Outdoor Education Advisers' Panel

Children are heading back to school - and the dangers of swine flu. But one expert believes open-air education may be the key to stopping the bug's spread.


With the majority of children back at school and the traditional flu season on its way, there are fears we may be in line for a second wave.

Parents are being urged to be alert of the symptoms and reinforce hygiene messages to try to stop swine flu taking a new hold in our schools.

But the county’s top public health boss is also looking at whether there is more we can do as a society to prevent illnesses like swine flu spreading so rifely – and is taking inspiration from Scandinavia.

Professor John Ashton, NHS Cumbria’s director of public health, believes part of the problem lies with enclosed teaching environments.

Much like offices, stuffy classrooms provide an ideal place for viruses like flu and winter vomiting to spread from person to person.

Add to that the close contact associated with children learning and playing and you have the perfect recipe for these illnesses to thrive.

Following a recent visit to Denmark, Dr Ashton has seen how Scandinavian countries have moved away from traditional classrooms in favour of outdoor learning.

He now believes this could be the key to creating happier, healthier environments for our children to learn in.

“Respiratory viruses in general, and flu in particular, seem to be very often associated with classroom spread.

“That’s in part because they are spread by sneezing and close contact, which is so common when children are playing together, and kids usually don’t pay as much attention to personal hygiene,” he said.

“Cases of swine flu have been tailing off since the schools broke up and a lot of initial cases were in schools. Now we think it will probably pick back up again now the schools are starting back.

“There is also the fact that these type of viruses tend to do better in the winter months. The season for ordinary seasonal winter flu starts in October/November so we are anticipating, fairly confidently, that there will be a return in the autumn and more people will become infected by it.

“This raises the issue about whether there are ways of managing the school environment to reduce exposure.”

Dr Ashton now wants to look at whether infection rates are lower in areas that embrace open-air education.

During a recent trip to Denmark he visited the forest school his niece’s daughter goes to in Jutland.

This type of school, with open-sided classrooms, is common in Scandinavia, which has a much colder winter climate than the UK.

Dr Ashton believes that taking inspiration from these forest schools and moving more lessons outdoors will help to reduce infection rates, as well as encouraging children to get more active and develop outdoor interests.

“It is a different way of looking at school life. In this country we have a model of cramming kids into indoor classrooms, which is where these illnesses thrive.”

“My wife was educated at an open-air school in Chelsea in the 1960s so they are not a new thing but there has been a tradition in this country of a very formal education environment,” he added.

He now plans to open discussions with headteachers in Cumbria on the issue.

In recent years, outdoor learning has started to become more important to schools. Many primary schools, for example, have now established their own outdoor play areas they can also use for lessons.

Meanwhile the new academy building being planned to replace Morton secondary school in Carlisle will also have its own rooftop terrace, available for teaching.

Many teachers – as well as parents and pupils – see cold and wet weather as a barrier to outdoor learning, therefore restricting these lessons to warmer, drier days.

But one school that is undeterred by the rain is Langdale Primary School in the middle of the Lake District.

As well as incorporating outdoor teaching into every aspect of the curriculum, it also has its own twice-weekly forest nursery sessions which are entirely outdoors.

Headteacher Mark Squires said it doesn’t matter whether it’s raining, snowing or sunny – the kids dress appropriately and just get on with it.

“We’ve done this for about three or four years now. If it’s raining they wear waterproofs, when it’s hot they wear sun cream,” he said.

“It’s not just about being physically outside, it’s also about using everything that’s outside our school. We are in the middle of the Lake District and it just seems ridiculous not to take advantage.

“Education is about real learning and real learning is outside the classroom.”

As well as expanding horizons, embracing nature and giving pupils more real life experience, he believes there are clear health benefits.

“I’m not a public health expert but it just seems that if you are outside you are going to get more air circulating and more space so there is less chance of infection.

“Plus the more fresh air you have you generally feel a lot healthier,” he added.

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