At Morley Victoria we are always striving to provide a rounded curriculum full of memorable experiences for all of our children.  As part of this, our teachers spend a huge amount of time planning how to bring the curriculum alive by organising visitors, workshops and trips that not only support academic learning but also that allow opportunities to develop key values, virtues and personal qualities.  Over the year we provide many opportunities for our children to participate in outdoor learning by using our school grounds, our local area or planning trips.  We are always looking at different destinations to allow our children to experience a range of different activities.

We are diligent in carrying out risk assessments before our visits to ensure that the health and safety of our children is considered - this is of paramount importance to us. We seek parents / carers permission and sometimes ask for adult volunteers to accompany the children. It is our policy to ask you to be part of a group that does not include your child, we see this as being part of our risk assessment to make it fair for all children.

At the start of their school career we obtain permission to take the children out into the local area to places we can walk to. On other occasions when we are going further afield we require your permission to take your children out of school.  At the bottom of this page is a downloadable, generic Permission Form that can be used if needed.  Please note that it has to be fully completed and handed in to the school office before the trip takes place for us to be able to use it.

Where do we go and what do we do?

Below is a summary of some of the different trips, visitors and workshops that each year group has taken part in, in the past. These are always subject to change depending upon new discoveries or recommendations that we may receive.  See curriculum newsletters, whole child newsletters and the year at a glance documents for up to date information.

Nursery - Temple Newsham (Real and Imaginary Adventures) – This trip takes the children on their very first visit out of school to one of the brilliant locations in Leeds, run by Leeds City Council. Here the children can go on an adventure on a coach to the farm, see the animals and enjoy the freedom of the beautiful green space.

Reception – This Green Moon Forest School (Covers all 7 areas of the EYFS Curriculum)

This Green Moon, based in Swillington, Leeds, provides a wonderful outdoor learning experience that is carefully tailored to link with our current school topics and the children’s interests. Each visit gives children opportunities to develop their oracy through storytelling, conversations and imaginative play, while building confidence, resilience and independence through hands-on experiences in the outdoors. Recent visits have encouraged the children to use their imagination, explore storytelling and develop a deeper understanding of caring for our natural world and the surrounding habitats. There are always new experiences to enjoy, challenges to embrace and discoveries to make, with toasting marshmallows over the fire being a firm favourite!  

Y1 - Cannon Hall Farm (Science) - Just a short coach journey away is Cannon Hall Farm. Significantly larger than Temple Newsham and with far more animals (and walking) involved, the children have a guided tour of the farm and get to meet and handle some of the animals. Here the children can learn about baby animals as there are always new arrivals to see. They can also be adventurous in the safe environment of the playgrounds where they can spend time with their friends.

Y1 - Walk round Morley (Geography) – Just a short coach journey away is Cannon Hall Farm. Significantly larger than Temple Newsham and with far more animals (and walking) involved, the children have a guided tour of the farm and get to meet and handle some of the animals. Here the children can learn about baby animals as there are always new arrivals to see. They can also be adventurous in the safe environment of the playgrounds where they can spend time with their friends.

Y2 - Walk round Morley (Geography/History) – the children in Year 2 take a little trip around Morley to help them learn about where they live as part of their Geography work. They explore physical and human features within our local area. The children also visit Beryl Burton Gardens after learning about significant individuals in history.

Y2 - Tropical World (Science) – Year 2 take the short 20-minute trip down the road to Tropical World and Roundhay Park as part of their science topic on animals. This is a small zoo with more exotic animals that live in tropical climates. They also have workshop within Roundhay Park and its woodlands looking at different habitats. The children love exploring the large park too and having time to run around and play games.

Y2 - Great Fire of London Workshop (History) – in Year 2 the children learn all about The Great Fire of London. The teachers really wanted to bring this unit of work to life, so they planned a whole unit of work that incorporated history, science and art and design. The children acquire their knowledge, build houses, construct Pudding Lane, and then they re-create the fire...in a safe, controlled and secure manner, controlled by the experts who run the workshop. There is real fire involved! This also allows Y2 the opportunity to discuss fire safety and what the children would need to do in an emergency. A planned visit from the local Fire Brigade is always a big hit when the children can sit inside the fire engine and make the lights flash and the siren sound!

