High Quality Outdoor Education - English Outdoor Council

‘I am happy to place on record that thegovernment supports the role ofadventure as part of active education,especially in helping young people tolearn about assessing and managingrisk, in offering them new and excitingchallenges, and in helping them to gainskills in leadership and team workingthat will be of huge value in theirprogression to adulthood.’Tony Blair, Prime Minister,September 2001 in support ofthe English Outdoor Council’s‘Campaign for Adventure’ as quotedin the 2002 DfES booklet ‘Standardsfor Adventure’‘Outdoor activities, both at school andon residential courses, enable pupils toenjoy challenging and unfamiliarexperiences that test and develop theirphysical, social and personal skills.They can be among the mostmemorable experiences for pupilsof their school days.’David Bell, Her Majesty’sChief Inspector, September 2004‘We are convinced that out-of-classroomeducation enriches the curriculum andcan improve educational attainment.’House of Commons Education andSkills Committee Report ‘EducationOutside the Classroom’ January 2005Acknowledgements:Written by members of the Outdoor EducationAdvisers’ Panel, which comprises nominatedrepresentatives of Chief Education Officers ofLocal Education Authorities in England andWales, and provides a forum for sharing anddeveloping good practice in outdoor education.Published by the English Outdoor Council, anumbrella body of the principal representativeorganisations in the field of outdoor education.The publishers would like to express their gratefulthanks to Ordnance Survey for sponsoring andprinting the guide and to the Outdoor IndustriesAssociation for facilitating the sponsorship.The publishers would also like to thank the DfESand DCMS for encouraging the publication of theguide, and permitting it to be based on the formatof the DfES/DCMS guide ‘High Quality PE andSport for Young People’, published in March 2004.© Copyright The English Outdoor Council.Extracts from this document may be reproducedfor non-commercial or training purposes on thecondition that the source is acknowledged.

About this guideBritain has a long tradition of involving young people inadventurous outdoor activities, and the positive impactthis can have on a young person’s education is widelyacknowledged.Recently Ofsted were commissioned bythe DfES to undertake an evaluation ofaspects of outdoor education in schoolsand outdoor centres in England.The evaluation sought to identifygood practice and the… ‘…uniquecontribution made by outdoor educationto enhancing young people’s personaland social development.’In their report ‘Outdoor Education– Aspects of Good Practice’, publishedin September 2004, Ofsted identifiedamongst their main findings that:‘Outdoor education gives depth to thecurriculum and makes an importantcontribution to students’ physical,personal and social education.’‘Students generally make good progressin outdoor education, both at schooland at outdoor centres. They developtheir physical skills in new andchallenging situations, as well asexercising important social skills suchas teamwork and leadership.’‘To achieve further improvements inprovision for outdoor education,schools and centres should…ensure thebenefits of outdoor education can beexperienced by all students.’This new guide focuses on high qualityin outdoor education – what it looks likeand how to achieve it. It recognises thathigh-quality outdoor education takesplace not only in schools and outdooreducation centres but equally in youthservices and voluntary youthorganisations, as well as outdooractivity clubs that cater for youngpeople.The guide is presented in sectionsas follows:• an introductory section explaininghow to use this guide to evaluate andimprove quality in outdoor education,• a statement of ten outcomes ofhigh-quality outdoor education,together with five cross-cuttingthemes – aspects or models oflearning that have general relevanceacross outdoor education,• a list of indicators for each outcomethat give a picture of what we shouldexpect to see young people achievingwhen they are involved in high-qualityoutdoor education,• an overview of provision – how weinspire and enable young people toachieve through outdoor education,• an overview of effective links andpartnerships – how schools, youthorganisations, outdoor centres andclubs can work together to achievehigh quality.The guide is intended for:• those directly involved in outdooreducation with young people,including teachers and supportstaff, youth workers, instructors andcoaches,• those who are considering becominginvolved and wish to understandmore about the benefits of outdooreducation for young people,• those involved in managing andmonitoring outdoor education,including head teachers, youthservice managers, heads andmanagers of outdoor educationcentres, leaders of voluntary youthorganisations and outdoor activityclubs, and local authority advisers.1

