colleges and visited providers of learning outside the classroom as well as clearer information so as to encourage them to organise for all pupils
local authorities. Key findings included: effective learning outside the normal classroom activities. Importantly
n When planned and implemented well, LoTC contributed significant- this includes a Quality Badge scheme aimed at cutting paperwork for
ly to raising standards and improving pupils’ personal, social and teachers by helping schools and local authorities to identify organisations
emotional development. that provide high-quality experiences and manage safety effectively. The
n LoTC was most successful when it was an integral part of long-term scheme has just been launched, and to quote the website, ‘The Quality
curriculum planning and closely linked to classroom activities. Badge will be awarded to providers who have pledged to engage in an
n Few of the schools evaluated the impact of LoTC on improving ongoing process to sustain high-quality learning outside the classroom
achievement or monitored the uptake of activities by pupils or stu- and who have demonstrated that they meet six quality indicators’.
dents. Clearly the operation of the scheme is not going to be straightforward
Ofsted has made various recommendations: since venues will range from the straightforward, such as a museum, to
n Local authorities need to assure appropriate health and safety prac- the more risky, such as a climbing centre.
tices by better supporting and encouraging schools in LoTC.
n That curriculum planning includes enough structured opportunities Out & About
for all learners to engage in LoTC. Out & About has four parts. The first is research and evidence ‘making
n Schools and colleges evaluate the quality of LoTC. the case’ for LoTC, demonstrating its benefits and links to Every Child
n Ensure equal and full access for all learners to LoTC. Matters. In the second, ‘How to’ guidance advises schools on ways of
building LoTC into the curriculum and the extended school day. The
guidance also suggests how a school policy to support outdoor learning
Quality Badge scheme might be developed. The third shows teachers in a very straightforward
The response of the Department for Children, Schools and Families and practical way how to plan and deliver successfully the full range of
(DCSF) to the Ofsted report has been to launch the ‘Out & About’ pack- experiences. The fourth is downloadable CPD modules to support the
age, backed with £4.5 million of funding designed to give schools much whole school workforce in the delivery of high-quality LoTC.
Children say they want the freedom to play that their parents had
Two surveys illustrate some of the issues concerning outdoor (501) and over 1,100 adults (including more than 350 over-
learning. fifties) to compare ‘now’ with ‘then’. Key findings included:
The first, a new survey by the Education Travel Group (www. n Children spend less time playing in natural places, such as
educationtravelgroup.com) of over 400 primary and second- woodlands, countryside and heaths, than they did in previ-
ary teachers, shows that one in five (21%) teachers go out at ous generations. Less than 10% play in such places com-
least once a term and the majority (57%) take trips once or pared to 40% of adults when they were young.
twice a year. But one in 10 (10%) said that they never take
trips and 12% only undertake school trips once every few
n The most popular place for children to play is in their home,
years.
while for adults it was outdoors in local streets. 62% of
children said that they played at home indoors more than
Facilitating a broader understanding of the subject was the any other place. 42% of adults said that they played out-
top reason (83%), followed by helping children have fun doors in local streets more than in any other place.
(77%) and to give children first-hand experience. Getting chil-
dren more active and to allow for socialising came in at 43%
n The majority of children (over 70%) say that they are
and 35% of respondents, respectively.
supervised wherever they play, except that only 52% are
supervised in the garden and 31% in the streets near their
When it came to the reasons preventing them from under- homes. This rises to over 80% in natural places.
taking more school trips, six out of 10 quoted cost as the
major barrier followed by ‘too much organising’, ‘concerns
n Children would like more freedom to play outside (81%).
over litigation’ and ‘too much paperwork’ (all 41%). The vast
Nearly half of the children say they are not allowed to play
majority – nine out of 10 surveyed – expressed concern that
outside unsupervised and nearly a quarter are worried
the economic climate might make it harder to organise trips
about being out alone.
as parents might not be able to afford the cost, and this was n Traditional outdoor activities are as popular now as they
especially so for primary teachers. were in the past with all achieving a mean score of more
The second, Natural England’s Childhood and Nature Survey
than 3 out of 5. Building a camp or den and exploring rock
(www.naturalengland.org.uk), involved 7–11-year-old children
pools on the beach were and still are the most popular
activities.
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