Special Report: Policy - Outdoor Learning

The Covid-19 pandemic has compounded many of the disadvantages that poorer groups of children and young people experience. This is true of their access to nature and outdoor space, where restrictions imposed during the lockdown meant many disadvantaged children living in flats were unable to go to a local park, playground or beauty spot.

Research shows that disadvantaged groups, particularly families living in inner cities, are less likely to visit green spaces than better off peers, yet evidence shows visiting a park or forest has benefits for children’s physical and mental wellbeing. In addition to being healthy and fun, outdoor experiences such as a walk in a forest or building a camp in an adventure playground, provide a valuable learning opportunity that helps to develop character and resilience.

There is also a growing body of evidence that suggests outdoor learning experiences are beneficial for a child’s engagement with formal education and improves attainment. Encouraging results from a 2016 Natural England study prompted the government to incorporate outdoor learning programmes in its recent 25-year Environmental Plan.

This initiative, accompanied by £10m, will help embed outdoor learning approaches across more nurseries and schools, and offer disadvantaged children the chance to go on residential experiences. Despite these encouraging developments, experts say more needs to be done to make outdoor learning an integral part of every child’s education.

CYP Now’s special report on outdoor learning summarises key research in the field, analyses latest developments in policy and highlights three examples of settings that have embraced the potential for outdoor learning.

POLICY CONTEXT

Throughout the pandemic lockdown, one of the few permitted activities was to go for walks in parks and the countryside.

Cath Prisk, who runs Outdoor People and is a former director of Play England, says changes in people’s behaviour wrought by the pandemic could be a catalyst for a wider reconnection with nature. “Over the last few months, it seems everyone has realised the importance of the natural world in their lives, in a way that may have been unthinkable only a few months ago,” she explains (see expert view).

For education and learning providers, such as schools, nurseries and activity settings, the pandemic has forced many to rethink how they work to put social distancing measures in place to ensure the safety of children and staff and to minimise the risk of infection. A key aspect of this has been to make more use of existing outdoor space and trying to take activities normally done indoors outside through innovations like pop-up classrooms.

As settings prepare to welcome back all children in September, experts highlight the importance of giving children the space and time to play as they re-acclimatise to full-time education.

Dr Jenny Gibson, senior lecturer in psychology and education at the University of Cambridge, said: “It’s easy to dismiss play as unimportant, but for children, playing with friends and classmates has a very significant impact on their social development.

“Critically, it is an important way of working through emotions… for that reason, it’s important that whatever steps are taken to ease social distancing restrictions, children are given time and space to play with friends.”

Play is a cornerstone of outdoor learning so could be a crucial element in this process, yet the ability to access outdoor space is significantly reduced for disadvantaged groups. Meanwhile, many informal settings such as youth groups, adventure playgrounds and sports facilities where outdoor learning takes place remain closed due to the pandemic.

This special report assesses recent evidence that shows the benefits of outdoor learning, the barriers that exist to accessing it – and key policies the government has developed to promote and embed outdoor learning opportunities for children.

Evidence on outcomes

That outdoor learning can be beneficial for children and young people’s resilience and soft skills is well documented, but there is growing evidence on the benefits that it can bring for attainment, mental wellbeing and life chances.

The largest outdoor learning project in England was the Natural Connections demonstration project, a four-year initiative to help school children – particularly those from disadvantaged areas – experience the benefits of the natural environment by empowering teachers to use the outdoors to support learning.

Natural Connections, funded by Natural England, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Historic England, and delivered by Plymouth University, helped primary and secondary school pupils take part in activities including maths lessons in a local park or drama out on the school field.

Natural Connections focused on areas of deprivation in Plymouth, Torbay, Bristol, Cornwall and Somerset, working in both urban and rural schools with varying school grounds and access to local green spaces. It worked with 125 primary and secondary schools, over 40,000 pupils (key stages 1-4, up to GCSE level), and more than 2,000 teachers. The project provided evidence that learning outdoors has multiple benefits for children and schools (see graphics).

A more recent study looked at how outdoor learning can be built into the curriculum of some schools and the impact that has. The Curriculum-based outdoor learning for children aged 9-11: A qualitative analysis of pupils’ and teachers’ views set out to build the evidence base for how outdoor learning programmes can help schools improve academic attainment for pupils.

This study aimed to explore head teachers’, teachers’ and pupils’ views and experiences of an outdoor learning programme within the key stage two curriculum (ages 9–11) in South Wales. Schools introduced regular outdoor learning within the curriculum.

Pupils and teachers noticed improvements in pupils’ engagement with learning, concentration and behaviour, as well as positive impacts on health and wellbeing and teachers’ job satisfaction (see research evidence).

