I was in a school recently where one teacher was leading on outdoor learning. She was brilliant and has worked with us while in a number of schools. She is passionate, creative, and knowledgeable. The children loved her sessions. The management also raved about her sessions.
The difficulty? The rest of the staff felt that outdoor learning was “covered” because she was doing it.
It’s a situation I come across often, and it’s completely understandable. Outdoor learning can feel specialist, as if you need extra training, the right personality, or even a bit of fearlessness to do it “properly.” Some folks even think you need to be an outdoor person to do it. And if one teacher clearly has those skills and that passion, it can be very tempting for the rest of the staff to step back.
But here’s the problem: outdoor learning isn’t a subject. It’s not something one person can “cover” on behalf of everyone else. It’s a pedagogy, a way of teaching and learning. And just like literacy or numeracy, it’s something that every teacher needs to engage with.
The “Coverage” Myth
Let’s be honest. Not every teacher loves teaching every subject. Some of us find maths daunting. Others feel uncomfortable in drama. Many dread PE. And yet, we all teach them. We don’t get to say, “Drama’s covered, so I’ll just avoid it,” or, “There’s a PE specialist, so I’ll never touch physical activity.”
Outdoor learning is exactly the same. The curriculums in Scotland and Wales have an emphasis on outdoor learning. But even when it is not in literature or policy, it is still part of delivering high-quality education. It’s part of every child’s entitlement.
When we treat outdoor learning as something that only one teacher does, we send two unhelpful messages:
- That it’s an “extra” or “add-on,” rather than a powerful context for learning.
- That children can only access it occasionally, rather than regularly, consistently, and as part of their everyday experience.
This isn’t fair to learners, and it doesn’t reflect what the curriculum asks of us.
Outdoor Learning as Pedagogy, Not Subject
So, what is outdoor learning? It’s not just “teaching outside.” It’s a way of engaging with the curriculum that makes it tangible, active, and memorable.
Literacy: Retell traditional tales outdoors using natural props, build vocabulary through colour or nature scavenger hunts, create class journals through regular sit spots, or perform persuasive speeches linked to protecting the environment.
Numeracy: Explore real life measure perimeter and area, calculate tree height using shadow ratios, explore fractions by sharing natural finds, or collect and graph data from the playground environment.
Science: Test waterproofing by designing leaf shelters, explore ecosystems through bug hunts, investigate forces through challenges like den building or “Three Little Pigs” STEM tasks, or track weather changes with ongoing observations.
Health and Wellbeing: Build resilience and mindfulness with outdoor yoga and sit spots, develop trust and leadership through team challenges, and boost teamwork and physical confidence through woodland workouts and den-building.
In 2010, Scotland created the Curriculum for Excellence through Outdoor Learning document. Accompanying this was the full curriculum, and each statement was accompanied by a tree or house icon, meaning they could be taught outdoors or indoors, respectively. This showed that everything could be delivered outdoors, except for chemical reactions, microscopes, electricity, and ethical businesses. My argument is that we have progressed a lot since 2010. Microscopes on iPads or phones are a few pounds now, which makes them affordable. Teachers simply would not do the elephant toothpaste or coke and mentos experiments indoors. We can explore renewable energy outdoors and, a number of our member schools have gardening projects (often with local community involvement). They put the produce on a table at the school gate, with a QR code. Anyone who can afford to make a donation can do so using the code. Those who cannot afford are welcome to take what they need. The proceeds are then reinvested back into the gardening project. This, to me, is a clear example of an ethical business.
Outdoor learning is about pedagogy, the “how” of teaching, and every teacher owns that.
Why Every Teacher Needs to Step Outside
Equity for learners
Children deserve outdoor learning with their teacher. If outdoor experiences only happen with one person, it becomes an occasional treat, not a consistent entitlement. Outdoor learning needs to be part of the fabric of their school day, not a rare extra.
Continuity and progression
Outdoor learning isn’t a one-off event. Skills and understanding develop over time and across contexts. When class teachers embed outdoor pedagogy week by week, pupils build resilience, creativity, and problem-solving abilities in meaningful ways.
Consistency across the curriculum
If outdoor learning is only offered by one teacher, it will inevitably skew towards certain activities or areas of the curriculum. The strengths of one teacher. But if every teacher engages, pupils experience breadth, depth, and variety.
Whole-child development
Outdoor learning supports literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing, but it also develops qualities like curiosity, independence, teamwork, and resilience. These are life skills, not optional extras.
The Role of the Outdoor Learning Lead
So if every teacher is responsible, what’s the role of the outdoor learning lead? Far from being redundant, their role is crucial. But it’s different from carrying the whole load.
The outdoor learning lead can:
- Model and mentor: sharing practical examples, co-teaching sessions, and offering encouragement.
