BET HIGHLIGHT:

Outdoor Education Research And Roundtable

In the spring term of last year, BET harnessed its experience and expertise to host a key opinion leader roundtable, comprising some of the biggest names in outdoor learning, in an effort to address the issues surrounding students’ access to outdoor education opportunities.

Our starting point was the national headline-making survey BET commissioned in January, which revealed that the vast majority of people believe children today go on fewer school expeditions and trips than a generation ago.

The study found that only 10% of people believe that children today have more outdoor education opportunities than they had in their school years, with nearly three-quarters of people (71%) blaming cost as the biggest factor stopping children experiencing outdoor education.

Some 72% of those surveyed called for a greater focus on outdoor education in both primary and secondary schools – more than three-quarters of people (78%) said outdoor education was important for children’s self-development, and more than twothirds (68%) said it improved academic achievement.

This tallies with a study by the Education Endowment Foundation last month, which said that: “Overall, studies of adventure learning interventions consistently show positive benefits on academic learning. On average, pupils who participate in adventure learning interventions make approximately four additional months’ progress over the course of a year. There is also evidence of an impact on non-cognitive outcomes such as self-confidence. The evidence suggests that the impact is greater for more vulnerable and older learners (teenagers), longer courses (more than a week), and those in a ‘wilderness’ setting, though other types of intervention still show some positive impacts”.

As one of the country’s top-performing academy trusts, BET is a leading proponent of outdoor education. Our schools champion an extensive outdoor education and outdoor learning programme for all our students, nurturing talents and providing opportunities both inside and outside the classroom. BET sees outdoor education as crucial to building well-rounded individuals, for resilience, character and teamwork, as well as beneficial for academic attainment.

Crucially, BET also ensures that outdoor education is available for all its students, regardless of background. Better-off students are expected to fundraise, with the expeditions programme scheduled three years in advance, allowing families to plan. All students receiving the Pupil Premium are provided with bursaries, so that every student who wants to go on a trip can do so.

The roundtable attendees, who met for a morning in London to discuss how best to tackle issues of access, included representatives from the Department for Education, Duke of Edinburgh, the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, the British Exploring Society and the Royal Geographical Society. Attendees were presented to by Neil Strowger and Philip Avery and then entered into a discussion chaired by former Education Select Committee Chair Neil Carmichael.

A consensus was reached that further collaboration in future will take place between members of the coalition, with the ultimate objective of identifying gaps in current research and improving the quality of conversations around improving students’ access to outdoor education.