The authors warn that with an over-burdened classroom curriculum, busier family lives and a risk-averse society, children are being denied opportunities to develop ‘character capabilities’, such as self-regulation.
Having outdoor learning recognised by policymakers was the best way to change culture, claims The Student Outcomes and Natural Schooling - Pathways from Evidence to Impact Report 2016.
The paper highlights how over the last decade five significant reviews have flagged the need for more experience in nature.
But they have triggered only patchy improvements, and more needs to be done.
One of the authors, Sue Waite of Plymouth University, said, ‘At the moment, if outdoor learning is part of a school’s curriculum in England, it is largely because the teachers recognise the values of it.
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