FEATURE FOCUS: OUTDOOR LEARNING
could squeeze outdoor learning off the timetable. It’s quite easy for me, I know. I can sit here all day and wax lyrical about outdoor ed and all its benefits but schools are under really big challenges. Post-covid, I think maybe a little bit of confidence has gone in some places to take groups out. Courses have increased in price, schools’ energy bills are going through the roof and transport costs are on the rise making it really, really difficult. It’s really upsetting to see those barriers.
I’ve been involved in webinars with teachers and they are going: “Cost, cost, cost.” I haven’t got the answers, but we want to continue to focus on those high-quality residential experiences, but also offer more day visits, outreach and digital.
As a charity, the Field Studies Council can also make grants to schools to help reduce the cost of residential field trips. To qualify, schools must have at least 10 per cent of pupils eligible for pupil premium, and the application process is straightforward.
Applications for grants towards field trips in 2024 will open in the autumn and I would urge schools to apply for help.
My background is in teaching so I get what schools need from us. Before joining the Field Studies Council last year, I enjoyed a 20-year classroom career as a geography teacher and a deputy head at a school in Shropshire – but I decided I didn’t want to take that next step on the teaching ladder.
It was a really, really difficult decision to leave what I had done and what I was still enjoying, to go and find a new sort of challenge. It was almost like the stars aligned. Working for the Field Studies Council enabled me to return to geography but also my love of being outdoors. That variety of working, for me, was so important.
Also, it was a job that I felt I could make a difference in and have an impact.
My role is varied, and includes making sure the charity’s field study centres, from the south coast up to Scotland, give a consistent and high-quality fieldwork and learning experience delivered by skilled practitioners.
I have also been involved in developing new courses and resources to make sure our education offer is up-to-date and will positively support learning towards GCSEs, A Levels, Highers and other qualifications. What stood out for me at the Field Studies Council is the approach to student-led learning. Exam questions have been filtered into the field work, so it’s a really complete package. I’m super-excited about some of the new products and developments. There is a new natural history GCSE and the Field Studies Council are really looking forward to being involved in that and supporting a brand-new qualification. Another part of my role is working with external partners to make sure we’re all working together, sharing expertise, sharing ideas that will ultimately get students outside learning, with all the benefits that brings.
The best part of my job is the variety of the people I work with, both outside and within the organisation. I have been really impressed by the warm welcome I’ve received within FSC but also how highly regarded the Field Studies Council is by its partners. People want to work with us. I’ve been so impressed with the dedication and commitment of the education teams. They throw themselves at anything, and will work exceptionally long hours to give the students the best possible outcome.
Fieldwork has evolved and its importance has definitely evolved. It’s the muscle that brings geography together, but we don’t just offer geography. There are biology trips, eco skills and the work we do for adults who are interested in ecology.
The climate emergency means effective environmental education is now more important than ever.
In my lifetime, I’ve seen the seasons change. I remember when summers were summers – you would get your BMX bike out and it was sunny for the whole of August. Wintertime, snow and
28
www.education-today.co.uk proper snow.
Now, what’s going on with Easter? Easter tends to be like summer now. Our summers are wetter, our winters are milder and we’re giving storms names. We had a record-breaking summer last year and I saw an article that they are expecting 2023 to be the hottest on record. Young people have got to notice it and we’ve got to educate them now.
If we change the weather, the ecosystem will break down, the soil will change, the plants will change, the biodiversity, the animals. These youngsters are going to face further challenges in their lifetime, so we have got to equip them for that.
The Field Studies Council has some exciting new projects in the pipeline for 2023, including Wilder Connections, a National Lottery-funded partnership in Lincolnshire designed to broaden access and engagement with nature and to help young people gain the skills they will need to find fulfilling nature-based jobs in the future. The Epping Forest Young Naturalists project aims to give 11 to 14-year-olds practical experience and conservation skills, and Greenwich Park Revealed is a partnership with the Royal Parks and the National Lottery to reveal, restore, protect, and share the historic landscape, biodiversity and stories of Greenwich Park, part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. The Green Influencer Project is a youth-led environmental social action project delivered by the Field Studies Council in association with the Ernest Cook Trust, which will allow students to make a difference to their local environment through extra-curricular activities or through an established club.
I’ve only been here a short period of time and I’m really excited about looking forward to what the next 80 years will bring. Technology is going to change, the curriculum is going to change and I think we’re in a very good position to be part of that journey.
For more information about the Field Studies Council, visit
www.field-studies-council.org/
May 2023
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
