What is happening across the sector? A snapshot of current activity
Updated: 20 hours ago
November 2026
This article provides a selective snapshot of sector activity under the five headings suggested in the most recent ‘Joining the dots’ blog. The examples are specifically related to outdoor learning.
The snapshot is not meant to be exclusive or definitive. Many organisations in the sector operate across multiple spheres of interest so there will be numerous initiatives that are not mentioned in this first pass, but which nevertheless contribute to the wider goals. If there is something missing that your organisation is doing that should be added, let me know. Building the picture demonstrates the breadth of activity already taking place and can help to focus attention on where the gaps are.
1. Access for all
Outdoor learning should be available to everyone, regardless of background, geography or circumstance. This requires attention to affordability, equity and participation.
A number of recent projects and initiatives are contributing to our understanding of the factors affecting access. The APPG Access and Equity report draws on available data sets, academic research, large scale government funded programme evaluations, and the findings from a survey that was sent out to school and youth practitioners, managers and leaders, providers of outdoor learning, and advisors and consultants who support the development of outdoor learning. The research confirms that access is inequitable and that various factors - socioeconomic disadvantage, ethnicity, SEND - intersect and accumulate to create an unequal picture of access, especially as provision becomes more complex.
Inequitable access doesn’t only apply to participation. Recent research into the ethnic diversity of the sector workforce revealed an overwhelmingly white workforce. The CLOtC Different journeys report highlighted the regional disparities evident in access to residentials and suggested a relationship with the prevalence of free school meals eligibility and participation, reinforcing the APPG survey finding that it was children and young people facing socio-economic disadvantage who are most likely to miss out on outdoor learning experiences.
Adventures Away from Home was DCMS funded to the tune of £8.6m over four years, and over the last year and 31000 participants - an average cost per head of £151 and has shown that participation can be increased when barriers are removed, enabling 60000 young people overall to access a range of day and multiday outdoor adventure experiences. That programme has clearly evidenced outcome’s but has now stopped as funding priorities within the DCMS change.
The enrichment framework, especially through the ‘Nature, Outdoors and Adventure’ strand offers opportunities for outdoor learning. It is framed as an entitlement but whether this will translate into the ambition for an entitlement for all it is too early to say. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), in strategic partnership with the Department for Education (DfE), is investing funding across three years to support up to 400 schools in the most deprived areas of England to provide a youth-led, tailored enrichment offer. As part of the programme, schools will also be supported to meet the benchmarks set out in the Enrichment Framework. Current work on the £22.5m Enrichment Expansion Programme involves CLOtC and UK Youth working with other system partners to support 400 schools to identify gaps in their current offer, develop enrichment plans, and connect with local partners to expand opportunities for their pupils.
Government funding into the National Education Nature Park has led to grants of £15.2m to1829 settings. These grants are largely contributing to resources and equipment, which are enablers to participation. The programme is designed around a five-step cycle that involves mapping out school sites, making decisions about how to improve them for people and wildlife, before creating and developing habitats. Resources support the integration of these activities into the curriculum.
There are also a number of initiatives being undertaken by individual and groups organisations, often targeting specific underrepresented groups.
Bendrigg Trust and Equal Adventure both offer accessibility, disability awareness, and inclusive outdoor training.
The Muslim Youth Alliance is campaigning for equitable access to the outdoors.
The YHA are leading a campaign to exempt educational visits from the rural visitor levy
UK Youth are leading calls to reassess how the government's new Youth Matters Fund is allocated as many outdoor learning centres fall outside the geographic eligibility criteria and will miss out on capital funding that could support infrastructure development.
Campaigns seeking systemic change are also evident. The Nature Premium campaign is advocating for dedicated investment in children's access to nature through education, reflecting growing recognition of the role that outdoor learning can play in supporting educational, wellbeing and environmental outcomes. As with other sector-led initiatives, it demonstrates how organisations are increasingly working together to influence policy and create more equitable access to outdoor learning opportunities.
Water safety education is another area where collaboration is evident. National initiatives such as Swim Safe, alongside growing involvement from outdoor learning providers, are helping more young people access essential water safety knowledge and skills. As schools, charities and outdoor organisations increasingly work together in this area, water safety provides a practical example of how shared priorities can be addressed through partnership and coordinated delivery.
These initiatives demonstrate that improving access is already a significant area of activity across the sector. While individual organisations may focus on different barriers and audiences, a common thread is the recognition that access requires deliberate action, investment, partnership and advocacy if outdoor learning is to become available to all children and young people who could benefit from it.
2. Quality and professionalism
Greater recognition of outdoor learning depends upon consistently high-quality experiences, supported by strong professional practice, standards and workforce development.