How do youngpeople participate?This guide recognises that young people become involvedin outdoor education in a variety of contexts, in schools,youth groups, outdoor education centres and outdooractivity clubs.Schools have a central role to playin delivering high-quality outdooreducation. They may provide regularoutdoor and adventurous activities asone of the areas of activity within thePE curriculum. They frequently offerout-of-school-hours learningopportunities through school clubs orThe Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Manyschools organise day and residentialvisits to outdoor education centres.Youth services, both in the statutoryand voluntary sectors, providesignificant outdoor educationopportunities as part of their curriculum,which commonly has personal andsocial development as a prime focus.The voluntary youth organisations, inparticular, have a long tradition of workin this field. (The terms ‘youth services’and ‘youth organisations’ are usedinterchangeably in this booklet.)Schools and youth services have incommon the ability to measure theimpact of outdoor education in thecontext of a young person’s wholedevelopment over an extended period.Outdoor education centres includethose managed by local authorities,voluntary and charitable organisations,and the commercial sector. All have thepotential to make a substantial impacton the personal and social developmentof the young people they engage with;for many this is their primary purpose.Centres are well placed to bring theirspecialist expertise to the deliveryof high-quality outdoor education,best realised when they work in closepartnership with their customer schoolsand youth groups. Many centres alsooffer activity courses open to individualrecruitment, for example in holidayperiods, providing further opportunitiesfor young people to benefit.Outdoor activity clubs, for examplecanoe clubs and climbing clubs, offeryoung people valuable opportunities toaccess adventure activities, often in acompetitive context. Clubs provide anenvironment that encourages progresstowards high levels of performancewhilst also contributing significantly tobroader learning and personal growth.Getting started.If the young people you work withare currently not involved in outdooreducation, but you want information onhow to get started, some of the websitereferences on page 25 should be helpful.Your local authority should have anoutdoor education adviser who will beable to help, or you could talk directlyto one of the many outdoor educationcentres with a view to arranging anintroductory course.3

Using this guideThis guide has been written to help you evaluate and thenset about improving, or further improving, the quality ofoutdoor education you offer.Schools, local authority centres andmaintained youth services can use italongside their National Curriculum andOfsted inspection frameworks to getan overview of the quality they areachieving. They may also already berecording individual achievement usingrecords of achievement or national orlocal award schemes. Voluntaryorganisations and outdoor activity clubsare encouraged to use it alongside theirown accreditation or proficiency schemes.As a school, youth service, centre orclub, you will probably already haveprocesses that you follow to evaluatethe quality of provision and the progressmade by young people. Using this guideas part of this process will help ensurethat, in relation to outdoor education,your evaluation is as reliable as possible.The following steps offer one possibleapproach, but first a word of caution.A great deal of outdoor education relieson the commitment of colleagues whogive their time entirely voluntarily or in anunpaid capacity beyond their contractedhours. If this is the context in whichyou work, you may need to employ lessformal approaches, at least untilcolleagues are convinced of the valueto the young people of devoting a smallproportion of their voluntary time to thissort of evaluation process.Evaluating QualityTen outcomes of high-quality outdooreducation are listed on pages 6–7.For each outcome, there follows a listof indicators of quality. You should usethese to help gain an overall picture ofthe quality of the outdoor educationyou provide. There are also five generalthemes described on pages 6–7, whichhave relevance to all or many of theoutcomes and should be consideredalongside them.1. Look at each of the outcomes andtheir associated indicators. Not allof them may be relevant to you,though most of them should be.If you wish, you could add otherindicators for your particular context.Involve all your colleagues in theprocess. In secondary schools, forexample, staff from different subjectareas will have a contributionto make.2. You may then decide to focus on justsome of the indicators, for example,those that you perceive to be areasfor development, or you could decideto focus on all of them, possiblydividing them up amongst your team.You will also need to agree on ameaningful period over which tomeasure young people’s progress.In a school or youth servicecontext this might be over a singleweek’s residential, or a term’soutdoor activity programme. For acentre it could be a single course or amonth’s programme. For a club itcould be a season’s programme.4