Researchers said: “The findings highlight that outdoor learning has the ability to enthuse, engage and support children of all learning abilities in reaching curricular aims alongside positive improvements to health and wellbeing.”

Forest Schools are settings that have built outdoor learning into everyday teaching methods. The Bringing Children Closer to Nature study, published last year, surveyed 1,171 educators and woodland owners to gather evidence on the barriers and opportunities on Forest School practice and outdoor learning in wooded areas and forests.

However, the study reports that finding time for Forest School sessions in the school timetable and curriculum was a significant barrier, with the support of governors and senior management often cited as being crucial. Non-school educators considered that outdoor learning becoming a statutory requirement was a more significant priority than funding. Forest Schools run by the Samara Trust have overcome this issue by introducing protected time throughout the academic year to undertake outdoor activities (see practice example).

Another 2019 study has also highlighted the “transformative impact” that taking part in residential experiences at outdoor centres can have on pupils. The Impact of residential experiences on pupil progress and attainment involved Year 6 pupils from eight schools in Wigan who took part in a four-night residential experience. It found that the experience enhanced and transformed relationships, increased engagement and helped the pupils to become resilient and mindful, with enhanced metacognition.

Schools involved found the nature of a residential enabled their pupils to find new ways of being friendly and children were able to develop friendships across normal social groups. They experienced a sense of achievement, a growing sense of motivation to learn and be part of the community, along with growing respect for each other. Children also developed pro-active behaviours in the tasks, in community life and socially.

The study was conducted by University of Cumbria on behalf of Learning Away, a consortium of organisations committed to championing the benefits of school and youth residentials, to test the initial Learning Away research released in 2017 and further explore the impact of these experiences.

Barriers to outdoor learning

Research in 2016 by Natural England found that one in nine children had not set foot in a park, forest or other natural environment over the previous year.

Children from low income and black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) families were less likely to visit a green space - just 56 per cent of under-16s from BAME households visited the natural environment at least once a week, compared to 74 per cent from white households.

Analysis by Fields in Trust found that more than 2.5 million people lived more than a 10-minute walk from the nearest green space or park, indicating the disparity between different areas. The charity calculated that the average amount of green space per person is less than half of a six-yard-box on a football pitch.

Meanwhile, analysis of Ordnance Survey map data shows that 12 per cent of households have no access to private or shared garden space, rising to 21 per cent in London. In England, black people are nearly four times more likely than white people to have no access to outdoor space at home.

Economics and geographic factors mean that disadvantaged young people living in cities will find it much harder to access green space, and act as a significant barrier to participating in outdoor learning. It is for these reasons that experts argue it is particularly important for schools and early years settings to embrace outdoor learning.

Jim Burt, principal adviser for outdoor learning and Outdoors for All Programmes at Natural England, says evidence from the Natural Connections project shows schools don’t need to spend large amounts to embed outdoor learning programmes.

“A locally focused approach to regular outdoor learning is very inexpensive,” he wrote at the time of the report was published. “Schools taking part in Natural Connections spent small amounts on their school grounds and on continued professional development, and reported that this was extremely good value for money.”

Burt argues that outdoor learning is a way of teaching rather than a topic, and that teachers who embrace it – for example, by looking for mathematical shapes outside or taking art and science lessons on the school field – get the most out of it for themselves and their pupils.

“Transforming the culture of schools so they are dynamic and inspiring places for children to learn and teachers to work is central to ensuring all pupils are healthy, happy and achieve their full potential, and thereby support the drive for enhanced academic performance,” he writes. “The evidence from the Natural Connection project shows that outdoor learning can make an important contribution in helping schools to achieve these outcomes.”

Key policy initiatives

As evidence has grown over the impact that accessing nature has on child wellbeing and academic outcomes, policymakers have sought to invest in programmes that promote and develop outdoor learning opportunities.

The government’s 25-Year Environment Plan, published in 2018 by then Environment Secretary Michael Gove, includes measures to expand children’s access to nature and promote outdoor learning opportunities – in and out of school – to support their health and wellbeing, backed with £10m from the Department for Education and Defra.

The plan sets out how funding will be used to support primary schools to create nature-friendly grounds “that support learning about the natural world” and offer support to settings in disadvantaged areas “to design and run activities that support pupil’s health and wellbeing through contact with nature”.

A key initiative is the creation of Nature Friendly Schools, a £6.4m four-year project that aims to give disadvantaged children the opportunity to get closer to nature. Activities could include visits to local nature reserves or parks, the creation of new nature areas within their school grounds and classes at city farms.

The programme includes training for teachers on how to link outdoor learning to the National Curriculum and how to make the most of the outdoor space available, whether on school grounds or at a nearby green space.