Alongside access, there is growing emphasis on quality, standards and professional recognition. Academic research reviews consistently highlight the importance of what happens during outdoor learning experiences over the venue or type of experience where pedagogy and relationships build on supporting structures to influence outcomes.
Numerous organisations are contributing. For example:
The IOL’s Guide to High Quality Outdoor Learning has been adapted for educational establishments and a specific youthwork focused version is due to be published soon.
AAOLEV/ OEAP National Guidance continues to be the definitive freely available resource base for organising educational visits.
Sector quality assurance schemes continue to grow and develop. The LOtC quality badge, AHOEC Gold, and BAPA accreditations sit alongside, e.g., FSA Forest School quality standards.
Research and knowledge of the sector and practice continue to develop:
The Collective Knowledge project intends to connect relevant knowledge and information to individuals and providers in the sector to reduce incidents, improve quality of provision, and support individual / provider development by encouraging a greater understanding of safety and risk management.
The Journal of Adventure Education and Learning (JAEOL) - IOL members will soon have access to the journal articles online as a membership benefit.
IOL’s Horizons magazine share articles from practice and research.
A range of NGB and activity specific publications sit alongside webinars, conferences and seminars, contributing to practice development for outdoor practitioners, teachers, youth workers and health professionals.
Sector conferences: CLOtC, IOL, AHOEC, AAOLEV, Bushcraft, Accessible Outdoor Learning, Forest Schools Association, Outdoor learning teachers, Association for Outdoor Therapy, Outdoor Industries Association, Royal Geographic Society, NGBs…
NGB qualifications continue to be reviewed - most recently MTE commissioned research - to ensure they are fit for purpose. CPD is now embedded into many.
Research summaries and strategic research agendas are being developed.
Workforce development is emerging as another area of shared focus. Although activity is taking place through a range of organisations and initiatives, a common concern is ensuring that the sector can attract, develop and retain a skilled and diverse workforce capable of meeting future demand. Examples include:
Level 3 outdoor activity instructor apprenticeships and bespoke training schemes
IOL fellowship pathways.
Understanding challenges to employment through cultural barriers.
ITC’s new Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training (Outdoor Learning Specialist), Forest School qualifications and Level 3 Award in Learning Beyond the Classroom all support the development of practitioners, and a new outdoor learning-focused youth work qualification is imminent.
Sector challenges
Alongside these developments, a number of challenges continue to affect workforce development, professional pathways and sector sustainability. These include changes to qualification pathways, the loss of specialist provision and ongoing discussions about how quality and safety are assured.
Reductions in access to level 3 BTEC / NCFE courses with defunding due in 2028.
Loss of level 5 outdoor specialist and its associated funding.
Closure of degree courses and Masters programmes (including most recently at the University of Edinburgh) due to funding.
Cessation of level 1 and 2 Agored Cymru ‘Learning in the Outdoors’ qualifications in Wales from 2027.
Elsewhere, the recently announced review of the AALA licensing scheme being led on behalf of the sector by AAIAC and Adventure UK provides both a challenge to the sector and an opportunity. Amid sector funding challenges, the review offers an opportunity to consider how safety and quality can be assured in ways that are proportionate, cost-effective and reflective of both current practice and contemporary risks. It also illustrates the importance of collective leadership in responding to issues that affect the sector as a whole.
3. Embedded in learning and policy
Outdoor learning is most effective when it is not treated as an occasional enhancement, but as an integral part of education and lifelong development.
One of the most positive findings from the APPG report is that the value of outdoor learning appears to be widely accepted amongst practitioners working with children and young people in schools and youth settings. The challenge is not convincing people that it matters, but creating the conditions that enable schools and youth organisations to deliver it consistently, which is where policy becomes important. The development of enrichment frameworks, increasing attention to belonging, discussions around youth transitions and employability, and policy developments in Scotland and Wales all suggest that outdoor learning is intersecting with wider educational and social priorities.
Outdoor learning features in the Welsh Outdoor Manifesto, where there is explicit focus on the curriculum for Wales. Outdoor learning still has some way to go in England before it achieves the status granted in Scotland under the Curriculum for Excellence. However, the successful passing into law of the Residential outdoor education (Scotland) Act has stimulated debate and questions in Westminster. MP Caroline Voaden’s Outdoor Education Bill in England is due a second reading, while DfE and DCMS responses to parliamentary questions suggest increasing recognition of the value of outdoor learning.
That recognition is also reflected in government-supported initiatives such as AAFH, the Enrichment Framework and the NENP. The sums of money involved are still relatively modest but they do indicate support. The opportunity now is to move beyond seeing outdoor learning as an occasional enhancement and towards positioning it as a meaningful contributor to outcomes that governments and other institutions already care about.
