SCHOOLCHILDREN in Broughton have been out and about enjoying outdoor activities throughout the Lake District.

Every week, pupils at Broughton C of E Primary School will be treated to an unconventional PE lesson called ‘Kepp Adventures,’ which includes walking up a fell, canoeing at Coniston Water or even some orienteering.

The school is next door to The Kepplewray Centre and the outdoor activity organiser has proved to be instrumental in setting up the Kepp Adventures.

Headteacher Ross Knaggs said: "Most schools do football and PE, we do that as well, but we will have our kids doing orienteering with mountain rescue survival skills and things like abseiling.

"With Kepplewray we have an outdoor centre attached to us.

"They have all the equipment and the gear – we just basically say to them how we want it to meet the national curriculum requirements and away we go.

"Whatever we can come up with they will try and adapt a plan.

"We use our PE funding - instead of doing the traditional one-off residential, we have regular activities throughout the year.”

One of these activities has seen pupils go wild swimming in the Lakes.

With the children growing up in a rural setting, Mr Knaggs believes Kepp Adventures provides a more suitable setting for their learning.

He said: "Being in Broughton, learning to wild swim as opposed to a leisure centre is much more applicable for these children who go swimming in lakes and rivers.

"Learning how to put someone in the recovery position on a mountain rather than a classroom is much more applicable.”

And it is these applicable activities that have prompted praise from parents.

Mr Knaggs revealed: "The kids love it because it is the norm, it is not a one-off.

"It is a good thing for the kids and the parents love it too.

"It brings out so much more from the kids, it helps their confidence, teamwork and self-esteem.

"The kids that are traditionally more academic, lead the group and come into their own.

"A lot of them don’t actually know what you can do in your local area which is a big thing in the national curriculum, so we try and immerse ourselves locally."

The Kepplewray Centre is a Christian-based charity that offer a full spectrum of outdoor activities with expert, qualified instructors as it looks to develop self-confidence and resilience.