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International perspective
The programme became established in the school and, after five years of development, it included transitions from P7 to S1, supported by the residential outdoor centres and partners, pupils from S3 and above being offered Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions, voyages with the Ocean Youth Trust, John Muir Awards and subject-specific revision classes.
The Learning Away summary of this study quotes the then Head Teacher, Tony McDaid, on how this project affected the pupils, staff and school: “...this programme has not only affected students and staff, it has also integrated with and impacted on the ethos of the school. Its partners and the wider community. Brilliant residentials have played a significant part in raising attainment and aspiration, encouraging cohesion within and beyond the school, and transforming teaching and learning in and outside the classroom.” 10
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The reach of residential outdoor education is world-wide. The following examples are from countries where the entitlement to outdoor residential education has a statutory basis. However, cultural variation, differing meanings and traditions can lead to misunderstanding between countries in the transfer of programmes or ideas or practices.11 Therefore, a cautious approach should be adopted when considering the following examples, which offer residential outdoor education as part of the curriculum to all young people.
Singapore
In Singapore, the approach to residential outdoor education is well-planned, comprehensive and outcome-based. Since 2014, outdoor education has been a compulsory part of the curriculum in both primary and secondary schools. Children attend three different camps, one in upper primary, one in secondary and a five-day Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) expedition camp, which was introduced in 2020. This last camp mixes students from different schools around Singapore.
All secondary 3 students (14+) complete the five-day challenge programme, which targets resilience, leadership, teamwork and citizenship as the agreed outcomes. If higher education students are included, then 45,000 students will participate each year.
10 https://learningaway.org.uk/case-studies/how-residentials-are-changing-our-school/. 11 Waite S. 2020 Where Are We Going? International Views on Purposes, Practices and Barriers in School-Based Outdoor Learning.