3. Decide how to evaluate the indicatorsyou have chosen. It might be throughobservation, or through debrief andreview with the young people.It might be through feedback fromparticipants in written or videodiaries. Try to think of the indicatorscollectively, not as individual items tobe checked off.4. To what extent are your young peoplemeeting each outcome? You mightfind it helpful to record the result on asimple sliding scale like the oneshown below. For a result beyondthe halfway point, you would wantto be satisfied that most of the youngpeople in your group are meeting orprogressing towards most of theindicators.Low Half way point HighSome of the indicators are moreeasily measurable than others.They are phrased in fairly generalterms to be relevant in the widevariety of contexts in which outdooreducation is delivered. You may beable to set more specific targets andobjectives.5. As a team, discuss the individualevaluations and try to establish apicture across the whole school,youth service, centre or club. If mostof the individual evaluations areabove the halfway point, this wouldsuggest that you are providinghigh-quality outdoor education foryoung people. Where you judge thatyou are below the halfway point, butnone the less are seeing progress,this would suggest you are movingtowards high quality.Obviously, this is, to a greater or lesserdegree, a subjective process. It should,however, enable you to identify areasof comparative strength or weakness,think about what you need to do toimprove or sustain quality, and provide abenchmark to estimate how far you haveprogressed between one evaluation andthe next.Improving and sustaining qualityThe quality you achieve in Outdooreducation will depend on:• how well your head teachers,managers or leaders are creating avision that recognises the benefits ofoutdoor education and assists inmaking it a reality,• how well your teachers and supportstaff, youth workers, instructors orcoaches are inspiring and helpingyoung people to learn and achieve,• the extent to which young people areinvolved in organising and planningtheir own activities,• the extent to which young people,whatever their circumstances, areable to participate in your programme,• the effectiveness of links betweenschools, youth services, centres andclubs in maximising and reinforcingthe learning outcomes for youngpeople.The latter sections of this guide highlightsome of the characteristics ofhigh-quality provision focusing on thepoints above.This is not intended as a definitive guide– use it to help you identify what you arealready doing well and what you couldperhaps do better.Give yourselves a realistic time scalefor any improvements you identifyand during this time concentrate onimproving the impact of your provisionin these areas. At the end of the periodcarry out the evaluation again and seewhether more of your young people haveprogressed towards meeting more of theindicators.Don’t forget that this guide is aboutimproving quality, whatever yourstarting point. A great deal ofhigh-quality outdoor education currentlytakes place in schools, youth services,centres and clubs up and down thecountry. This document is intended tobenchmark, celebrate and build uponthis good work.5

High quality outdoor educationOutcomes and themesWhat are the outcomes ofhigh-quality outdoor education?ParticipationOutdoor education lends itself tothe plan-do-review model of learning.In high-quality outdoor education youngpeople are encouraged to engage in theplanning of their outdoor activities andtake maximum ownership whilstparticipating. Time spent debriefingor reviewing the activity ensures thatlearning outcomes are emphasised,reinforced and applied in the future.When schools, youthorganisations, clubs orcentres are providinghigh-quality outdooreducation, they see youngpeople who:1. Enjoy participating in outdooractivities and adopt a positiveattitude to challenge and adventure.2. Are gaining personal confidenceand self-esteem through taking onchallenges and achieving success.3. Are developing their self-awarenessand social skills, and theirappreciation of the contributionsand achievements of themselvesand of others.Competition andachievementCompetition features in outdooreducation as one means of challengingyoung people to develop theirknowledge, skills and confidence.Competition should be used as a spurto encourage all to strive to do theirbest, and, having done so, to take pridein their achievements.Outdoor education also offers alternativeavenues for physical achievement wherethe only ‘competition’ is inanimate(eg, a rock face or the weather).This sort of challenge frequentlymotivates young people who finddifficulty expressing themselvesphysically in a competitive‘head-to-head’ situation.4. Are becoming alive to the naturalenvironment and understand theimportance of conservation andsustainable development.Residential experienceResidential experiences, opportunitiesfor young people to live away from homeundertaking activities in the companyof their peers, feature prominently inhigh-quality outdoor education.A residential outdoor education course,or extended expedition, offers youngpeople the chance to engage in6

