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Make room in the curriculum for outdoor learning

Measuring Impact and Success

You need to show how your outdoor learning curriculum has had a positive impact on pupils’ and on any other relevant stakeholders’ experience (including teaching staff). For example, you can demonstrate how the introduction of the outdoor learning curriculum has had a positive effect on attendance, as pupils report they prefer learning outdoors. 

Some examples of measuring impact include: 

  • an analysis of pupil evaluations to identify what pupils have found enjoyable, engaging and meaningful, how they would benefit from further learning and what that learning would involve 
  • case studies of individual or groups of pupils showing the impact of the outdoor learning curriculum on their learning and engagement – and/or statements from staff about how the outdoor learning curriculum has helped to develop their practice  
  • pupil feedback on their outdoor learning experience – perhaps ‘before’ and ‘after’ stories/narratives, in the form of videos, blogs or artwork
  • senior leadership feedback about the quality of the outdoor learning curriculum and the impact it is having on some aspects of the development plan
  • a curriculum review from an outdoor learning expert visitor.  

Remember in each case to describe the impact of your actions (that is, what difference they made) and not just what you did.
 

Overview

The curriculum forms the basis of outdoor learning opportunities in your school, as it offers all stakeholders clarity and consistency. You will need to ensure that the outdoor learning curriculum covers learning in the outdoors as well as about the outdoors. It is worth noting that schools do not need to have vast grounds for learning in the outdoors to be effective. 

The emphasis of this benchmark is on ensuring that what you are teaching is appropriate, engaging and meaningful to everyone in your school – and this will depend on (among other things) the type of school you have, the age of the pupils and the level of staff expertise and competence.

Intentions

Intentions are actions you intend to take in order to improve your provision in this benchmark. Choose three intentions to focus on.

Your school must someone who is dedicated to driving the outdoor learning curriculum forward. For the outdoor learning curriculum lead to effectively develop innovative programmes, they need adequate planning and implementation time; senior leaders need to offer support and guidance to the lead to enable innovative development. Your school will need to consider appropriate remuneration for the role.

The outdoor learning curriculum lead will need to produce various documents and guidance to ensure your school staff, pupils and partners are aligned and working towards the same ideals. The lead will need to communicate your school’s outdoor learning intentions to the whole-school community.  

Schools must note that it will be very difficult to achieve the impact award without appointing an outdoor learning curriculum lead. 

Top tips

  • Write a job description and ask current staff members if they would like to ‘apply’ for the role. 
  • Ensure the curriculum lead is given ample time and resources to manage the outdoor learning curriculum alongside their other responsibilities. 
  • Review the role after one academic year and make any necessary changes. 

Templates

Download and use this template to create a job description for your school’s outdoor learning curriculum lead.
 

Your school can promote outdoor learning by finding ways to link it to other parts of the curriculum. Students, teachers, and parents will then be able to see how outdoor learning can be applied in many different areas of education. You should not view outdoor learning as an isolated activity.

Schools should encourage all staff to highlight where outdoor learning opportunities could be included in everyday practice and note how this can happen. You will notice that the more you try to find links to outdoor learning, the more you will discover links – as outdoor learning can infiltrate all parts of the wider curriculum. And while it is essential to learn in and about the outdoors within discrete learning opportunities, it is also important to establish this in less obvious ways. 

Integrating learning and outdoor experiences, whether through play in the immediate grounds or adventures further afield, provides relevance and depth to the curriculum in ways that are difficult to achieve indoors. Well-constructed and well-planned outdoor learnings help develop the skills of enquiry, critical thinking and reflection necessary for pupils to meet the social, economic and environmental challenges of life in the 21st century.

Ideally, teachers will embed outdoor activities alongside the indoor curriculum so that there are seamless links between both. This empowers them to incorporate learning outdoors as much as possible. Importantly, planning should also allow for ‘spontaneous’ or pre-planned, ‘off-the-shelf’ local visits when, for example, weather conditions are suitable or favourable. 

A simple mapping document will help demonstrate links between subjects/topics. Try to ensure links are meaningful: if being outdoors or learning about the outdoors is not going to make a positive difference to pupils and enhance outcomes for them, there is no point doing it. 

Top tips

  • Ensure teaching staff are clear about what your school means by a meaningful link to relevant areas of learning: offer them examples of what is meaningful and what is not. This is something the outdoor learning curriculum lead can do. 
  • Start slowly and embed ideas gradually: you do not have to have a finished map immediately. You can continue to build it on your initial ideas. 
  • Ask pupils how they would like to learn in and about the outdoors so their ideas can be incorporated into the provision.
  • Review medium-term planning in all year groups and identify where outdoor learning links can be made. Be sure to make links with learning 'from' and 'about' the natural environment.
  • Consider how you can make cross-curricular links, where relevant. 
  • Reflect on how you can facilitate outdoor learning in different areas of daily life in your school: for younger pupils, in story-time, in morning exercise, doing the daily mile, or even holding assemblies outside. 
  • Review which experiences have more impact on learning if they are done outdoors and act upon this intelligence. 

Further resources

Each year group in your school deserves to learn in and about the outdoors. This may look different for each school and each year group.

