Outdoor Education Advisers' Panel

HMCI David Bell says, "The benefits of Outdoor Education are far too important to forfeit, and by far outweigh the risks of an accident."

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  The Outdoor Education, Aspects of Good Practice report 
  is available on the Ofsted website www.ofsted.gov.uk today.

 
Outdoor education makes an important contribution to students’ physical, personal and social development
Despite general recognition of the value of outdoor education and residential experiences some schools remain unconvinced of the benefits when weighed against risks and fears of litigation
Pupils are making good progress in outdoor education both in schools and residential centres, according to a new report published by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) today.
Outdoor education, Aspects of good practice, found that outdoor education helps pupils develop their physical skills in new and challenging situations and enables them to exercise important social skills such as teamwork and leadership.
David Bell, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools, said: 
“Outdoor activities both at school and on residential courses enable pupils to enjoy challenging and unfamiliar experiences that test and develop their physical, social and personal skills.  They can be among the most memorable experiences for pupils of their school-days.
“This report shows that many schools recognise the many benefits of outdoor education but also that we must work harder to ensure pupils in all schools do not miss out on these opportunities.”
The report found that outdoor education thrives in schools where headteachers or individual enthusiasts provide leadership and a vision that promotes a well-balanced PE curriculum and outdoors off-site, day or residential experience. 
The attitudes and behaviour of students during outdoor and adventure activities are good and often exemplary.  Leadership and management by staff are good or better in more than half of the centres and at least satisfactory in the large majority.
The quality of accommodation and resources is generally good in the majority of residential centres and is often very good.  This is a key feature in the success of the centres and students benefit significantly from the opportunity to learn in different settings using a wider range of specialist resources.
Inspectors found pupils can take part in a range of activities such as canoeing, rock climbing, archery, orienteering and sailing at residential centres.  However, despite many positive examples, outdoor education remains a minority area in the physical education curriculum of most secondary schools. 
The extra-curricular nature of much outdoor education, the cost of sending pupils on residential courses, and limits on the numbers of pupils that can be taken often leads to a “first-come first-served” basis for selection.  As a result many students who would like to take part are not able to participate.  Furthermore, despite the general recognition of the value of outdoor education and residential experiences, some schools remain unconvinced of the benefits when weighed against the pressures on curriculum time, lack of specialist expertise and fear of litigation.
The quality of teaching in outdoor education in schools and in centres is generally good.  However, in outdoor education lessons taught in schools, less experienced teachers tend to opt for activities offering lower levels of challenge which are well within the capacity of students.  This is often due to limitations in accommodation and resources but can sometimes be attributed to teachers’ insecurities in subject knowledge, concerns about taking risks and a fear of litigation.  
A recent study by the Government's Better Regulation Task Force found that the number of accident claims registered in 2003/4 fell by nearly 60,000.  Its report, 'Better Routes to Redress' (May 2004) found little evidence to support the idea that compensation claims are rising in the UK.

David Bell said:  “The benefits of outdoor education are far too important to forfeit, and by far outweigh the risks of an accident occurring.  If teachers follow recognised safety procedures and guidance they have nothing to fear from the law.”

To achieve further improvements in provision for outdoor education, schools and centres should:
· develop systems for evaluating the impact of provision on improving students’ attitudes and achievements
· make better use of assessment data, including students’ self-assessments, to seek evidence of students’ learning, and the formation of attitudes and values over the longer term
· improve the quality of teaching still further by ensuring all teaching takes sufficient account of students’ responses and teachers’ intervention guides their learning
· ensure all teachers accompanying groups on courses can develop their skills and knowledge when working with specialist teachers
· improve programme planning to ensure that students’ residential experiences support their future work in the school curriculum
· ensure the benefits of outdoor education can be experienced by all students.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The Outdoor Education, Aspects of Good Practice report is available on the Ofsted website www.ofsted.gov.uk today.
2. Outdoor education is a general term used to embrace different types of activity undertaken by primary and secondary students in a range of contexts:  outdoor and residential visits; field work; outdoor and adventurous activities; outdoor pursuits; and “outward bound” activities.  This report concentrates on the opportunities provided for students aged 9-16 years-old in outdoor education, linked to aspects of the National Curriculum in physical education.
3. Better Routes to Redress,  published by the Better Regulation Task Force in May this year, found that the number of accident claims, including personal injury claims, is going down.  The report is available at www.brtf.gov.uk.
4. Ofsted is a non-ministerial government department established under the Education (Schools) Act 1992 to take responsibility for the inspection of all schools in England.  Its role also includes the inspection of local education authorities, teacher training institutions and youth work. During 2001, Ofsted became responsible for inspecting all 16-19 education and for the regulation of early years childcare, including childminders