About Us
Welcome to Cross-Curricular Orienteering, where we blend the excitement of orienteering and OAA with the power of physically active learning (PAL). Our mission is to give teachers the tools to inspire and engage students of all ages through innovative physical activities that enhance learning across the curriculum.
Created by teachers in 2017... Used by over a thousand schools...
Since 2017, Cross-Curricular Orienteering has been revolutionising education through a physically active approach to learning. We are dedicated to embedding health and wellbeing into the core of education, addressing the growing inactivity crisis that the world is facing. With increasing screen time, sedentary lifestyles, and rising rates of obesity and related health issues, the need for active learning has never been greater. Simultaneously, schools face overwhelming workloads, making it challenging for teachers to integrate physical activity into the school day.
The tools to deliver OAA and PAL... Without increasing workload...
Our innovative approach, honed over years of experience and used by over a thousand schools, tackles both of these critical issues by providing the resources and skills needed to confidently and effectively deliver orienteering in PE (OAA) and physically active learning (PAL) across the curriculum. Our work helps break down barriers, empowering teachers with a whole school platform to positively impact pupils’ physical activity, engagement, and academic progress. Our comprehensive offering includes:
- Cross-Curricular Orienteering Lesson Portal: Access hundreds of engaging, active lessons that cover a wide range of subjects. Our portal is continually updated, ensuring that teachers have fresh, curriculum-aligned content at their fingertips.
- PE & Orienteering Schemes: Our progressive, skills-based schemes for EYFS to Y13 are designed to develop students’ physical and mental skills through orienteering, offering a unique approach to OAA.
- Control Markers & Courses: We install permanent and portable orienteering courses that keep students challenged and engaged. We also have an innovative QR code system.
- Professional Orienteering Maps: We create detailed, professional maps for schools, including both permanent and interactive drag-and-drop options, essential for setting up effective and engaging orienteering activities.
- Staff Training: Delivered by our expert team of qualified teachers, our training sessions equip school staff with the knowledge and confidence to deliver active lessons. We offer both online and in-person training, tailored to meet the specific needs of your school.
- Experience Days: Our orienteering experience days provide students with an immersive outdoor adventure that brings learning to life, fostering teamwork, problem-solving, and a love for outdoor activities. Students will be eager for more!
Our Vision
We envision a world where every child can experience the joy of learning through movement. By integrating orienteering, OAA and PAL into the school curriculum, we aim to develop not only physical literacy but also critical thinking, resilience, and a lifelong love of learning. Our goal is to empower teachers with the tools they need to create more active and engaging school days, ultimately contributing to healthier, happier, and more successful students.
Why Choose Us?
- Educational Expertise: Our platform, developed by qualified teachers and subject specialists, is rooted in educational best practices and aligned with the latest curriculum standards.
- Innovative Resources: We offer a unique blend of traditional and digital resources, ensuring that our programs are both accessible and effective.
- Commitment to Quality: From our meticulously designed maps to our comprehensive lesson resources, we are committed to providing high-quality resources that make a real difference in students’ learning experiences.
- Tailored Support: We work closely with schools to tailor our offerings to their specific needs, ensuring that every program we deliver is a perfect fit.
Our Founder's Message
Cross-Curricular Orienteering was born during my years as a teacher / PE subject leader and from my passion for helping children lead active lifestyles. With the rise in sitting times, due to smart phones, tablets and gaming consoles, and increase in poor mental health amongst our younger generation, I believe it’s more important than ever that schools take a scientific approach to raising standards, putting health and well-being at the forefront of learning. Cross-Curricular Orienteering gives schools everything they need to provide effective active lessons, meeting a multitude of curriculum and DfE demands:
1) Schools must provide a minimum of 30 active minutes per day
Inactivity amongst our younger generation has become a very real concern. Calls from the chief medical officer for schools to provide a minimum of 30 active minutes a day is a clear response to the problem. Children are spending more time sitting than ever before. The rise of smart phones, tablets and gaming consoles has made it easy for children and families to slip into inactive lifestyles. In addition, the rise in kidnappings over recent decades has also meant parents are not willing to allow their children out to the local park or field, unsupervised. It’s now imperative that schools respond to this problem, providing a more active working day for their pupils. After all, schools should be the safest place for children to explore. Cross-Curricular Orienteering helps schools achieve this in Maths, English, PE and across the curriculum. In addition, our resources can be used during break times, lunch times, after school and as a stimulating alternative to the daily mile; our red “PE and Fitness” orienteering course allows children to develop fluency with essential fitness exercises. When they orienteer around the red “PE and Fitness” course, they have exercises to perform such as squats, burpees, lunges and more. These exercises, done regularly, will stick with the children for life giving them skills and habits to live and maintain an active lifestyle. Countless studies have proven that regular, daily exercise improves the brains concentration, retention and recall; let’s take a scientific approach to raising standards across school (see below – raising standards: the old way vs the scientific way).
2) Schools must teach the statutory Outdoor Adventurous Activities strand of PE
In 2014, when the new National Curriculum was introduced, PE leaders across the country were faced with the challenge of introducing the statutory Outdoor Adventurous Activities strand of PE into our schools. Orienteering immediately presented itself as the best way to do this. I thought to myself, “If children mastered reading the map of their school grounds, they could learn outside and be active every day.” Our Cross-Curricular Orienteering scheme of work follows a linear progression approach allowing all children to develop and master reading the map of their school grounds. This underpins and lays the foundations to then deliver quality active lessons across all subjects for the rest of the year.