5. Are acquiring and developing arange of skills in outdoor activities,expeditions and exploration.6. Are demonstrating increasedinitiative, self-reliance, responsibility,perseverance and commitment.7. Are developing and extending theirkey skills of communication, problemsolving, leadership and teamwork.8. Are learning to appreciate thebenefits of physical fitness and thelifelong value of participation inhealthy leisure activities.Differentiation andprogressionIn high-quality outdoor education youngpeople are engaged as far as possibleat a level that matches their own abilitiesand development. Activities are plannedthat can be adapted to presentchallenges at different levelsappropriate to different group members,or permit group members to take ondifferent roles. Young people’s progressis monitored to ensure they can becontinually motivated by newchallenges.9. Are displaying an increasedmotivation and appetite for learningthat is contributing to raised levelsof attainment in other aspects oftheir education.10. Are broadening their horizons andbecoming open to a wider range ofemployment opportunities and lifechances.Safety and risk managementadventurous activities in new andchallenging environments awayfrom their local area, with uniqueopportunities for personal and socialdevelopment. They are often among themost memorable experiences of a youngperson’s school career.Outdoor education should always beconducted within a sound frameworkof safety. Responsibility for safetymanagement rests primarily with theleaders and instructors or coaches incharge. However, in high-quality outdooreducation the young people themselvesare actively engaged in the process ofrisk assessment, at the planning stage,whilst undertaking their activities, and indebriefing and review.Risk management is a ‘life skill’ in itsown right. Learning this skill will be ofvalue to young people both in the workplace and in other aspects of their adultlife.7

Outcome 1: EnjoymentYoung people enjoy participating in outdoor activities and adopt a positive attitudeto challenge and adventure.IndicatorsThe young people you work with:• enjoy being outdoors – smile often!• opt into activities and participate fully,• are keen to seek out new challenges,• participate voluntarily in their freetime,• are keen to sign up to activities thatare optional,• talk about their experiences withenthusiasm;additionally, in schools and youthorganisations, they:• encourage their friends to take part,• are keen to find out how to progressfurther (eg, by joining a club);in outdoor education centres, they:• take a full part in all aspects of centrelife,• want to return to the centre andprogress further in the activitiesoffered;and in outdoor activity clubs, they:• attend club activities regularly,• talk about their club with enthusiasm,• encourage their friends to join.If you are providing high-qualityoutdoor education most youngpeople should be meeting orprogressing towards most of theabove indicators.8

Outcome 2: ConfidenceYoung people are gaining personal confidence and self-esteem through taking onchallenges and achieving success.IndicatorsThe young people you work with:• overcome their apprehensions to takepart in challenging activities,• want a second go at things they findchallenging first time,• succeed where before they felt theycould not succeed,• feel proud of what they haveachieved,• want to move forward to the nextchallenge,• talk openly about their successes,and their failures,• feel positive about themselves – havea ‘can-do’ attitude,• display more social confidence– ‘come out of their shell’,• feel they can make a positivecontribution to the success of theirgroup, school or club,• are able to recognise and modifyaspects of behaviour that may restricttheir own achievements.If you are providing high-qualityoutdoor education most youngpeople should be meeting orprogressing towards most of theabove indicators.9

AwarenessOutcome 3: Social awarenessYoung people are developing their self-awareness and social skills, and their appreciationof the contributions and achievements of themselves and of others.IndicatorsThe young people you work with:• are learning to appreciate their ownstrengths and current limitations,• recognise where others can makea stronger contribution thanthemselves,• willingly trust others and accept theirsupport,• recognise where others need supportand willingly offer this,• treat others with tolerance andrespect,• challenge intolerance or lack ofrespect in others,• understand how their own actionsimpact on others,• recognise and modify any aspects ofbehaviour that adversely effecttheir group,• encourage others to achieve,• recognise and applaud theachievements of others, regardless ofhow these compare with their own,• make new friends;additionally, in clubs, schools andyouth organisations, they:• take on roles as ‘junior leaders’,assisting younger or noviceparticipants,• take on roles of responsibility forplanning and organising activities;and in centres or in a residentialsetting they:• contribute to the life of the centrebeyond the activities,• respect others’ private space,• accept their share of domestic duties.If you are providing high-qualityoutdoor education most youngpeople should be meeting orprogressing towards most of theabove indicators.10

