Joining the Dots (Part 3): Keeping up the momentum

Last month I had the privilege of presenting the findings of the APPG for Outdoor Learning's Access and Equity Report in Westminster. The report itself did not reveal anything entirely new, as the barriers it identifies are familiar: affordability, transport, workforce capacity and unequal access to provision. However, the launch also enabled more than fifty representatives from across the outdoor learning sector, alongside MPs including Tim Farron and Caroline Voaden, to come together with a shared purpose.

In a previous blog, I suggested that despite the diversity of organisations, interests and approaches within outdoor learning, there may be five shared priorities capable of bringing the sector together:

• Access for all

• Quality and professionalism

• Embedding outdoor learning in education and policy

• Demonstrating impact

• Nature connection and sustainability

  
  

Reflecting on the discussions in Westminster, what struck me was the degree to which apparently separate initiatives seem to be moving in a similar direction. While organisations may use different language and pursue different objectives, many are addressing very similar challenges. Much of it may be happening independently, led by different organisations pursuing different objectives, but there are also a number of collaborative initiatives.

None of this is entirely new. For many years, conversations across the sector have returned to familiar themes: the need for stronger collaboration, a clearer collective identity, a more robust evidence base, and more effective advocacy. The recurring challenge has been how to position outdoor learning as contributors to wider outcomes in education, health, wellbeing, community development and the economy. Many of these themes continue to resonate today, but what feels different now is the extent to which organisations are actively addressing them through research, programmes, partnerships and advocacy.

We may be further along the road to a 'joined-up' sector than we sometimes recognise. This article explores some of the emerging themes and priorities. Readers looking for examples of current initiatives, programmes and research can find them in the accompanying Snapshot of Sector Activity article.

1. Access for all

The Access and Equity Report highlights persistent inequalities in participation, yet some of the most significant developments in the sector are already focused on addressing this challenge. Programmes designed to remove financial barriers, government investment in enrichment and nature-based learning, and targeted work with underrepresented groups all point towards a growing recognition that access cannot be left to chance.

A recurring theme of the Report was the need to improve access to outdoor learning, adventure and residential experiences for children and young people who currently face the greatest barriers to participation. Other organisations are tackling specific aspects of this challenge, with work on inclusion, campaigns to protect educational visits from additional costs, and current discussions around youth sector investment all reflecting a broader concern with ensuring that outdoor learning remains available to those who could benefit most.

Achieving this requires more than just creating additional opportunities. It also depends on understanding the policy and funding environment that shapes access. Changes to policy initiatives, such as the Primary PE and Sport Premium, can have significant consequences for schools' ability to invest in outdoor learning, and where organisations are working in isolation, these developments can be easy to miss. A more connected sector can undertake horizon scanning, share intelligence and speak with a stronger collective voice when policy decisions are likely to affect participation.

These initiatives have different origins and different purposes, but together they suggest a growing recognition that widening participation requires deliberate action rather than relying on opportunity alone.

2. Quality and professionalism

Quality is increasingly understood as a collective responsibility. A recurring message within research is that outcomes are influenced less by the activity itself than by the quality of the experience, including the relationships, pedagogy and reflection that surround it. Considerable work focuses on standards, guidance and workforce development, while the OEAP National Guidance remains a cornerstone of educational visits planning.

Quality assurance schemes offer external recognition of good practice. The Institute for Outdoor Learning's work on high quality outdoor learning, the Collective Knowledge Project and fellowship pathways all reflecting a sector investing in professional practice. Elsewhere, NGBs and training providers are assessing their offers to ensure that they are fit for purpose in a changing landscape of sector needs, workforce pressures and funding constraints. These developments may not always attract attention beyond the sector itself, but they matter.

Many of these developments involve collaboration between organisations, researchers and practitioners, reflecting a recognition that quality is not simply the responsibility of individual providers but is strengthened through shared standards, collective learning and ongoing professional dialogue.

If outdoor learning is to be recognised as a valuable part of education and youth development, it needs a workforce supported by robust standards, clear pathways and a culture of continuous improvement. It also needs these standards to be recognised beyond the sector itself by clients as indicators of quality and value, so there is an overarching need  for the sector to promote them.

3. Embedding outdoor learning in education and policy

One of the most encouraging messages from the Access and Equity Report is that there appears to be broad agreement about the value of outdoor learning from the key school and youth sub-sectors. Evidence of this can be seen across the UK: in Wales, outdoor learning is explicitly recognised within curriculum developments and the Welsh Outdoor Manifesto. In Scotland, the Residential Outdoor Education Act has demonstrated what can happen when political support translates into legislation, while in England, MP Caroline Voaden's Outdoor Education Bill has stimulated debate about the place of outdoor learning within education and young people's lives.

At the same time, government investment in enrichment and nature-based learning suggests increasing recognition that outdoor learning can contribute to broader educational and social priorities. What links these developments is a growing recognition that outdoor learning contributes to outcomes that policymakers already care about. The opportunity now is to consolidate and build on this progress and move towards embedded practice.

The APPG report showed that practitioners directly involved with the long term development of children and young people appreciate the benefits of outdoor learning but face significant challenges in creating the opportunities for it to happen.

4. Demonstrating impact

The outdoor learning sector has a rich archive of stories about impact. Increasingly, however, the demand for evidence is becoming more focused. The Access and Equity Report itself represents part of that shift, bringing together research, programme evaluations and practitioner perspectives to provide a clearer understanding of participation and access. Alongside this, research into belonging, wellbeing, workforce diversity, learning and personal development is helping build a richer picture of both who participates and what difference outdoor learning can make.

Outdoor learning is becoming connected to wider conversations about attendance, mental health, employability, resilience, social development and young people's futures. Being able to evidence specific outcomes related to government priority areas supports investment and prioritisation across not just education, but also health, youth, environment and employment agendas. A stronger evidence base not only helps us understand outdoor learning better but helps others recognise its contribution to wider social and educational priorities.

5. Nature connection and sustainability

The nature connection and sustainability agenda is evolving, with an increasing number of initiatives focusing on ensuring that children and young people have meaningful opportunities to engage with nature. Meanwhile, the expansion of green social prescribing demonstrates how relationships with nature are coming to be viewed through the lenses of health, wellbeing and community development rather than environmental education alone.

Schools, environmental charities, health services, community groups and outdoor learning providers are increasingly working towards overlapping goals. Nature connection is therefore no longer a standalone concern but sits at the intersection of learning, wellbeing, sustainability and social equity, connecting many of the themes running through the sector's wider work.

From shared priorities to collective purpose

Looking across these five priorities, it is clear that there is considerable developmental activity  happening across the outdoor learning  sector. Organisations are widening access, improving standards, generating evidence, influencing policy and deepening opportunities for nature connection. While most of this work has emerged independently in response to specific challenges and opportunities, these initiatives together begin to look like parts of a much larger picture.

At the end of the Westminster session, attendees identified sector join-up, awareness and funding as key priorities. Across access, quality, policy, impact and sustainability there appears to be a growing degree of alignment. The challenge is developing the mechanisms, relationships and collective voice needed to connect these efforts and translate them into lasting change.

You can read more about current sector initiatives here.