Over the 2024/2025 year, the Open Air Education Foundation CIC played a central role in supporting Open Air Education to deliver over 1,000 hours of meaningful outdoor learning for children aged 4-10. In line with the CIC’s purpose - to provide nature-based early education, environmental learning opportunities and community engagement - the children have engaged in daily exploration in our surrounding nature reserve, helping them build a deep, hands-on connection with the natural world. It also supported the school to deliver wider community learning through regular visits to local leisure venues, the coastline and public transport systems, enriching children’s confidence, communication and social understanding beyond academic learning. The school follows a cross-curricular curriculum linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and so the Foundation has helped nurture compassionate, informed young citizens who understand both their local environment and their global impact. The Foundation’s commitment to benefiting the local community was reflected in its support for partnerships with nearby organisations and businesses. Through the CIC, we continued to work with our local community centre and arranged for the school to utilise private local businesses such as Adventure Access, Moor House Adventure Centre and Eden Well Equestrian Centre, ensuring that investment from the school flowed directly back into East Durham while broadening children’s access to high-quality environmental and experiential learning. A highlight of the year was the CIC-led whole-school event, Our Planet, Our Playground, which brought together families, children and the wider community to celebrate environmental learning and student activism. This event showcased student-led projects, creative stalls, performances and fundraising efforts, raising money for WWF, DASH and the Foundation itself, including an extraordinary £1,000 family donation. The event also marked the CIC’s formal name change on 16 April 2025 from Saplings Nature Kindergarten and Forest School CIC to Open Air Education Foundation CIC, reflecting its expanded mission and impact. The CIC supported the school’s commitment to meaningful family partnership. Through shared learning experiences, exhibitions and open channels for feedback, the Foundation helped the school maintain strong relationships with parents as co-educators. Through collaboration and community involvement, the CIC ensured that families remained deeply connected to their children’s learning and to the wider mission of environmental education in East Durham. The Open Air Education Foundation CIC has strengthened the impact on children, families and the wider East Durham community.

Family Engagement- The foundation supports the running of ‘The Village,’ our family community, which sits at the heart of everything we do. The Village is our way of recognising that children thrive when the adults around them are connected, involved and valued. Through regular surveys, conversations and shared projects, we invite families to contribute their ideas, skills and lived experiences, helping us shape a school community that is collaborative, creative and deeply human. The Village isn’t an addon it’s part of our ecology - and it ensures that every family has a place, a voice and a meaningful role in the life of their child’s education. We hold regular Village Community Gatherings in our local cafe, creating a relaxed and welcoming space for families to come together. These meet-ups give parents the chance to share their skills, ideas and passions, exploring how they can support the work of our Foundation and contribute to the wider community. Together, families help shape fundraising initiatives, generate new projects and enhance our school provision for the benefit of all children. Parent Surveys - The CIC supports the school to seek feedback from our Village - our parent community - because we believe a school thrives when its community thrives. Through surveys, we invite families to suggest CIC initiatives and support school improvements, explaining what works for them and their families. These insights not only strengthen our partnerships with families but also help us shape opportunities that reflect the richness of what our Foundation can offer. Director Meetings - Our Directors meet termly to offer strategic insight and specialist guidance from their respective fields. By drawing on this collective expertise, we are able to strengthen decision-making, refine our long-term vision and maximise the positive impact of the Open Air Education Foundation. These meetings ensure that our work remains innovative, purposeful and deeply connected to the needs of our community and the wider world.

No remuneration was received

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration