It’s great outdoors
As a primary school teacher, I was intrigued but ultimately disappointed with Louise Tickle’s article on outdoor education (Wild wisdom, March 2020). The idea of teaching outdoors is hugely exciting and preferable to many teachers I know, but the article spends very little time dealing with the challenges this would present to an urban or innercity primary school. For change to occur, it has to come at government level. At present, for me to take my children out, it involves taking all of the teaching assistants across Key Stage 2, which isn’t feasible on
a daily or even weekly basis. It would be interesting to see a response from the Department for Education and any plans it has to enable schools to work outdoors regularly but, sadly, I think this is something that has not been thought about in any detail at that level.
Andy Rhodes, Leeds
Persuading politicians and civil servants that outdoor learning is of enough value to change the way teaching and learning happens is certainly something that a consortium led by The Wildlife Trusts is aiming to achieve – through their Nature Friendly Schools project, with more than 300 schools involved across the country.
I was interested to read about the Outdoor Learning in Primary Education degree and fully support this. I’ve recently completed the PGCE in Outdoor Activities at Bangor University, and the areas mentioned were very common when discussed with other teachers. However, many just don’t have the confidence in running activities outdoors for worry of ratios, risk assessments and the lessons being perceived as just ‘play’.
Whilst I agree outdoor play should be a legal requirement in primary, why not secondary as well? Statistics show they spend even less time in parks, etc. They’re a generation that will help encourage the next far quicker than the current primary-aged children.
Joanne Parker, via email
I agree that children in both primary and secondary school would benefit from more of their learning being done outdoors. But it won’t just need more teachers who are trained to feel confident to deliver their teaching differently – it will require more senior leaders who are willing to think creatively, and who will let them.
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