At a recent INSET day, one of the teachers asked me: “What would you like the future of outdoor learning to be?”
It’s such a good question; it properly made me stop and think before answering. Outdoor learning has come a long way since I qualified as a teacher – in fact, the last five years have seen significant leaps forward, yet its potential is still unfolding. I am excited at what it could be.
Here’s my vision for where we could go.
Outdoor Learning as a Right, Not a Reward
Too often, outdoor time is viewed as a treat or a nice to do. In the future, I’d like outdoor learning to be part of every child’s day, as natural as maths or reading. Whether it’s five minutes of mindful listening in the playground, a quick science experiment with puddles, or a storytelling circle under the trees, being outdoors should feel like a right, not something earned. We already know we need to meet learners where they are at for real progress to be made, and sometimes, for some, that is in the playground.
Valued for the Deep Skills It Builds
We know that outdoor learning supports curriculum outcomes, literacy, numeracy, STEM, health and wellbeing. It can, and should, support every curricular subject at all levels. However, my hope is that more schools will recognise their role in developing meta-skills, such as resilience, adaptability, self-awareness, and empathy. These are the invisible skills children carry through life, and the outdoors is one of the best classrooms for them.
Progression as a Journey, Not a Planner
In a previous blog, I argued that progression in outdoor learning isn’t about rigid planners or checklists. It’s a journey that unfolds through curriculum, experiences, sites, and risk.
- Curriculum: Outdoor learning weaves across subjects, from exploring data through birdwatching to leadership in conservation projects.
- Experience: Each stage of schooling adds new layers — sensory play in the early years, problem-solving in primary, expeditions and mentoring in secondary.
- Sites: Progression also comes from place — starting in the school grounds, moving to parks, community spaces, and eventually wild landscapes.
- Risk: And, importantly, from gradually increasing challenge. Small risks like balancing on a log build towards bigger ones like navigating rivers or leading a hike.
The future of outdoor learning needs to keep this layered progression at its heart: not linear or rigid, but dynamic, responsive, and lifelong. It should look different in each school, but with consistency that we can see all four elements happening.
Accessible in Every Space
At a recent UK election, parties were campaigning for every school to have an outdoor learning area. But we know not every school has a forest on its doorstep. Most have concrete playgrounds or a patch of grass. What the parties missed was that high-quality outdoor learning can and does happen in a concrete space. Bells and whistles are nice, of course, they are, but a lack of green space should not limit outdoor learning. In the future, I want us to celebrate that any space can be rich with possibility. With the right activities and mindset, a tarmac playground can become a science lab, a theatre, or a place to practise teamwork and problem-solving.
Supported by Confidence and Training
Teachers deserve to feel confident outdoors. Yet many of them have no experience in taking classes outdoors and no training to help support them in doing so. Too often, enthusiasm is dampened by worries about risk, curriculum coverage, or simply “not knowing what to do.” In my vision, every teacher has access to practical training, a supportive culture, and tools they can dip into whenever they need inspiration. This is why we’ve created resources like our lessons, progressions, and Metaskills Map, not to add to a teacher’s workload, but to be there when ideas and confidence are needed most.
That’s why I see resources like our lessons, progressions, Metaskills Map and more as part of every teacher’s toolkit. We have over 400 cross curricular resources to help teachers across the curriculum. It isn’t about adding more to a teacher’s plate, but about being there when ideas and confidence are needed most.
And perhaps this is the best way to think about it. If you trained in Scotland, you may remember the launch of ‘Assessment is for Learning’. At the time, it felt like a significant shift. But over time, it became second nature, simply another tool woven into practice. Outdoor learning can become the same: not an extra, not a burden, but an everyday way of teaching and learning.
Connected to Community and Place
Finally, I’d like to see outdoor learning grounded in community and the environment. Whether it’s through local history, biodiversity projects, or sustainability initiatives, children should see themselves as part of something bigger. This fosters not only learning, but also stewardship, empathy, and pride in place. We want the next generation to develop sustainable attitudes; in fact, we need them to. But how can they care about something they have never interacted with?
The future of outdoor learning doesn’t require grand gestures or expensive kit. It’s built through small, consistent steps: valuing the outdoors as a right, recognising its progression, supporting teachers with confidence and tools, and connecting children deeply to their communities.
That’s the future I’d like to see, and the one I believe we can create together.
