The Curriculum and Assessment Review: Making Outdoor Learning a Right for Every Young Person

by James Blake, Chief Executive of YHA (Youth Hostels Association).

The Curriculum and Assessment Review recognises something many of us have long understood: education extends far beyond the classroom. So the government’s recent commitment to institute a new entitlement to enrichment activities  for pupils – including access to nature, outdoor and adventure activities – is a welcome step towards a more rounded and equitable education system.

For too long, opportunity has been uneven, with a child’s access to enrichment shaped by their circumstances – where they live, how much their family earns, and the opportunities around them. Forty per cent of white pupils eligible for free school meals take part in no enrichment activity at all. Meanwhile, nearly half of England’s most disadvantaged communities are located more than 15 miles from a National Park or protected landscape, often with poor public transport links. For many children, the chance to explore and learn outdoors never comes.

But the evidence is clear: time spent in nature transforms young lives. When children learn outdoors, they return to the classroom calmer, more confident, and more engaged, with a stronger sense of belonging and purpose.

Generation Green showed what is possible. Backed by Defra and delivered by Access Unlimited – a coalition of not-for-profit youth organisations, school residential outdoor providers, and protected landscape managers – Generation Green connected more than 125,000 young people, often from socially disadvantaged areas, with nature through structured outdoor learning, residentials, farm visits, and camping trips.

In the most recent second round of the Generation Green programme, more than 38% of participants had never been to the countryside, and 57% had never stayed overnight in nature. After taking part, 80% of participants said they would not have had such an opportunity without the funding. Independent evaluation by the University of Derby found measurable improvements in wellbeing, confidence and environmental understanding.

As one teacher put it, “Nature gave them confidence, peace and happiness. They found themselves outdoors.”

Outdoor learning delivers far-reaching benefits. It improves attainment, attendance and wellbeing; builds confidence, resilience and leadership; and inspires interest in green skills and careers. It also nurtures environmental responsibility from childhood. Despite this, access remains deeply unequal, and with Generation Green funding now ended, the gap is only set to widen.

This government’s commitment to establishing enrichment as an entitlement in education gives us a vital opportunity to change this, to build on the success of Generation Green and to promote core Labour values of opportunity and equality by making outdoor learning a guaranteed part of every child’s education. To succeed, this must become a clear, funded commitment, ensuring every young person can experience high quality outdoor learning, including at least one residential trip in both primary and secondary school.

Embedding outdoor education within the curriculum and the enrichment framework – supported by a comprehensive strategy on widening public access to nature, as promised by Defra – will help make access universal and sustainable.

If we want confident, capable learners who value community and have care for the world around them, outdoor learning must sit at the heart of education reform. In a digital age where young people increasingly spend their time online, being able to connect with society and nature is more important than ever.

A child’s postcode should never define their opportunities or potential. The Curriculum and Assessment Review gives us the chance to make that principle real and make outdoor learning a right, not a privilege.