Children can learn in a classroom, but they can also learn in lots of other places too, both indoors and outdoors. When the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC) was established as a charity more than 15 years ago, there was already good evidence of the benefits of helping teachers take learning beyond the classroom. That evidence is now strong and consistent. Embedding learning beyond the classroom has a positive impact on pupils and staff. If promotes physical activity, mental health and wellbeing, and contributes to academic achievement, including in core subjects such as maths, English and science. In addition, it improves socio-emotional skills, helping pupils to manage emotions, build positive relationships and make good decisions. Most important of all, taking learning to different places engages pupils and boosts their enjoyment and attendance.
Learning outside the classroom encompasses a range of activities. This includes outdoor learning, such as on the school grounds; visits to local places and spaces, such as museums, city farms, faith centres and libraries; day visits to theatres and galleries; and residential trips, cultural tours and expeditions abroad. It also includes visitors coming into the school – perhaps a parent talking about their job, or the school hiring an inflatable planetarium or hosting a fitness and mental health workshop. It can start small and progress. For example, it may begin with a teacher taking part of a science lesson outside to build water rockets on the playground. From there, it could progress to visiting a science and discovery centre, participating in a virtual tour around an engineering facility or even going on a trip to Nasa. Learning outside the classroom strengthens the teaching of all subjects and it vital for personal development too.
Schools often cite risk, curriculum and time as the reasons why they are hesitant to take more learning out of the classroom, but if you dig down–and we hear this daily–the fundamental barrier is a lack of confidence, not knowing how or where to begin. It can feel unfamiliar and like yet another thing to do. Supporting teachers to build their confidence transforms outcomes; it enables them to determine where and how learning occurs best.
If a school wants to get started or to develop their practice, we are here to help. We have worked with teachers to develop and test different Learning Beyond pathways of support. As school budgets are tight, external funding from PTAs can help schools access these resources, extend their curriculum and deliver better outcomes for all year groups. Schools can even choose to apply for the Bronze, Silver and Gold LOtC Mark to recognise their progress.
Many schools are doing more than they realise. By helping them map what they are already doing, we can assist them in identifying new opportunities, especially within their grounds and local area. This process invariably starts with small steps close to home, perhaps ten-minute activities as part of a lesson, and gradually builds up.
In many cases, the journey begins with one enthusiastic teacher. If you can identify that teacher–perhaps someone already running a forest club–that’s an excellent starting point. The Learning Beyond pathways support them to gain the backing of other teachers, senior leaders and governors, and to help build learning beyond the classroom into everyday teaching practice across the school.
Any new approach requires schools to communicate with families about what is being done and why it matters, in order to build support and engagement. Parents play an essential role. Schools can help by communicating their programme of visits in advance–especially those that incur costs–to eliminate surprises. They can provide payment plans and kit lists. Including the PTA means they are more likely to help with funding equipment, transport and kit, as well as providing extra support to run activities and assist on visits.
There are so many benefits to learning beyond the classroom and the most wonderful aspect is that it is available to everyone. All a school needs to do is open the door and take the first step.
More information from the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom
The school
‘Learning beyond the classroom runs through everything we do’
Today a polar explorer is visiting our school to speak to Year 6. Last week, I took Year 1 and Year 2 on a trip to London, where we saw famous landmarks, and visited Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. Next term, Year 2 will go to the beach to learn about the coastline. These experiences aren’t funded by well-off parents–our school is in one of the most deprived parts of Coventry–but what we call ‘learning beyond the classroom’ runs through everything we do.
I became deputy headteacher when the school reopened after the Covid lockdowns. Many of our pupils speak English as an additional language, and a significant number are on the SEND and pupil premium registers. We also have a high number of transient families who move in and out of the city. Wellbeing had suffered when schools were closed, and more children found it difficult to regulate their behaviour in a classroom setting, so we went outside every day.
Our local outdoor learning centre offered ideas for activities, and we worked with our local outdoor and education visit adviser on staff training and using our local area more effectively, but our approach felt disjointed. We wanted to map out a curriculum with learning outside the classroom at its heart. When our adviser suggested we join the Waterways, Wildlife and Wellbeing (WWW) project, we jumped at the chance.
The WWW project, run by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC) and the Canal and River Trust, supported more than 500 schools in the West Midlands. We were one of 70 to receive CPD and mentoring from CLOtC and our local adviser Sarah, and hands-on environmental activities with the Canal and River Trust. I asked the staff to identify the barriers to taking lessons outside. They talked about not knowing what to do or how to manage pupil behaviour, dealing with bad weather and a lack of time. Being part of the project meant we could address these issues. We were put in touch with people in the community who could help. We completed a baseline assessment followed by six sessions.
At the end of the WWW project, pupils and staff were reassessed. We saw significant improvements in most children’s wellbeing, increased academic performance and an improved sense of personal responsibility. Staff noted that they felt more confident delivering lessons outdoors.
From there, we made widespread changes, informing staff that they were expected to spend at least 30 minutes away from the classroom each week. Our school has beautiful grounds and is next to Longford Park, so we looked at how to utilise these places. As a result of participating in WWW, we were eligible to apply for the CLOtC bronze mark. However, we were delighted to receive the silver mark instead. Weare now a LOtC Gold Mark school. This achievement, focuses on sharing best practices and embedding learning outside the classroom into the curriculum.
Staff now view this approach as an integral part of teaching. When the weather is cold outside, classes may stay indoors, but they use different areas of the school–for example, going to the community lounge and cooking together.
People often ask how we manage to fund so many experiences, and it isn’t easy. I receive a lot of emails about funding opportunities, and I set alarms to make sure I apply for everything. Think Active, an organisation that promotes physical activity, awarded us funding for playground equipment, and the National Lottery Community Fund gave us money for our forest school area.