AwarenessOutcome 4: Environmental awarenessYoung people are becoming alive to the natural environment and understand theimportance of conservation and sustainable development.IndicatorsThe young people you work with:• have regular access to the outdoorsas a learning resource,• experience a range of differentenvironments in different conditions,• respond positively in challenging oruncomfortable environments(eg, darkness, inclement weather),• understand the impact of theiractivities on the environment,• demonstrate care for the environmentin their own actions (eg, leavingno litter),• are keen to participate inconservation activities,• develop an interest in wider issuesof sustainable development,• appreciate and draw inspirationfrom the natural environment(eg, in oral or written reflection,artwork or photography),• experience and gain respect forthe power of natural forces(eg, wind and waves);additionally, at outdoor educationcentres and on other visits to remoteor wild country, they:• understand the impact of the centre’sactivities on the local environmentand economy,• experience ‘awe and wonder’ inresponse to the natural beauty ofwild environments.If you are providing high-qualityoutdoor education most youngpeople should be meeting orprogressing towards most of theabove indicators.11

Outcome 5: Activity skillsYoung people are acquiring and developing a range of skills in outdoor activities,expeditions and exploration.IndicatorsThe young people you work with:• develop physical skills that they adaptand apply effectively in outdooractivities,• develop relevant mental skills(eg, route planning and navigation),• acquire technical knowledge andskills in the use and care of outdooractivity equipment,• know how to dress appropriately foroutdoor activities,• know what personal kit to bringand how to pack for outdooractivities and expeditions,• understand how to keep themselvescomfortable when living outdoors,• recognise the value of training andpractice in developing skills andimproving performance,• recognise the value of competition asa spur to high performance,• undertake training in first aid andsurvival skills at an appropriate level,• understand something of the historyand ethics underpinning outdoorsports and leisure pursuits.If you are providing high-qualityoutdoor education most youngpeople should be meetingor progressing towards most ofthe above indicators.12

Outcome 6: Personal qualitiesYoung people are demonstrating increased initiative, self-reliance, responsibility,perseverance and commitment.IndicatorsThe young people you work with:• are actively involved in the planningof their outdoor education activities,• arrive on time, properly equipped andprepared for activities,• take responsibility for the care of theirpersonal clothing and equipment,• undertake appropriate tasks withminimum levels of supervision,• demonstrate initiative in overcomingobstacles to their progress,• work towards self-reliance in outdooradventure (eg, unaccompaniedexpeditions),• try hard to succeed at activitiesthey find physically or emotionallychallenging,• set realistic targets for themselvesover an extended period, and keepfocused until they succeed,• persevere with good humour in theface of discomfort (eg, fatigue orinclement weather),• take responsibility for not lettingothers down (eg, expedition groups,club teams);additionally, in clubs, they:• seldom miss training sessions,• make an effort to support other clubactivities (eg, fund raising),• take on positions of responsibility(eg, as junior committee members);and in centres or in a residentialsetting they:• take care of their personalpossessions, their dormitory areasand their personal hygiene.If you are providing high-qualityoutdoor education most youngpeople should be meeting orprogressing towards most of theabove indicators.13

SkillsOutcome 7: Key skillsYoung people are developing and extending their key skills of communication, problemsolving, leadership and teamwork.IndicatorsThe young people you work with:• listen to instructions (eg, safetybriefings) and respond accordingly,• come up with ideas and are able toexpress them,• understand the importance oflistening to the ideas and opinionsof others,• are able to describe their experiencesorally or in writing (or using video andIT skills),• work co-operatively in planningactivities and solving problems,• are willing to try out a variety of ideasin order to find out what will work,• vary and adapt what they do inresponse to changing circumstances,• understand how team members takeon different roles to achieve success,• are able to take on a leadership rolewhere appropriate,• are willing to step back and allowothers to take a leadership role,• are able to help their group arrive at ateam decision and implement it.If you are providinghigh-quality outdooreducation most youngpeople should bemeeting orprogressingtowardsmost ofthe aboveindicators.14

