Schools should offer more non-formal activities, say pupils

The Learning by Doing report, commissioned by The Scout Association and carried out by think-tank Demos, found 82 per cent of state school students feel their school fails to provide enough outdoor activities compared with 49 per cent of fee-paying school students.

Four-fifths of state-school pupils also believe their school fails to provide "deliberative activities" such as debating, compared with just four per cent of fee-paying students.

In addition, 70 per cent of state-school children feel their school fails to deliver volunteering and social action opportunities compared with 39 per cent of fee-payers.

A total of 1,009 14- to 18-year-olds in England, Wales and Scotland were polled.

Additional findings show students that receive free school meals are less likely to take part in sport, outdoor and social action activities, with 34 per cent of students that do not receive them taking part in social action compared with 26 per cent of free school meal recipients.

Fifty-four per cent of free school meal recipients also reported taking part in sport activities compared with 64 per cent of those who don't, while 33 per cent of students who recieve free school meals reported taking part in outdoor activities compared with 43 per cent of non-recipients.

The report also highlights findings from questions raised with 800 teachers across the three nations, with nine in 10 agreeing their students would benefit from further opportunities and nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) stating they would support non-formal learning being embedded into the school curriculum.

However, 89 per cent believe there is not enough sufficient space in the timetable for the delivery of non-formal learning.

Hannah Kentish, The Scout Association’s UK youth commissioner, said: “This report shows just how much both teachers and young people alike value the opportunities that non-formal learning can provide.

“If we are serious about giving all young people the very best chance to become active citizens we need to do more of this work.”

Drawing on the findings The Scout Association has written a list of recommendations for policymakers, school leaders and non-formal education providers.