Senior leaders who make decisions about timetabling will first need to acknowledge that outdoor learning is a school-wide priority. Second, they will need to ensure that staff are supported to uphold outdoor learning (in and about the outdoors) for every year group and for all relevant subjects/topics. Staff should not be expected to provide outdoor learning without senior leadership support.

Each year group's timetable must dedicate a specific amount of time to outdoor learning, rather than trying to shoehorn it in. If there is a valid reason for no space for any outdoor learning provision in one year group, make sure this is documented and known to all relevant stakeholders. There is no specific, set time for outdoor learning – just ensure that you are meeting your pupils’ needs. 

Top tips

  • If your current timetable is crowded, think about how you could learn outdoors first, before you think about learning about the outdoors. 
  • Ask pupils how they would like to learn in and about the outdoors so their ideas can be incorporated into the provision. 
  • Consult parents and other key stakeholders for their ideas about outdoor learning so their ideas can add to the provision. 
  • Consider also how staff training and meetings can use the outdoors, so that staff ‘timetables’ make space for outdoor learning too.

Further resources

Learn more about why outside play matters.

As a school, it is essential to know what is being taught and when. You will then be clear about any gaps in provision and how you can fill them. It will make it easier for all stakeholders if they can see a clear curriculum plan to know what is coming and when. 

You will need to review your current outdoor learning curriculum and note what is being taught in which year group. Then look at which subject or topic it is being taught and whether it is learning in the outdoors or about the outdoors. Consider who is teaching it, where it is being taught and why it is done this way. Think about progression and ways to develop pupils’ learning over time. 

Ensure that the curriculum plan is displayed in your school and on your website; you might like to consider dedicating a section of your website to outdoor learning.

Top tips

  • Work as a staff team and produce the plan collaboratively, so every staff member can contribute. 
  • Keep the plan simple and easy to understand, so all stakeholders can see the information at a glance. 
  • Think about the WWWWWH model:
    • who
    • what
    • when
    • where
    • why
    • how.  
  • Document how you will demonstrate progress and impact. 

Template

Download and use this curriculum plan for outdoor learning.

You can promote outdoor learning by linking it to other parts of the curriculum. This helps pupils, staff and parents to realise how many areas of education can be enhanced through outdoor learning. Outdoor learning need not be viewed in isolation.

Encourage staff to highlight where and how outdoor learning opportunities could be included in everyday practice. Staff will notice that the more they try to find links to outdoor learning, the more links will be discovered – as outdoor learning can infiltrate all parts of the wider curriculum. And while it is essential to learn in and about the outdoors within discrete learning opportunities, it is also important to establish this in less obvious ways. 

The cross-curricular map will be an active document that demonstrates the effectiveness of links between subjects/topics. Try to ensure links are meaningful: if being outdoors or learning about the outdoors is not going to make a positive difference to pupils, there is no point doing it. 

Top tips

  • Ensure teaching staff are clear about what a meaningful cross-curricular link is: offer them examples of what is meaningful and what is not.
  • Start slowly and add cross-curricular link ideas gradually: you do not have to have a finished links map immediately. Take time to build it up. 
     

Outdoor learning consists of learning in the outdoors and learning about the outdoors, and combining the two results in learning about the outdoors in the outdoors. Fieldwork – or working outdoors in the natural environment – is a good opportunity for pupils to bring their learning to life.

Bear in mind that the natural environment does not need to be a forest or a large green space. Fieldwork can be conducted in any outdoor environment, whether that is a local park, the school playground or an allotment or garden. 

Once your outdoor environment has been prepared for fieldwork, you can apply learning from a range of different subjects, including: 

  • PSHE
  • geography
  • art
  • design/technology
  • literacy/English
  • numeracy/Maths
  • food technology 
  • PE. 

Top tips

  • Be creative, innovative and open-minded about the possibilities open to you and encourage staff colleagues to do the same. 
  • Use online media as inspiration. What you do needs to be engaging and meaningful – it does not have to be a brand new idea. 
  • Share your ideas with other staff members and ask them to do the same. Do more of what works and less of what does not work. 
Reflection

Think about:

  • Meeting needs: how your outdoor learning outdoor learning curriculum meets staff and pupil needs and is applicable to all relevant stakeholders. How do you know what needs are? How will you know if needs are being met? Make sure you ask. 
  • Families: how your outdoor learning curriculum is portrayed to all pupils and their families. Do pupils and staff feel comfortable with the outdoor learning curriculum? If not, how do you know? Can they be supported differently? Are senior leaders available and competent enough to support staff members and pupils with the outdoor learning curriculum? 
  • The updating process: how your outdoor learning curriculum is updated regularly and is an ongoing process that is built into your school development/improvement plan. Are there several and varied opportunities provided throughout the year to review the curriculum and its effectiveness? If new staff members join your school, are they given a timely introduction to the outdoor learning curriculum? Can staff gain support from the outdoor learning curriculum lead when requested? 
  • Senior leadership support: how the outdoor learning curriculum is advocated by the senior leadership team. Are they implicitly and explicitly supportive? How do they demonstrate this? 
  • Evaluation: how you evaluate your outdoor learning curriculum and use feedback to shape future incarnations. What evaluation methods will you use? How will you use the evaluation knowledge?

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