We sometimes use pupil premium funding, and we save money by taking two year groups out at once, using a minibus or taking public transport, which the children love. Staff work incredibly hard to plan how they can use different parts of the school or free places nearby.
At the start of the year, we meet with the parents to outline the upcoming costs. We offer a payment plan whereby parents can pay £1 per week to cover the cost of a bigger trip in the spring or summer term.
Our approach has gone from strength to strength. Even children with no additional needs sometimes struggle to sit down for long periods. We’ve got a lot of children like that. We might not give them a glue gun inside, but outside they can confidently handle a drill or a hammer. They are in their element.
Danielle Farrelly is deputy headteacher at Longford Park School in Coventry (232 pupils)
The provider
‘Learning outside the classroom can change lives’
When a group of pupils get off the bus, their teacher will often point to a child and say: ‘You need to watch that one.’ Yet on our field trips, I rarely notice any issues. I led a trip recently with a class who were full of life. We went for a 7km walk and did some activities. At lunch, one boy sat writing. His teacher told me she couldn’t get him to do anything in class; he wouldn’t sit still, let alone write.–and here they weren’t supposed to be writing, they were meant to be eating!
Pupils who struggle the most in the classroom often show their strengths in an environment that allows them to focus. On the other hand, those who enjoy a classroom setting can find it more of a challenge. They can calculate the area of a square on paper, but they can’t work out how to apply that to a field. Working outside gives them the skills they need in the real world.
Building skills
The end result of the activities I run is not always a piece of written work, it might be something the children have made. Through that, they generate other skills, such as communication and cooperation. The focus is less on the end product. When they look back on their experience–perhaps building a shelter they felt wasn’t very good–they often come to realise that they have achieved more than they initially thought.
Increased motivation
Studies reveal that when pupils engage in learning in natural settings, their willingness to attend class increases. Research also shows that if pupils have an immersive, multi-sensory experience, they are much more likely to remember what they learnt. On a field trip, we are moving all the time, so when we pause for an activity, pupils engage immediately. Even those who begin the day reluctant to get their shoes or hands dirty often change their minds once they realise how worthwhile the experience is.
Making progress
When I began working with my local school nearly 20 years ago, there was only one staff member who felt confident taking learning outside. She was the nursery and reception class teacher. Even she was relieved when I came on board.
Initially, I’d teach lessons based on the classes’ learning objectives, and allow the teachers to observe. This helped them see how to incorporate outdoor learning into what they were already teaching.
Now when I visit them, I find them involved in a range of outdoor activities, and I know the teachers have the confidence to lead these sessions. I’m a sounding board–I provide a few ideas and let them take the lead. The PTA has purchased a minibus and agreed to cover the insurance and running costs–all the school has to pay for is the fuel. This has expanded the range of places the school can visit, creating countless new possibilities.
Bespoke trips
Nature Days holds the LOtC Quality Badge, which shows we are assessed for safety, and quality teaching and fieldwork practices. This gives schools confidence that when they book our field trips, their pupils will receive a high level of engagement and learning. I create bespoke field trips for each school that align with their learning objectives to provide the best experience for pupils.
In addition, it reduces paperwork. When a school is filling out forms for the local authority, they don’t need to deal with vast amounts of documentation. Having to send proof of a provider’s insurance, policies, expertise, DBS checks and other details can create an excessive burden for schools, which might discourage them from organising field trips at all.
Changing lives
Here in Wales, we’ve recently implemented a new curriculum with a less strict approach. I hope that with the upcoming review in England, the government will take even bolder steps to ensure learning beyond the classroom is a requirement. The number of students with special educational needs is expected to rise, and many children struggle in a traditional classroom setting. These changes are needed now for the pupils of the future. It can change lives.
Dawn Thomas is lead instructor at Nature Days, a field studies provision that supports schools to embed outdoor learning through field trips and training.
- Visit the Nature Days website for more information.
The PTA
‘A key part of the PTA is keeping costs manageable for parents’
I was shocked when I learned that the school budget didn’t cover things like footballs, art supplies and building materials for outdoor play that I thought of as essentials. If my children had a mud kitchen, I wanted the school to have one. So, I got involved with the PTA. Now, the staff tell me I’m always at the school. I’m the PTA chair, a parent governor and I volunteer one day a week.
The funds we raise support our school’s commitment to learning beyond the classroom. A key part of what we do is to keep costs manageable for parents. We recently paid for coaches for a trip to London and we’ve supported trips to the beach. The parents at our school can’t afford £50 for a day out, so we step in.
We also hold events that bring our diverse community together. Family tickets for our bonfire night event cost just £8, which includes food. We also hold movie nights, family picnics and bingo evenings. It’s fun to watch families play bingo together–often for the first time. At the Christmas fair, we make sure every child has the opportunity to meet Santa and receive a small present.
If the school needs something, we will try to source it from within the local community, often through social media. We’ve obtained donations of items such as crates, tyres and sand this way. Recently we held a donation drive to encourage parents to contribute outdoor clothing their children have outgrown, such as wellies and waterproofs. Now we have enough wellies for all the children and they come home with clean, dry feet.
We collaborate closely with our deputy headteacher Danielle Farrelly to make sure everyone is working towards the same goals. At one point, we were talking about funding outdoor equipment, but Danielle was able to secure a grant. Instead we hope to fund new tablets for our classes. One benefit will be to show families how we learn outside the classroom. Seeing a photo of their child immersed in learning helps parents understand why we do this. Having everyone on board makes a massive difference.
Anita Bargewell is chair of Longford Park PTA
