Countryside Alliance briefing note: Outdoor Education

The Countryside Alliance firmly supports outdoor education and plays a direct role in providing it through our Fishing for Schools programme. 

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Fishing for Schools is a programme for 10-16-year-olds that uses fishing as a pathway to engage and inspire an enjoyment of learning and nature. Now in its 18th year, Fishing for Schools continues to make a difference across the country, helping young people build confidence, learn new skills and connect with the natural world.

Campaigners for outdoor education more broadly have focused on securing a guarantee of a formal programme of residential outdoor education for all pupils as a standard element of the curriculum.  While Fishing for Schools is not a residential scheme, we believe it could prove complementary to any such programme.

The campaign has been adopted as a cross-party effort across England, Wales and Scotland, with Private Members’ Bills introduced in each jurisdiction. To date, however, none has progressed beyond the early parliamentary stages.

Outdoor education opportunities represent a potentially transformative contribution to a child’s learning and personal growth that could not be successfully replicated in the confines of the classroom. This is especially true for children whose personal and family circumstances do not otherwise permit them to engage in outdoor pursuits.

In addition to the individual benefits to participating children, outdoor education stands to fulfil the broader social purpose of addressing the divide that exists between rural and urban communities, fostering understanding of the realities of life in the natural world and thereby promoting social accord.