Making the most of the great outdoors

Frequent, continuous and progressive. This is the mantra that headteachers and education managers should be chanting when planning and developing their learning outside the classroom (LOtC) provision.

In some schools, LOtC has even been written into a charter of entitlement ensuring that all pupils have access to frequent, continuous and progressive learning beyond the classroom regardless of their age, ability or circumstance.

Learning outside the classroom is about the use of places other than the classroom for teaching and learning, incorporating anywhere that offers hands-on learning experiences beyond the normal classroom environment. This might include activities within the school grounds; in the local community at a museum or gallery; through to day visits to field studies centres; residentials to adventurous activity centres and even expeditions overseas.  LOtC is a hands-on, practical approach to learning that is proven to raise attainment, engage children of all abilities in their learning, improve behaviour and support school improvement. It is a powerful tool for teaching and learning that can be used as compelling evidence within each of the four cornerstones of the new Ofsted inspection framework: the achievement of pupils at school; the quality of teaching; the quality of leadership and management; and the behaviour and safety of pupils at school.

Make reference
Robin Hammerton, Ofsted HMI, has spoken of the positive impacts that LOtC has on young people. Quoting the 2008 Ofsted report LOtC - How far should you go?, Robin said;  ‘It is one of the most compelling pieces of evidence for a method of teaching and learning because in all cases it had an impact on young people’s learning’. In the same report, Ofsted highlights that for learning outside the classroom to be successful, it should be embedded into the curriculum. Speaking at the national Council for Learning Outside the Classroom conference in 2011, Robin challenged headteachers to make reference to their LOtC provision in their self-assessments and praised those schools that had involved inspectors in LOtC activities during their inspection.

Many teachers will testify that LOtC can put learning into context, helping young people to make the connection between the theory of a subject and its application to the real world. In a survey on LOtC in 2010 (NFER Teacher Voice), 87 per cent of teachers felt it was important to give children experiences beyond the classroom. Exposing children to opportunities that may not be accessible outside school can often trigger new interest in a subject or motivate a student to follow a particular career path. Professor Steve Jones exemplifies this. As the former president of the Association of Science Education, Professor of Genetics and prize-winning author, he is clear that his interest in biology and the sciences was sparked by a field trip to a field studies centre at the age of fourteen. 

The barriers
Yet despite the overwhelming evidence of the benefits, some teachers are still reticent about taking learning outside the classroom. Commonly cited barriers include lack of confidence, cost, time constraints, paperwork or health and safety. But these barriers are not insurmountable. For instance, in a recent study by Kings College London, Beyond Barriers to LOtC in the Natural Environment, evidence showed ‘there are many examples of schools with relatively restricted budgets providing exemplary LOtC and relatively well-funded schools doing very little’. The report suggests that quantity and quality of LOtC often lies in the motivation and skills of the teachers. So where does the motivation to develop a creative curriculum come from?

Often at the heart of an innovative and successful curriculum which makes the most of LOtC opportunities, are strong leadership and visionary senior management.  It is essential to ensure everyone, including the class teachers, parents, and governors, fully understands the benefits of LOtC and how this impacts on their areas of work and attainment of the pupils.  This may be formalised and underpinned by school policy and a workforce that is well trained and supported to deliver lessons outside the classroom.  Ashby Willesley Primary School has taken steps to develop a creative curriculum with the motto: One in; One out; One inside out, indicating their approach to offering frequent, continuous and progressive learning outside the classroom for all their pupils.

External providers
Each term, the headteacher challenges staff to plan and deliver at least one activity that invites an external provider into the school, such as a speaker at an assembly; one topic-based activity that takes place beyond the school gates, for example at a local museum; and one lesson that would normally take place in the classroom to be delivered outside, perhaps in the school grounds. 

It is important to remember that LOtC is not just about getting out of the classroom for the sake of it. It is about deciding where, when and how classroom-based learning can be complemented by a practical, real world experience. Ask yourself what are the learning objectives of this activity and how will I be able to evaluate whether it has had the desired impact? An example of an activity that has specific aims can be demonstrated by English teachers from a school near Dorchester who aimed to bring literature alive by linking the text their students were studying to the actual locations it was based on. After studying Thomas Hardy’s ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’, pupils visited key locations in the centre of Dorchester and focussed on the details and nuances of the text whilst exploring the area through Hardy’s eyes. The activity led to broader, more informed discussions back in the classroom and a deeper understanding of the text.