Y2 - Churwell Woods (Science) – As part of their Living Things and Habitats topic in science, the children visit Churwell Woods, where they can walk to and from our school. This hidden gem is run by local volunteers. They take part in den building, a scavenger hunt for various woodland treasures and pond dipping among other activities. We also hope that this visit will encourage our children to give their time generously at some point in the future to benefit their local community.

Y3 Roman Workshop - As part of our history topic learning about the Roman Empire, the children had a fantastic day making their own Roman armour, reacting a Roman Colosseum and learning about the different battle formations. The children painted and made their own Roman shields, learnt about how they lived, the food they hunted for and cooked, and learnt about the very well-organised Roman Army.

Y3 Trip to Yorkshire Wildlife Park – Forming part of our science curriculum, Year 3 headed for a trip to Yorkshire Wildlife Park. We had a fantastic day exploring the park, seeing a range of animals including rhinos, giraffes, tigers, and even saw some polar bears! We learnt about all the animals, what food they eat and where in the world you would find them in the wild. We also completed a fun and interactive workshop learning about various reptiles, animal skeletons, and we even got a touch a range of minibeasts and reptiles on site.

Y3 Trip to Howsham Mill – Forming part of our science topic about rocks and soils, Year 3 went to Howsham Mill to complete a full day of activities in the great outdoors exploring rocks, soils and fossils. We spent the day learning about the Howsham Mill site and how the site used to be a working water mill, how it produces its own electricity and the impacts of this. We then completed a range of experiments to test soil and finished the day toasting marshmallows around a fire. 

Y4 - Tropical World and Roundhay Park (Science) – as part of their plants and animals topic, the children visit this wonderful resource just at the other side of Leeds. The tropical house allows the children to experience a very different habitat to any they have visited before and to experience a very different climate zone for a short period of time. They also get to experience the wonderful Roundhay Park with all of its beautiful gardens and open spaces.

Y6 - The Imperial War Memorial Museum (History) - As part of their learning in History about World War 2 the children visit The Imperial War Memorial Museum in Manchester. This amazing museum is filled with exhibitions that bring things to life for the children so that they can have a small idea of what life would have been like during war time. They have an opportunity to watch a 360-degree cinematic Big Picture Show that brings a broad range of perspectives into poignant focus, reflecting not only on the immediate effects of war, but also on what happens when the guns stop firing. The children come home with a huge sense of empathy for those who lived and are still living in times of conflict. They also have an opportunity to meet war veterans and an evacuee from the Second World War. The children and the adults really enjoy this great day out.

Y6 - Holocaust Centre North - As part of their history curriculum, our Year 6 pupils will be visiting Holocaust Centre North in Huddersfield to deepen their understanding of World War II and human rights. Through age-appropriate, interactive workshops and authentic historical artifacts, the children will explore personal stories of resistance, hope, and survival during one of history's most pivotal eras. This meaningful trip not only brings their classroom learning to life, but also encourages pupils to reflect on core values like empathy, respect, and standing up against discrimination in today's world.

Y6 - Stone Age Day (History) – to bring our history curriculum to life, we hold an exciting, immersive Stone Age Day. By dressing up in pre-historic attire and diving into hands-on, period-inspired activities, pupils step back thousands of years in time. This interactive experience gives children a memorable, first-hand feel for how early humans lived, survived, and created, inspires curiosity and helps them forge a deeper, lasting connection to their history learning.

Years 5 and 6 - also take part in a Shakespeare Workshop when The Young Shakespeare Company come and spend half a day acting out one of William Shakespeare's plays. This interactive workshop is absolutely brilliant to compliment their English work and a perfect introduction to one of England's greatest playwrights.

We also encourage as many year groups as possible to go and visit the local venues in Morley such as The Town Hall - an excellent example of Victorian architecture with its original prison cells and court room. Morley also has a recently refurbished library - we take every opportunity to go and look at more books and to listen to stories!