.

Case Study: Waterloo School

Year 5 and 6 students from Waterloo School explore their local places during camp through the lens of atua Māori . A growing awareness of the multiple benefits of localised EOTC, led deputy principal, Esmee Elias-Tito, to revision the camp so that it better responded to the uniqueness of their place and their students’ needs.

To listen to the audio file click the picture below.

Waterloo School

Case Study: Mana College

Listen to this audio conversation between staff from the college and Sophie Watson, the project leader, as they unpack aspects of the college's Yr 9 Exploration Days. 

Case Study: Arohanui Special School

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For Arohanui Special School, increasing the use of EOTC to extend student learning and development was an important outcome of their re-visioning process. To achieve this, the school needed to address the real and perceived barriers faced by staff in working with students with diverse and complex needs outside of the classroom. Staff developed a thematic approach to EOTC, centred around the ‘Arohanui Pepeha’, which connects students with local places and explores how they identify/engage with the community.

Case Study: Matamata Intermediate

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Staff at Matamata Intermediate re-visioned their existing Year 7/8 camp to align more closely with the school’s core beliefs. The end result delivered a connected and powerful experience for everyone involved.

Matamata Intermediate School with Sophie Watson

Click to listen to the Podcast here.

Case Study: Matamata College - Coromandel Place Responsive Camp

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Equity of access was a significant driver in the re-design of the Year 10 camp at Matamata College. This camp is now grounded by the four signposts for place responsive pedagogy, developed by Wattchow and Brown (2011). Place-responsiveness is one of the key concepts unpacked in the Revisioning School camps resource and PLD.

Case Study: Newbury School

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Listen to the senior leadership team discuss their experience in leading changes in Newbury School's approaches to EOTC . This includes breaking down the process, why involving students and staff is essential, and translation of some of the tricky terms used to describe safety management.

Case Study: Churton Park School

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Year 6 students at Churton Park School now prepare for camp by participating in an integrated gamified learning programme. This case study explores the importance of having a clear camp purpose and identifies innovative and fun ways to fully prepare students for their camp experience.  

Further examples using Revisioning School Camp approaches

These video and audio clips provide insights into different approaches taken in reshaping school camp in line with key themes of Revisioning School Camps and the drivers for change. They were submitted by EONZ members in response to key questions posed by the writer of the resource, Jocelyn Papprill.  Many thanks to the people that submitted material.

 Caroline Reddish discusses programmes at Trident High School (9 min)

Andrew Skipworth, Matamata College, shares insights into reshaping of their school camps (22 min)

Sophie Hoskins and Matt Melvin talk about Tarawera (17 min)