Government urged to support outdoor learning

A coalition of non-for-profit school residential and educational providers has written to the government urging it to extend the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and bring forward funding intended to support outdoor learning as outlined through the aims of the Landscape Review.
 
The coalition argues that over half a million children have missed out on a school residential this year. With more than 2 million households having been through lockdown without a garden, many children and young people have had even less access to the known benefits of the outdoors.
 
The coalition welcomed the recent announcement for the extension of the Job Retention Scheme and now awaits details to see how it might be possible to bring staff back part time and help re-open provision.
 
However, there are still a fears that education and residential providers will be amongst the last to benefit from the easing of social distancing restrictions, which has prompted the Access Unlimited coalition to take action to protect the future of outdoor learning.
 
The CEOs of YHA (England & Wales), The Outwood Bound Trust, Scouts, Girlguiding, Field Studies Council and the National Parks, wrote to the Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson last week, urging him to not to forget about outdoor learning and bring forward funding that has been earmarked for ‘a night under the stars in a national landscape for every child’ following the Landscape Review.
 
The Review, which was commissioned by Michael Gove through DEFRA and led by Julian Glover, made a number of proposals designed to reverse environmental decline in England’s National Parks.
 
Amongst the proposals, one of the recommendations stated that every schoolchild should be given the chance to visit the National Parks and spend a night under the stars. This builds on evidence of the importance of both outdoor learning and residentials in both academic progress and well-being; as well as the crucial role in developing young people’s connections to the environment and nature.
 
With business as normal expected to return more slowly to providers of outdoor educational and residential experiences, the coalition continues to be concerned that the entire outdoor learning community will be financially vulnerable during winter, a period which would normally have been funded by successful summer and autumn trading.
 
Bringing forward the funding and ensuring the sector is not forgotten will safeguard survival of not-for-profit school residential and educational providers in National Parks, help with the recovery of the National Parks and invest in the futures of young people.
 
Recognising the impact that the crisis has had on schools and families, the coalition is also asking for the Department for Education to create a hardship fund for schools who have had trips cancelled but not yet had monies refunded by insurers and need to repay parents.
 
The coalition are also looking at how they can work in partnership with their schools to see how the sector could be part of the solution to getting education restarted; a move that teachers have welcome.