- Lead on adventurous or high-risk activities: fires, tools, shelters, whittling, or extended off-site trips. These require more training, confidence, and experience, and it makes sense for the lead to take charge here.
- Shape whole-school vision and progression: mapping how outdoor learning builds year by year, ensuring coverage and consistency.
- Develop resources and systems: risk assessments, progression pathways, and planning templates.
- Champion professional learning: helping staff build confidence and skills over time.
The lead is not the one who “does” outdoor learning for the school, but the one who enables and empowers everyone else to do it.
The Role of Class Teachers
Class teachers don’t need to be fire-lighting experts or woodland whittlers. Their role is to integrate outdoor learning into the curriculum they already teach.
That might look like:
- Delivering literacy lessons outdoors, using chalk on playground slabs for spelling, creating nature poems, or storytelling around a circle.
- Bringing numeracy into the environment, shape hunts, estimating and measuring, or calculating perimeters by pacing the playground.
- Embedding outdoor routines, a daily weather discussion, weekly outdoor storytime, or regular nature observations.
- Using the outdoors as a context, investigating forces with seesaws, exploring living things in the school garden, or acting out historical events outside.
Most importantly, it’s about showing pupils that outdoor learning isn’t a special event, but a normal part of how their teacher helps them learn.
Barriers and How to Overcome Them
Every school faces barriers, and every teacher has hesitations. Here are the common ones, and some ways forward.
- Confidence: Many teachers worry about not being an expert. Start small. You don’t need to know every plant in the playground. You just need to be willing to step outside with your class. Confidence grows with practice.
- Time pressures: It can feel like outdoor learning “takes longer.” In truth, it often saves time: behaviour improves, engagement rises, and concepts click more quickly when taught experientially. When used for curriculum delivery it is part of your lessons, not an add on.
- Weather: In Scotland, if we waited for sunshine, we’d rarely get outside. As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. That said, be realistic, wild winds and soaking rain aren’t enjoyable. Plan flexibly, and have routines for kitting up quickly.
- Resources: You don’t need a forest or fancy kit. A tarmac playground can be just as rich, chalk, natural finds, loose parts, and imagination go a long way.
Practical Next Steps
So how do schools make this work in reality? A clear split of responsibility helps.
- Class teachers:
- Deliver curriculum-based outdoor lessons linked directly to what they’re teaching.
- Build outdoor routines and regular sessions into their week.
- Treat outdoor learning as part of pedagogy, not an optional extra.
- Outdoor learning lead:
- Deliver more adventurous sessions: fires, tools, shelters, off-site exploration.
- Support staff through modelling and mentoring.
- Lead on progression and vision.
A Suggested Rhythm
- Weekly: Each class teacher takes their pupils outside for a curriculum-linked lesson. Ideally we would see this 3 or more times a week, but it can be just once to begin with. It does not need to be long, just 20 minutes as part of a lesson works.
- Monthly/Half-termly: The outdoor lead works with each class on a bigger skill-based or adventurous activity.
- Ongoing: Staff share successes, reflections, and ideas at meetings, making outdoor learning part of the school’s culture.
Building a Whole-School Culture
When outdoor learning belongs to everyone, the benefits multiply. Children see that all their teachers value and use the outdoors. They experience learning in a variety of ways. They build confidence and resilience over time.
For staff, it builds a sense of shared responsibility and shared success. No one person is carrying the load. And for leadership, it ensures outdoor learning isn’t dependent on a single staff member being present — it’s embedded in the school’s practice and culture.
This aligns with national policy across the UK.
In Scotland, outdoor learning is embedded in Curriculum for Excellence, supported by Curriculum for Excellence through Outdoor Learning, the Health and Social Care Standards, and the GIRFEC (Getting It Right For Every Child) framework.
In Wales, it connects directly with the Curriculum for Wales and its emphasis on experiential, cross-curricular learning, wellbeing, and the “four purposes” for learners.
In England, outdoor learning supports the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements for daily outdoor access, and links strongly with the National Curriculum focus on enquiry-based science, physical activity, and personal development.
Across all three nations, the message is the same: outdoor learning isn’t optional. It’s an entitlement and a right for every child.
Over to You
The teacher I met was doing incredible work. But the real challenge for the school wasn’t her. It was the staff around her, who hadn’t yet realised that outdoor learning is for all of them.
So here’s my challenge to you:
- If you’re a class teacher, take one lesson outdoors this week. Start small, start simple, but start.
- If you’re the outdoor learning lead, think about how you can enable colleagues, not just deliver sessions yourself.
- If you’re in leadership, make sure outdoor learning is seen as a whole-school approach, not the passion project of one staff member.
Because outdoor learning is too important, too powerful, and too transformative to rest on one person’s shoulders.
It belongs to everyone.
