Education Outside the Classroom

Book excerpt: The Committees report examines the wide range of outdoor learning experiences, from lessons held within school grounds to residential expeditions abroad, and considers the place of outdoor learning in the curriculum from foundation stage to higher education. Issues discussed include: the value of outdoor learning and the decline of opportunities for educational opportunities outside the classroom; the barriers that deter schools from teaching outside the classroom, including perceptions of risks in school trips, the resources and curriculum time available for such trips, availability and costs involved; policy options for the Department for Education and Skills to help encourage schools improve and expand provision for outdoor learning; and funding implications. The Committees recommendations include that the DfES should issue a Manifesto for Outdoor Learning which gives all students the right to outdoor learning and which should attract a similar funding level to the music manifesto (around £30 million) in order to deliver real change.