With careful planning and a thoughtful approach, LOtC activities can be designed and delivered almost anywhere. It is useful to conduct an audit of LOtC opportunities within and around your school or setting - this can often be a revealing exercise as you may already be doing more than you thought.  Audits are also a good way of establishing a benchmark on which to build your provision, and will help you identify any gaps. Working with other staff during the planning phases, take the time to consider the opportunities that are available on your back doorstep, look at the frequency of your provision and how each activity builds on the learning from the previous one. Little and often goes a long way.  

The communities and environments immediately surrounding schools, whether they are situated in a bustling metropolis or a quiet rural village, offer inspiration in a variety of different ways. Does your local community have some interesting historical references? What are the geographical features of your location? Are there any significant events which can support a topic you are teaching?  You may want to consider delivering a few smaller LOtC activities in the locality that culminate in a single, more challenging activity further afield. 

Capitalising on the Olympics
With the 30th Olympiad still fresh in our minds, many schools and organisations are capitalising on the learning opportunities that this presents. A single theme such as the Olympics can be a springboard for a number of cross curricular LOtC activities, such as hosting a debate in assembly on equal opportunities in the games, ‘for’ and ‘against’ women boxers; visiting the Olympic stadium and using the controversial ArcelorMittal Orbit as inspiration for a written exercise about the funding of large scale art projects; or using the Olympics as a platform to study Ancient Greece and the history of sport with an oversees visit to Athens. 

Whilst many LOtC activities may present themselves closer to home, if it is feasible and linked closely to learning objectives, the benefits of educational visits abroad can be exciting and memorable learning experiences for both primary and secondary school children, not least through the adventure of travel. A visit to a foreign country offers young people a different perspective and opens their eyes to new cultures and ideas.

After a particularly harrowing history visit to Auschwitz organised with the Holocaust Trust, one sixth former wrote: “Once home, I found it very difficult to reflect upon the emotive experience of Auschwitz. I have certainly noticed a difference in the way that I approach humanitarian issues. I see the need to be more accepting of people`s personal opinions, and by listening to these points of view I can develop my own beliefs to a greater extent. It has further strengthened my belief that the lessons that this period in history has left us must never be forgotten, that they must be passed down through generation to generation.” This is an eloquent example of how LOtC can provide memorable and moving experiences.

Funding for foreign trips
It is true that visits abroad can be costly, but funding can be found through grants, partnership working, community and school fundraising projects such as hosting car wash days, or working with students to plan and deliver a profitable enterprise.  These types of activities can become LOtC opportunities in themselves.  Consider what local businesses have to offer - can students learn from a talk by a local business leader, or benefit from a visit to a trader in the area?  Can they sell produce grown on the school grounds at a farmers’ market event?

During the planning stages of any LOtC activity, it will be necessary to identify any potential risks, but more importantly it is better to focus upon an analysis of risk / benefits i.e. what will the pupils gain from an activity versus any actual risk. For example, adventurous activities that are well planned help to challenge young people, giving them an awareness of their own limitations and pushing them beyond what they thought was achievable. This contributes to improved self-confidence, risk awareness and the ability to deal with challenging situations they may have to face in later life. Involving young people in risk / benefit assessment can have further benefits, providing them with experience of effective risk management which they can apply in their lives outside of school.  More often than not, the benefits of LOtC activities will outweigh the risks, but if not, establish what action needs to be taken to reduce risk.

Reducing risk
You can go some way to reducing risk by looking for the LOtC Quality Badge when organising educational visits with external providers. The LOtC Quality Badge is a national accreditation awarded to organisations and venues offering good quality learning experiences whilst managing risk effectively. Using these accredited organisations makes a teacher’s life easier by immediately reducing the amount of paperwork involved in planning educational visits, and by offering assurances that the provider meets national standards in safety and quality. To find out more about the LOtC Quality Badge, and to search for LOtC Quality Badge holders in your area, visit www.lotcqualitybadge.org.uk

The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC) is the national charity which champions LOtC, and believes that all children should have the opportunity to experience the world beyond the classroom whatever their age, ability or circumstance.  CLOtC is also the awarding body for the LOtC Quality Badge and more recently, LOtC Mark, which recognises schools offering exemplary frequent, continuous and progressive LOtC opportunities to their pupils. The three tiered LOtC Mark also provides a framework for schools wishing develop their LOtC offer. 

By making small changes in your approach to learning outside the classroom, any school can reap significant rewards.  More confident and engaged students are easier to teach and are more likely to reach their full potential.  But the key is to remember that successful LOtC provision needs to be frequent, continuous and progressive, and integrated into the curriculum.

Further information
For more information, guidance and advice on planning and delivering quality LOtC activities and building LOtC into the curriculum, visit www.lotc.org.uk