On Bovisand beach near Plymouth, the school day begins with morning assembly and a briefing about sea safety. The timetable will vary, but there will probably be a session on marine pollution and what you can and cannot put down your toilet, followed by shelter building, sand art, and lunch (in your shelter), then rock pools, a beach clean, and finally stories and roasted marshmallows around a seaside camp fire.

Welcome to beach school. After the success of the forest school movement, which has encouraged teachers to take tens of thousands of school children out of the confines of the classroom to learn outdoors in a natural environment, there is a new push to teach on the beach.

It may not be as accessible for inland schools, but for children growing up within easy reach of the coast, there are growing opportunities to learn by the seaside. As well as studying the impact of plastic pollution and the beauty of coastal flora and fauna, the children also learn about tidal forecasts, lunar cycles, ecology and geomorphology. They get fresh air, physical exercise, make friends and learn about teamwork.

Ali Murray works for Beach Schools South West, a small community-based company dedicated to outdoor learning. “We work with schools to take the curriculum to the beach. Our aim is to get children outside, off their bottoms in the classroom, and out on to the beach – which they love. They learn in a completely different environment – and they really do learn.”

She works with local schools across the south-west, particularly targeting those with high numbers of disadvantaged children who receive additional pupil premium money which can be used to fund trips and enrichment activities, and takes them to the closest suitable beach, whatever the weather – as long as it’s safe.

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Murray says that some of the children she works with have never been to the beach before, despite living close by. “Every class I take, there are always one or two,” she says. “I find it really sad. It’s such an amazing resource that’s free.”

According to a Keep Britain Tidy survey last year, just under one in five children (18%) have never set foot on a beach. The poll of 2,000 parents revealed they were put off taking their children by the weather and concerns about cleanliness, litter and dog mess.

Yet when children do get to the seaside, they are captivated, says Murray. Children she has taken to the beach have collected rubbish and make rainbows out of their finds, or have made Christmas trees out of driftwood and seaweed, with shells as baubles. To celebrate Remembrance Sunday, they painted pebbles the colours of poppies and left them on the beach in memory of those who died.

The children are mesmerised – and horrified – by Murray’s account of a dead whale washed ashore in eastern Indonesia that was found to contain 115 plastic cups, 25 plastic bags, two flip-flops, a nylon sack and more than 1,000 other assorted pieces of plastic. “Children are absolutely passionate about collecting plastic from the beach,” says Murray, who is delighted to work with this new generation of ecowarriors.

The benefits are far-reaching. “They sleep better. Their appetites are better. They form amazing friendships outside the classroom, and their creativity is incredible,” says Murray. But she is worried that school funding cuts will mean fewer opportunities for children to enjoy beach school. “They are cutting down on teaching assistants and additional help for children with special educational needs. I’m worried it will become harder.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Beach activities include treasure hunts, crafts and litter-picking. Photograph: Beach Schools South West

Anthony Rollinson, assistant head teacher at Plaistow Hill infant and nursery school in St Budeaux, Plymouth, took year 1 and 2 children (aged 5-7) to beach school as an end-of-year treat last year. This year, he is sending small groups of five once a week for six weeks.

Funding cuts are making it more difficult, he says, but the benefits are huge. “We try to take the children outdoors as much as we can. It’s hugely motivating for them, especially the boys. There’s so much of the curriculum that’s learning about the world around us. To do it outside is very powerful.”

Murray says she gets lovely feedback from the children she teaches on the beach. Annalise, who’s in year 4, wrote: “The trip was really, really fun. The best bit was walking down the tunnel and building camps. It was great when we roasted marshmallows on the fire. It would be a change if people would stop throwing rubbish in the sea.”

Keegan, year 2, loved meeting Murray’s dog Nelly. “I liked being nice to people on the beach. I liked being helpful on the beach. I loved reading stories by the fire on the beach,” he said.

And the benefits of beach school are not confined to children, but extend to their parents too. Murray also works with a local charity that supports families struggling with mental health issues, alcohol abuse and domestic violence. One mother sent her a text saying: “Thank you for our time at the beach, we managed to do some stuff together. James has turned a corner, changed schools and we are ALL doing better.”

“It’s an amazing resource,” says Murray who walks Nelly on the beach every day, collecting driftwood and washed-up detritus which she takes home with her. “Seeing a mother whose son does not speak to her, building a shelter together on the beach – it’s fantastic.”