FitnessOutcome 8: Health and fitnessYoung people are learning to appreciate the benefits of physical fitness and the lifelongvalue of participation in healthy leisure activities.IndicatorsThe young people you work with:• keep themselves fit through regularphysical activity,• have a positive self-image,• talk about the benefits to their healthof participation in physical outdooractivities,• eat healthily, taking account of theenergy requirements of outdooractivities,• understand the risks to fitness andhealth posed by smoking, alcoholand drugs, and set an example intheir own lifestyle;additionally, in schools, they:• walk or cycle to school (where this isa realistic and safe option) or takeother regular exercise in additionto timetabled PE,• want to continue their interest inoutdoor activities beyond school andinto adult life (eg, by joining localactivity clubs);at centres or in a residentialsetting they:• adopt a healthy lifestyle, includinghealthy eating appropriate to thedemands of their activities,• sign up for opportunities to returnto the centre independently toparticipate in follow up courseswhere these are available;and in activity clubs they:• understand how hard and how muchthey should train in order to balancethe needs of their chosen activitywith a healthy lifestyle.If you are providing high-qualityoutdoor education most youngpeople should be meeting orprogressing towards most of theabove indicators.15

MotivationOutcome 9: Increased motivationand appetite for learningYoung people are displaying an increased motivation and appetite for learning that iscontributing to raised levels of attainment in other aspects of their education.IndicatorsThe young people you work with:• always aim to achieve their best,• are, or are becoming, self-motivatedlearners,• show a desire for new challengesand learning experiences,• have good or improving relationshipswith teachers, youth workers oradult leaders,• display good or improving behaviour;additionally, in schools, they:• talk positively about school,• have a good or improvingrecord of attendance,• demonstrate raised levelsof attainment in other areas ofthe curriculum,• participate in a variety of aspectsof school life,• draw inspiration from theiroutdoor activities in other subjects(eg, creative writing or art).If you are providing high-qualityoutdoor education most youngpeople should be meeting orprogressing towards most of theabove indicators.16

HorizonsOutcome 10: Broadened horizonsYoung people are broadening their horizons and becoming open to a wider range ofemployment opportunities and life chances.IndicatorsThe young people you work with:• are exposed to and becoming moreaware of different environments andcultures,• are becoming more open-mindedand less likely to express bigotedviews,• are happy to leave behind thecomfort of familiar environmentsand routines,• perceive a wider range of careeroptions open to them and talkpositively about these,• appreciate the work place relevanceof key skills such as communicationand teamwork,• appreciate the attractiveness toemployers of self-reliance andcommitment,• are aware, if appropriate, ofemployment opportunities in outdoorrecreation, and the pathways tothese,• are aware of opportunities to gainand use coaching qualifications intheir chosen activity,• respond to opportunities to volunteertheir time to help others,• continue to participate in outdooractivities, independent expeditions ortravel, after they leave your school orclub,• always aim higher, and aspire toachieve in life to their fullestpotential.If you are providing high-qualityoutdoor education mostyoung people should bemeeting or progressingtowards most of theabove indicators.17

What do schools, youth organisations, outdoorcentres and clubs need to do to provide high-qualityoutdoor education for young people?High-quality leadership and management:• creating the vision,• making the vision a reality.High-quality teaching, youth workand coaching:• inspiring young people to learn and achieve,• helping young people learn and achieve.18

