Calls for guaranteed outdoor learning on curriculum

A national education charity has called on the Government to make outdoor learning a guaranteed part of the national curriculum, following the lead of Scotland who has passed an act guaranteeing that all school children can experience an outdoor learning residential as part of their time at school.
 
The Field Studies Council says the move would ensure that learning outdoors does not become the sole preserve of ‘those who can afford it’.
 
The call comes in the charity’s response to a select committee inquiry into the Government’s Child Poverty Strategy.
 
Field Studies Council policy and communications officer Joy Blizzard says inequalities in children’s access to nature, green space and outdoor learning deepen the disadvantage gap and limit the aspirations of young people growing up in poverty.
 
“The most disadvantaged children are the most likely to benefit from more outdoor learning and residentials, but at the same time are at the highest risk of missing out compared to their better off peers.
 
“The disadvantage gap clearly manifests itself as a gap in experience, opportunity and aspiration.
 
“Children in poverty have fewer if any opportunities to travel, explore beyond their local area, go on holiday, easily access green and blue space, enjoy our National Landscapes, join out of school clubs or take part in a wide range of enrichment activities or summer camps that can expand their horizons and boost their learning.”
 
She says outdoor learning is proven to support educational attainment, readiness to learn and wider personal development.
 
“There isn’t a subject on the curriculum that cannot be enhanced by outdoor learning including maths, English, sciences and the arts,” she says.
 
“For certain curriculum subjects such as science and geography there is no substitute for first-hand experiences of the landscapes and habitats being studied in which to develop key fieldwork knowledge and skills.
 
“Outdoor learning brings classroom learning to life, adding relevance to what is being studied from seeing the landscapes that inspired literature, to using climbing ropes to explore angles and algebra in maths.”
 
She adds that outdoor learning can transform engagement, particularly for pupils who struggle in traditional classroom settings, helping them develop wider personal and social skills and building confidence, resilience, teamwork and independence.
 
Previous Government-funded outdoor learning programmes in the past had been successful but remain  piecemeal and unable to meet demand.
 
“Many children continue to miss out. The outdoor learning residential is rapidly becoming the preserve of the diminishing number of those who can afford it,” she warns.
 
“The Scottish Parliament have just passed the Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) (Scotland) Act guaranteeing that all school children can experience an outdoor learning residential as part of their time at school.
 
“Why cannot this government be similarly ambitious?”