The All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) for Outdoor Learning and Outdoor Recreation and Access to Nature raise the profile of outdoor learning in Westminster and provide opportunities for the sector to engage directly with parliamentarians, while Cross Party Groups in Wales and Scotland serve similar purposes.
Although the APPG offers opportunities for MPs to develop their knowledge of particular fields of interest and for sector groups to engage directly with parliamentarians, other routes can be utilised to get the message across. Academic research and evidence from practitioners, can feed into responses to Government consultations and select committees. The IOL, for example, has recently responded to consultations on the Residential Outdoor Education (Scotland) Bill, the Curriculum and Assessment review, the Every Child Achieving and Thriving white paper enquiry.
Direct contact with local MPs/ MSPs/MSs has successfully led to the introduction of private members Bills in Wales, England and Scotland, and outdoor learning related questions being asked in the House of Commons by Sir Julian Lewis MP, Ben Obese-Jecty MP, Maya Ellis MP, and Paula Barker MP. In Northern Ireland, discussions are ongoing between sector representatives and the NI Executive about the future of outdoor learning in the curriculum.
Gaps remain particularly in teacher training, where incorporation of the values and benefits of outdoor learning would go a long way towards addressing the capacity issues identified in the APPG Access and Equity Report and helping legitimise and support its adoption in schools.
4. Impact and outcomes
The sector needs to continue strengthening its ability to demonstrate impact, showing how outdoor learning contributes to confidence, resilience, wellbeing, life skills and wider societal outcomes.
The evidence base for outdoor learning continues to strengthen. Alongside the Access and Equity Report, recent research has explored participation, workforce diversity, safety, wellbeing, learning and personal development. At the same time, broader policy conversations around mental health, physical health, wellbeing, belonging and young people's futures increasingly align with areas where outdoor learning has something valuable to contribute. Recent reports include:
Other Government research reflects developing areas of interest where the sector can potentially add value:
DfE research on school belonging highlights the role of extracurricular activity in helping to create the positive conditions for engagement at school.
The Milburn review, currently published as an interim report, highlights the challenges faced by young people not in education, employment or training.
Work is currently underway to develop a strategic research agenda and bring together what we know already, but there is still more work to do. The sector must continue improving how it demonstrates impact while avoiding simplistic and exaggerated claims. However, the direction of travel is positive: knowledge about both practice and outcomes is growing, helping create a stronger foundation for advocacy and decision-making.
5. Nature connection and sustainability
At a time of environmental challenge, outdoor learning has an important role in helping people develop meaningful relationships with the natural world and the knowledge required to care for it.
A variety of initiatives are underway linked specifically to sustainability, climate change and nature connection:
Learning through Landscapes (LtL) have coordinated the establishment of the Schools Ground Collective, aiming to ‘share opportunities, create a strong and current evidence base for this work, and to collaborate for better school grounds provision.’ LtL are also delivering the 12-week My Nature Play programme across 170 early years settings between February 2026 and July 2028 throughout England, Wales and Scotland.
Wildlife and Countryside Link Education and Learning Policy Group represents 98 organisations, working on policy approaches to improving nature-based education and learning. The group’s key policy ask is that regular, high-quality access to and engagement with nature, within education, becomes a statutory right for every child in England.
Nature Connection in Schools, published by the Finding Nature project, reflects growing interest in moving beyond outdoor activity as an end in itself towards deliberately fostering children's relationship with nature. The guide combines practical school-based approaches with evidence on wellbeing, resilience and pro-environmental behaviours, demonstrating how nature connection is increasingly bei
ng embedded within educational practice.
The increasing prominence of environmental issues within education and public policy creates opportunities for outdoor learning to demonstrate its value in new ways. The initiatives described above, and the ongoing investment of organisations such as the Ernest Cook Trust, show how environmental priorities are creating new opportunities for partnership, curriculum development and nature-based learning.
Conclusion
This snapshot only captures a fraction of the activity currently taking place across the outdoor learning sector. Many organisations contribute to more than one of these themes, while others are pursuing important work that has not been included here. What emerges from the examples collected above, however, is a picture of a sector that is far more ‘joined up’ than is acknowledged. Research, policy development, workforce initiatives, professional standards, nature-based education and programmes designed to improve access are all contributing to shared objectives.
The activities described here have different origins, purposes and audiences, but many are responding to similar challenges: widening access, strengthening professional practice, embedding outdoor learning within education, demonstrating impact, and supporting nature connection and sustainability. Recognising these connections is, I think, an important step towards strengthening collaboration, collective advocacy and the sector's wider impact.
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