Creating the visionIn schools and youth services thatprovide high-quality outdooreducation, head teachers andmanagers:• recognise what outdoor educationcan achieve for young people,• set high expectations of whatindividual young people, and thewhole school or service, can achievethrough outdoor education,• explain the impact of outdooreducation on learning andachievement across the curriculumin a way that everyone involved canunderstand,• review the outcomes and celebrateyoung people’s achievements.In activity clubs that providehigh-quality outdoor education,club leaders:• recognise what the activity canachieve for each young member andthe whole club,• set high expectations of what eachmember can achieve through theclub’s activities,• explain the wider benefits ofparticipation for young people ina way that everyone involved inthe club and wider community canunderstand,• review the outcomes and celebrateyoung people’s achievements.In centres that provide high-qualityoutdoor education, heads of centreand managers:• recognise what outdoor educationcan achieve for each young person,• set high expectations of whateach group attending the centrecan achieve through their outdooreducation experience,• explain the value and outcomesof outdoor education in a waythat centre staff, visiting teachersand youth workers, and the widercommunity can understand,• review the outcomes and celebrateyoung people’s achievements.Making the vision a realityIn schools and youth servicesthat provide high-quality outdooreducation, head teachers andmanagers:• are creative in providing the time,staff, equipment and resources toenable young people to learn andachieve,• encourage and support the staffinvolved and provide professionaldevelopment opportunities,• listen to young people and takeaccount of what they say,• involve parents/carers and listen toand take account of what they say,• monitor the impact of outdooreducation to ensure the school’s oryouth service’s vision is met.In activity clubs that providehigh-quality outdoor education,club leaders:• manage the club in a way thatsecures its long-term sustainability,• create an environment that is safeand welcoming to young people,• are creative in providing enough time,coaches, resources and equipment toenable young members to achieve,• encourage and develop their coachesand volunteers who work with youngpeople,• listen to young members and takeaccount of what they say,• inform and involve parents/carers andlisten to and take account of whatthey say,• monitor the impact of theirprogrammes for young people toensure that the club’s vision is met.In centres that provide high-qualityoutdoor education, heads of centreand managers:• are creative in providing enough time,staff, resources and equipment toenable young people to learn andachieve,• create an environment that iswelcoming to young people,• encourage and support their staff andprovide professional developmentopportunities,• listen to young people and takeaccount of what they say,• involve visiting staff, and parents/carers and take account of what theysay,• monitor the impact of theirprogrammes to ensure the centre’svision, and the aims of their clientgroups, are met.19

Inspiring young peopleto learn and achieveIn schools, youth services, centresand clubs that provide high-qualityoutdoor education, staff workingwith young people:• show commitment and enthusiasm,• provide positive role models,• show confidence in young people’sability to make progress and achieve,• listen to young people and value whatthey say and do,• raise young people’s aspirations,• take pride in and celebrate youngpeople’s successes,• develop their own expertise asactivity leaders and outdooreducators.20

Helping young peoplelearn and achieveIn schools, youth services, centresand clubs that provide high-qualityoutdoor education, staff working withyoung people:• share and discuss with young peoplewhat they expect them to achieve,and involve them in setting targets,• take into account what young peoplehave already learnt and identify thenext steps in their progression,• provide young people with relevantactivities in environments thatinterest, challenge and motivatethem,• provide opportunities for youngpeople to review and evaluate theirown and others’ progress,• give young people advice andsupport to guide their learning, butalso allow them time to think, reflectand make decisions for themselves,• make effective use of the time, staff,equipment and resources available,• ensure a safe environment whilst alsoenabling young people understandand assess the risks involved andtransfer this skill to other areas oftheir life,• have a clear plan of action that setsout what they individually need to doto realise the organisation’s vision foroutdoor education.21

Why is it important to haveeffective partnerships?Effective links between schools,youth organisations and activityclubs enable young people to:• make the most of their experiencesand learning in the different settings,• feel comfortable in a club setting and,as a result, be more likely to continuethe activity when they leave school,• try new activities, in a range of newand challenging outdoorenvironments.Young people benefit most where thereare clear links between the learningopportunities on offer in school, youthservice or activity club settings.Schools and clubs that work closelytogether provide the best opportunitiesfor progression and achievement.Effective links between schools andcentres enable young people to:• make the most of their experiencesand learning in both settings,• feel comfortable away from theirschool site, and arrive ready to learnin a new setting,• build on activities started at schooland try new activities, in new andchallenging outdoor environments,• Relate their experiences at the centreback to their work at school.Young people progress and achievemost from courses at outdooreducation centres if schools andcentres work closely together andthere is a clear link between theteaching and learning at the centreand at the school. The same istrue for visits to outdooreducation centresorganised by youth groups.22