There are also a number of measures, such as a stay on a care farm, targeting support to young people that have struggled in education and who attend pupil referral units.

In addition to establishing programmes of nature contact, the initiative will support the expansion of school outreach activities delivered by community forests, and expand care farming so that by 2022 the number of places in England per year will treble to 1.3 million.

Outdoor learning is a key pillar of the government’s efforts to boost youth social action. A week-long residential, often at an outdoor activity centre, is a core part of the National Citizen Service (NCS) programme, while the #iWill campaign included an environmental theme during 2019.

The government has worked with the NCS Trust over the past year to enable more participants to have contact with and improve natural environments during the NCS experience and afterwards. Legacy partnerships have been created to sustain opportunities for young people to engage with the environment into the future. It pledged to work with youth organisations to promote environmental opportunities that attract young people from all backgrounds.

This work also feeds into the government’s character agenda, which aims to build the resilience of children and young people through a range of extra curricula activities. Former Education Secretary Damian Hinds oversaw the development or five foundations of building character. Two of these pillars are: volunteering and/or membership of youth organisations such as uniformed youth groups; and participation in sport including recreational activities.

The play sector has been hit hard by austerity, which has resulted in many adventure playgrounds being closed and play equipment scrapped. At the last election, Play England’s Manifesto for Play called for parties to invest in play facilities in parks and public spaces, in addition to after-school and holiday schemes.

Covid-19 has highlighted the need to lead healthier lifestyles. The need to tackle high levels of childhood obesity combined with the nation’s recent reconnection with nature could instigate a new era of investment and interest in outdoor learning.

QUESTIONS ON HOW TO MAKE OUTDOOR LEARNING THE ‘NORM’

Cath Prisk is director of Outdoor People and former director of Play England

As primary head teachers wrestle with how to reopen schools to all pupils in September, they may need to drastically rethink the school day and the learning environment.

The current, and urgent, debate leads me to propose three key questions for school leaders:

• Could we adopt a Scandinavian approach, with more time outdoors?
• Could every school make using outdoor space a big part of every day?
• Could such an approach lead to happier, healthier, more resilient children?

These questions are already part of the policy debate. Department for Education guidance invites schools to consider how they can use outside space for exercise, breaks and outdoor education where possible, as this can limit transmission of coronavirus and more easily allow for distance between children and staff.

Do schools in cities and urban areas have enough space?

Most schools have playgrounds, and many have school gardens or playing fields nearby that they can use. Some do not, but they may have regular access to nearby parks and streets.

If space is limited, with local authority support, schools could look to close the streets around them, to create extra square metres for play, and make parents’ drop-off and pick-up easier and safer. The Greater London Assembly is already rethinking urban space to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists, and head teachers may find it easier to facilitate this now.

Schools may need to rig up sun shelters, and sets of clothes to protect children and staff from the unpredictability of the English weather. Nonetheless, taking all lessons outdoors is physically possible.

Do schools have the skills to take lessons outdoors?

Planning to move teaching outdoors and to extend playtimes involves the same sort of careful transition as say, introducing team teaching (or indeed remote learning). It may be a bit of a learning curve – and require sun lotion or extra warm hats – but it can also be one of the most rewarding changes teachers can make.

The Outdoor Classroom Day campaign has guidance written by experts in outdoor learning and in creating playful environments that can help start schools’ journeys, as well as providing connections to thousands of other schools on the same path.

A number of organisations – such as Learning through Landscapes, EcoSchools and The Garden Classroom – offer training packages giving teachers basic skills. Over the past few years, many schools have developed remarkable Forest Schools, garden learning and Eco-groups (see practice example).

What difference would it make?

As we weigh up the risk and benefit of fully re-opening schools, it is vital that we balance the risk of potential transmission against the benefit of socialisation and a return to learning.

Every teacher knows children spread illness. However, the evidence is emerging to suggest children may be less at risk of catching coronavirus and less likely to spread it.

With outdoor learning as a default, the risk of transmission could be reduced, as children and teachers can more easily social distance outside. David Sobel (2004), in one study noted how students in an “Outdoors in All Weather” programme reported suffering 80 per cent fewer infectious diseases (colds, sore throats etc) than children in conventional programmes.

What if we changed the way children learn for good?

Over the next few weeks, school leaders and educators will need to reflect, respond and adapt. One thing is certain, however: the shape of the school day is likely to look different from before the lockdown.

If schools made full use of their outdoor spaces as they re-open, whether in June or later in the year, teachers and pupils would be calmer and happier. Children may be able to more quickly adapt and reconnect to their safe place of learning. Schools may have time to develop the skills to sustain outdoor learning and to create great play spaces that will be of benefit to the school community – and teachers – for many years to come.