Outdoor education isn't an 'extra' – it's an investment in young people

When Caroline Voaden MP introduced the Outdoor Education Bill in Parliament last week, she highlighted a concern shared by many parents, teachers and youth organisations: today's children are spending less time outdoors than previous generations.

Whether or not the Bill progresses, it has started an important conversation about the role outdoor learning should play in education. At the Countryside Alliance Foundation, it is a conversation we welcome.

For 19 years, our educational initiative, Fishing for Schools, has shown that learning beyond the classroom isn't simply a welcome change of scenery – it can be transformative.

Today's young people are growing up in a world of increasing academic pressure, rising anxiety and more time spent in front of screens than ever before. At the same time, opportunities to connect with nature are becoming increasingly limited. While schools work incredibly hard to meet these challenges, outdoor learning can offer something that traditional classrooms often cannot.

It provides space to build confidence, resilience and communication skills through practical experience.

This is something we see every week through Fishing for Schools. Many of the young people we work with have struggled in mainstream education or face barriers to learning, including low confidence, anxiety or additional educational needs. On the riverbank, however, they often discover strengths they didn't know they had.

Through angling, pupils learn patience, perseverance, teamwork and problem-solving. They gain confidence by overcoming challenges, supporting one another and achieving goals that once seemed beyond reach. Just as importantly, they develop a lasting appreciation for the countryside, wildlife and the natural environment.

These experiences complement classroom learning rather than compete with it. Young people who feel more engaged, confident and motivated are often better equipped to succeed when they return to school.

The parliamentary debate reflects what our coaches and partner schools have witnessed for many years: outdoor education has the power to change lives. It equips young people not only with practical skills but also with the resilience, curiosity and self-belief that will benefit them long into adulthood.

Rather than asking whether schools can afford to spend more time learning outdoors, perhaps we should be asking whether we can afford not to.

Over the past 19 years, Fishing for Schools has worked with more than 170 schools and supported over 4,500 young people across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Every session demonstrates the value of stepping away from the classroom and into the natural world.

Whatever the future of the Outdoor Education Bill, we hope it encourages more schools, policymakers and organisations to recognise the importance of meaningful outdoor learning. Because investing in opportunities to learn in nature is ultimately an investment in happier, healthier and more resilient young people.