What makes aneffective link?When schools, youth organisationsand activity clubs work well togetherthey:• talk to each other and respect eachother’s contribution,• promote each other’s activities,• provide opportunities for all youngpeople, regardless of theirbackground,• share a common approach toworking with young people, and havesimilar expectations of them,• share a common approach toinvolving parents and carers andcommunicate well with them,• build on what young people learn inboth settings,• collaborate in the development ofteaching and coaching expertise,• share facilities, equipment andresources,• understand the framework withinwhich the other partner operates(for example the roles andresponsibilities of local authorityoutdoor education advisers andnational governing bodies).When schools or youth services andoutdoor education centres work welltogether they:• liaise closely with each other wellbefore, during and after the course atthe centre,• respect each other’s educationalaims and ethos, and are prepared toadapt to establish a common set ofaims and objectives for the course,• strive to provide opportunities for allyoung people to participate,regardless of their background,• establish a common approach toworking with young people andagreed expectations,• share a common approach toinvolving and informing parentsand carers,• enable young people to build on whatthey learn in both settings (forexample, by using a residentialcentre experience as part of acoherent scheme of work inoutdoor education over a longerperiod),• agree procedures for recording andassessing young people’s work andcelebrating their achievements,• encourage visiting teachers or youthworkers to contribute effectively to allaspects of the centre course,• encourage and enable visiting andcentre staff to learn from each other’steaching, coaching or youth workstyles, and share expertise,• agree and clearly understand thedivision of roles and responsibilitiesbetween centre and visiting staff, andensure these are communicated tothe young people.23

The outcomes ofeffective partnershipsWhen schools, centres, youthorganisations and activity clubs workwell together, young people:• understand how their experienceswithin and away from schoolcomplement each other, and areable to work confidently in differentsettings,• feel comfortable working with arange of people from differentbackgrounds and of different agesand abilities,• are able to develop their skills in newand challenging situations,• are able to balance their commitmentto, and involvement with, theirschool, youth group or activity club,• are able to transfer their learningbetween different settings, and intotheir everyday lives.24

Finding out moreThe following websites provide information that can helpyou to sustain or improve the quality of outdoor educationin your school, club, or outdoor centre.For information on outdoor andadventurous activities within PE andschool sport (including Step into Sport,school-club links and the professionaldevelopment programme), visit:www.teachernet.gov.uk/peFor information on pupil health andsafety on off-site educational visits, visit:www.teachernet.gov.uk/visitsFor information on the AdventureActivities Licensing Authority, visit:www.aala.org.ukFor information about the work of theOutdoor Education Adviser’s Panel andto find your local outdoor educationadviser, visit: www.oeap.infoFor information on the NationalCurriculum, visit the National Curriculumonline: www.qca.org.uk/ncFor information on the inspection ofschools and LEA outdoor educationcentres, visit the Ofsted site:www.ofsted.gov.ukFor information on activity clubsaffiliated to the nationalgoverning/representative bodies foroutdoor adventure activities, visit:• The British Canoe Union:www.bcu.org.uk• The British Orienteering Federation:www.britishorienteering.org.uk• The British Mountaineering Council:www.thebmc.co.uk• The British Caving Association:www.british-caving.org.uk• The Royal Yachting Association:www.rya.org.uk• SnowSport GB:www.snowsportgb.com/For information on theDuke of Edinburgh’s Award, visit:www.theaward.org/For information on the Youth SportsTrust’s ‘Top Outdoors’ programme, visit:www.youthsporttrust.org/For further information onOrdnance Survey, visit:www.ordnancesurvey.co.ukFor information on the Institute forOutdoor Learning’s work to encourageparticipation in outdoor education andtraining, visit The Institute for OutdoorLearning website:www.outdoor-learning.orgFor information on outdoor educationcentres, visit:• The Association of Heads of OutdoorEducation Centres website:www.ahoec.org• The British Activity HolidayAssociation website:www.baha.org.uk25

For information about the work of the Outdoor EducationAdviser’s Panel and to find your local outdoor educationadviser, visit: www.oeap.info from whom further copiescan be obtained.In addition you can contact The Institute of OutdoorLearning Bookshop at www.outdoor-learning.orgThe publishers would like to express their gratefulthanks to Ordnance Survey for sponsoring,designing and printing the guide and to theOutdoor Industries Association for facilitatingthe sponsorship.