3) Schools must deliver and maintain a broad, balanced curriculum
Time in school is precious – there never seems to be enough of it. With the constant increase in learning content and the pressures of SATs, it is a challenge, a great challenge, to deliver a broad, balanced curriculum. Cross-curricular learning is extremely valuable to ensure we deliver this expectation.
In 2014, I had my LIGHTBULB MOMENT: “Why just have orienteering signs with a letter or a number to record upon discovery? Let’s link PE, orienteering and active learning to the rest of the curriculum!” So, it began, with the help of Maths leaders, English leaders and other subject leaders, we finetuned orienteering and active learning for schools, making it cross-curricular, purposeful and more valuable than ever.
4) Schools must work rigorously to raise standards across school
Teaching year 6, I know all too well that Maths, English and SATs can take over our priorities and often cloud the reason why we teach. Personally, I didn’t get into teaching to become a slave driver in a factory designed to make “sitting robots” pass Maths and English tests. I got into it to help make a difference and provide direction to shape lives for the better. Thankfully, my mentors have always shared this same opinion. Unfortunately, some don’t but I “get it” – schools are judged by a week of tests which only assess these two subjects.
However, when it comes to raising standards, I believe we should listen to the studies, listen to the science and step out of our comfort zone (as we would teach the children to). If we could improve the children’s concentration, retention and level of engagement then surely, with effective teaching, standards would rise?
Raising standards: the old way vs the scientific way
The Old Way
Pre-SATs
“This term, with SATs coming up, we need to do double Maths and English. We need to ‘play the game’.”
“Really?”
“Yes! Maths and English all morning and then Maths and English all afternoon. The children need to sit down all day every day until the SATs are over and practise tests. In fact, we will even do before and after school SATs clubs. And while we’re at it, let’s do a SATurday school as well.”
“OK – I’ll get my teaching assistant set up in the photocopier room for the next 3 months!”
Post-SATs
“Our results could have been better! Why did our Maths pass rate drop?”
“The children don’t do enough test practice lower down the school!”
“Yes – that’s it! Let’s get years 3, 4 and 5 training for the tests as well! They need to be able to sit down for hours and be able to rattle through the tests for four straight years. Then we will get our best results ever! Get them on the factory line!”
Now the above is a rather extreme and exaggerated (I hope) approach to raising standards. But this approach happens. Double Maths, double English, before and after school SATs clubs, SATurday schools – I’ve seen it all. I’ve even endorsed these approaches. Why? Out of fear, inexperience and presumption that they work. Do they improve the children’s concentration and retention? Do they engage the children? Do they give them a love for learning? Do they make children excited to come to school? Do they improve behaviour? Do they improve wellbeing? No.
The Scientific Way
“Did you know that increasing daily activity in school will improve the children’s concentration, retention and recall?”
“Really?”
“Yes – leading health professionals have told us this for over a decade.”
“Great. Let’s do it! More active PE sessions, break times and lunch times?”
“Yes. And more active Maths and English lessons. Let’s get the children moving for at least one lesson every day. Little and often is the way!”
“What about the other subjects?”
“Those too – active lessons across the curriculum!”
“Brilliant – so we can actually teach them habits to be active and healthy rather than just telling them?”
“Yes. We will reduce the amount of time the children are sat down and increase the amount of time the children are moving and exercising.”
“Just in year 6?”
“Definitely not – we need to do this throughout school and establish a culture where we put health and wellbeing at the forefront of learning. An active lesson a day keeps Ofsted away!”
I’ll let you decide which approach wins but one thing is for sure… We’ll be here at Cross-Curricular Orienteering to support any school wishing to take the scientific approach.
Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Bailey Evans6 September 2024Will and Kelly delivered a fantastic day which built brilliantly on the skills the children have learnt and used with CCO so far. The product and any optional “extras” are absolutely outstanding, and have added another layer to outdoor learning here. Thank you so much!Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Eloise4 September 2024Jack was very helpful and very informative. Looking forward to the workshops tomorrow!Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
victoria atherton4 September 2024Our orienteering course is amazing and the trainer really inspired our staff to deliver cross curricular learning outdoors in our expansive school grounds. Thank youTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
William Taylor3 September 2024Cross-Curricular orienteering was fantastic! They clearly understood what we wanted in helping us to develop our subject knowledge especially when it comes to using a compass and making a bearing. The CPD was fun, engaging for all staff and it made staff feel very at ease when learning the key skills involved with the training. Kelly our leader for the training was fantastic, very enthusiastic and confident in all aspects of the training. It was thoroughly enjoyable and has made us feel much more confident using the Y5/Y6 P.E schemes of work. Many thanks William Taylor - Geography lead at Wallace Fields Junior SchoolTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Caroline Jacques3 September 2024We had a fantastic experience. Kelly was friendly and helpful.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Tom Hurd3 September 2024Great practical content, especially removing the features and using the compass.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Louise Cohen3 September 2024Brilliant training and well delivered by Jack. I can see my class really enjoying orienteering and the different activities offered. Fantastic to see that Early Years is included too!Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Sarah Pickering3 September 2024Very clear and inspiring training. Which showed the ways we can use orienteering.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Carly Roberts-Thornhill3 September 2024Really engaging, very knowledgable instructor. Really clear and confident instruction.
