Field Studies Council backs MPs ‘vital’ outdoor education bill

A leading outdoor education charity has backed an MP’s bill calling for compulsory outdoor activity in schools – to halt a ‘vicious’ mental health crisis.

Liberal Democrat MP Caroline Voaden presented the Outdoor Education Bill in parliament earlier this week and called for all primary and secondary school children to be given a minimum of 30 minutes a day outdoors during school hours.

The South Devon MP also wants every child to be offered one outdoor education experience during their primary and secondary years.

The bill is set to be debated in October, and her comments have received strong backing from the Field Studies Council, operator of Slapton Ley field centre, which sits in the MP’s constituency.

The charity which has been delivering outdoor education to young people for more than 80 years.

Jo Harris, education manager for the charity, which recently launched a £20k fundraising appeal to provide more subsidised outdoor learning trips for schools, said backing the bill was real opportunity for politicians to turn the tide on young people’s mental health.

“We echo every word said by Caroline in her speech to Parliament,” said Jo.

“She laid out the stark reality of just how many children do not have access to outdoor learning and activity.

“She also spelled out the major benefits of what outdoor learning and residential trips can really do for children.

“We and others in the sector have campaigned hard for outdoor residentials to be embedded into school curriculums.

“So much of the work that children do in schools can be enriched by outdoor learning, and from experience we know that if the Government passes this vital bill, it is going to aid children in so many ways, from improving their well-being, building confidence and fostering positive attitudes.

“We’re delighted Caroline has taken this cause to parliament and we look forward to seeing the outcome of the debate later this year, because passing a bill like this really could change a lot of young people’s lives.”

Addressing the commons on Tuesday (July 7) in an uninterrupted ten-minute speech, the MP said her Outdoor Education Bill would be the ‘cheapest, easiest and quickest way to turn around the vicious mental health crisis we see in our children and young people – a crisis that affects their ability to learn, to achieve, to work and to live a healthy and happy life.”

Stark figures presented by the MP revealed outdoor play has dropped by 50 per cent in a generation, and 55 per cent of parents believe their youngest child plays outside less than they did during their childhood.

The UK government is already lagging behind when it comes to embedding compulsory outdoor experiences into the education curriculum. The Scottish Parliament passed a landmark bill last year which means all Scottish schoolchildren will have at least one outdoor residential trip during their education.

The Field Studies Council operates 12 outdoor educational centres across the UK, including one at Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae.

Jo is hopeful that Scotland’s move could lay the foundations for a more positive debate in the Commons later this year.

She added: “The bill in Scotland was such a landmark moment and we really hope the politicians in Westminster follow suit.

“What Scotland has done will be cemented for years and will benefit hundreds of thousands of young people. There is now the same opportunity for that to happen in England.”

Ends

Editors notes

The Field Studies Council is an educational charity based in the UK. It opened its first Field Centre in 1947 at Flatford Mill, and now operates 20 Field Centres in various locations in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland offering both residential and non-residential field courses.