The Field Studies Council calls for outdoor learning to be on national Curriculum
The outdoor education charity has called on the UK Government to make outdoor learning a guaranteed part of the national curriculum aiming to strengthen the aspirations of young people and ensure every child has the chance to learn beyond the classroom.
The Field Studies Council says the UK Government should follow the lead of the Scottish Government after the Scottish Parliament recently passed the Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) (Scotland) Act which makes it a legal entitlement for all school children to experience at least four nights and five days of residential outdoor education during their time at school.
Access to outdoor learning provides children with the opportunity to enrich their education by giving them a chance to learn beyond the traditional classroom setting.
Making outdoor learning part of the national curriculum helps disadvantaged children access the opportunities their peers experience, ensuring that the most vulnerable students are not left behind due to financial barriers.
The call on the UK Government comes as part of the charity’s response to a select committee inquiry into the Government’s Child Poverty Strategy.
Joy Blizzard at Field Studies Council says that 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.
“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.
“The disadvantage gap clearly manifests itself as a gap in experience, opportunity and aspiration.”
She says outdoor learning is proven to support educational attainment, readiness to learn and wider personal development. It can transform engagement, particularly for pupils who struggle in traditional classroom settings, helping them develop wider personal social skills, building confidence, resilience, teamwork and independence.
“There isn’t a subject on the curriculum that cannot be enhanced by outdoor learning.
“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.”