Improving student wellbeing with outdoor classrooms
Specialist design and build services from Vertis
Enabling schools to offer year-round outdoor learning
Studies show that a lack of outside learning and play negatively impacts children’s development. However, those who enjoy access to outdoor lessons benefit from improved mental and physical health. As the Department of Education in Northern Ireland found (Outdoor Learning Project 2025), outdoor classrooms provide children with “one of the best possible environments in which to learn”.
Young children learn best when learning is interactive, practical and enjoyable. That’s why many schools are choosing purpose built outdoor classrooms from Vertis Buildings. These flexible, affordable buildings offer children the benefits of access to nature during lessons, including:
enhanced long-term social, emotional and mental health
improved physical health, as more space enables them to be more active
stronger development of vital gross and fine motor skills
reduced levels of stress, depression and anxiety thanks to an increase in endorphins
significant strengthening of key learning skills, such as collaboration, resilience, and focus.
How Vertis designs and builds sustainable outdoor classrooms
We specialise in designing and building fully functionable outdoor classrooms. These are not sheds or shelters. Our buildings comply with all Department for Education specifications for learning spaces, including their guidelines (Bulletin BB104) for positive learning environments suitable for SEND pupils.
We start the design process by getting to know how you want to use the space: whole-class teaching, small-group learning, or relaxing breakout areas. We then create inclusive, attractive, and practical environments that pupils and teachers alike can enjoy all year round.
Our expert outdoor classroom designers and builders are also creative problem solvers who prioritise:
Outdoor access: connecting children to sensory gardens and green spaces
Natural light: creating bright, glare-free spaces that support focus and wellbeing
Space and layout: using flexible modular configurations, with partitions for multi-use areas
Accessibility: enabling step-free access, adapted toilets, and disability-friendly washrooms
Sensory design: choosing gentle colours and acoustic insulation to create calm environment
Quiet areas: providing distraction free spaces for small-group or one-to-one work
Sustainability: lowering costs through energy efficient designs, including ventilation systems.
By considering every detail, we create outdoor classrooms that benefit the whole school community.
Modular or bespoke – flexible designs for every school
You can choose from our practical and versatile range of modular buildings that make our classrooms:
Quick to install, with off-site construction of key elements, minimising disruption to school life
Flexible in configuration, making it easier to adapt them to your school’s changing needs
More affordable to build and maintain than traditional structures
Durable and sustainable, with energy-efficiency as standard (e.g. insulation and LED lighting)
Ideal for tight timescales and tight budgets.
You can also commission custom designs for outdoor classrooms that fit your available space. The majority of our designs are also classed as Permitted Development, which avoids planning delays.
Whether you choose modular or bespoke, we can enable your school to:
Add beautiful outdoor classrooms to your main buildings (whatever their age)
Enrich your offer with outdoor classrooms that blend nature with learning
Encourage all pupils to learn and grow in safe, supportive natural surroundings.
Creating outdoor classrooms that enhance your whole school
Vertis has already created more than 100 buildings to meet the diverse needs of schools in England. Discover what is possible:
Nursery Classroom for Offley Endowed School
– a very quick to install, replacement for a portable cabin.
Dixie Grammar School's
completely bespoke new reception building with sustainably sourced Western Red Cedar cladding that blends into its environment, and two large classrooms opening onto a leafy playground. The extended roof canopy enables children to play outside on wet days, while providing shade in summer.
Fawood Children's Centre
benefited from our ability to adapt to the “real life” requirements of children and staff. We created a safe ‘space inside a space’, including a secret garden with all the benefits of outdoor learning. Knowing that Fawood likes to encourage independence, we added automatic electric sliding doors with open buttons low enough for the children to operate on their own.
Free preliminary design
For every outdoor classroom project, we provide a free, up-front preliminary design with a budget estimate. Architects’ fees for a similar service can range from £5,000 to £15,000. That’s another reason schools choose Vertis: our design expertise can save you time and money.
Partner with Vertis for building expertise and experience
Vertis specialises in designing and building outdoor classrooms that teachers and students love. Every building is professionally installed by our team and comes with a 10-year structural guarantee and a 20-year roof guarantee. Find out more about our projects and what it's like working with us.
If you’d like a new outdoor classroom for your school to own outright, please talk to us.