JEN AGER, UNIVERSITY OF CUMBRIA, UK
DR DAVE HARVEY, BANGOR UNIVERSITY, UK
Introduction and context
Outdoor learning (OL) offers well-documented benefits for motivation, wellbeing and holistic development (Waite et al., 2016). Although national initiatives such as the National Education Nature Park highlight growing commitment, OL remains inconsistently embedded in English schools. The National Curriculum review (DfE, 2025) has renewed attention on OL, with the government committing to a core enrichment offer including access to nature and outdoor experiences (UK Government, 2025). Implementation, however, often depends on individual enthusiasm rather than structural support (Oberle et al., 2021). This article presents findings from a small-scale scoping project exploring the roles of wider stakeholders and resources, particularly local authority (LA) advisers, Ofsted and school websites, in shaping the status and practice of OL. It explores how pedagogical innovation becomes pos
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I really enjoyed this article and I completely agree that the value of outdoor learning should be more widely recognised. I love taking my students (even the older ones) outdoors whenever I can – they not only thoroughly enjoy getting out of the classroom but also become noticeably more engaged in their learning.
I encourage all members of my teaching team to incorporate outdoor learning as often as they can. However, I had not previously considered the importance of how prominently it features on our school website or how this can communicate and reinforce a school’s priorities. This article has given me something valuable to reflect on.