Getting children out where the wild things grow essential for the future

The days of children playing in the streets are long gone, and with rapidly developing towns and cities swallowing up green spaces every day, when youngsters do set aside their devices for some time in the great outdoors, many often find themselves severely limited.

And yet in an age where one of the defining problems for this and future generations is the impact and mitigation of global warming, understanding the way the natural world works and getting a hand-on connection to the wild places is more important than ever,

The need to get pupils out into the wild has not been lost on the Scottish Government, who earlier this year passed the Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) (Scotland) Act, putting outdoor education firmly back on the agenda as all of the country’s education authorities were tasked with giving every pupil access to an outdoor education course.

While this will be welcome news to parents, for Scotland’s independent schools it is perhaps closer to validation of an argument they have long made and a principle they have continued to uphold - that outdoor education has a far greater impact on a child’s education than teaching them about nature.

Glenalmond College, for example, offers an outstanding range of outdoor education activities supported by three qualified Winter Mountain Leaders, one mountaineering and climbing instructor, and paddlesports and mountain bike instructors. They offer Duke of Edinburgh award courses and the revamped John Muir Award, and recently had over 100 pupils choose to climb a Munro.

Tom Mason, Head of Outdoor Learning, Glenalmond College said: “All children should have the opportunity for adventure. The chance to experience unfamiliar places, immerse themself in the landscape and benefit from time outside.

“Learning about themselves through new experiences shared with others develops pupils’ character and allows them to take responsibility, care for each other and persevere. The pupils gain a variety of skills outdoors which are applicable across their education, which develops a rounded individual who can cope in a variety of situations.

“Outdoor education also offers something increasingly rare: time away from mobile phones. Without the constant pull of notifications and social media, pupils can switch off, talk to each other properly and give their minds a rest, which has real benefits for their mental health.”

Head of Scout Adventures Scotland Richard Cooke, who heads up the organisations’ schools outdoor learning provision, agreed that the importance of good outdoor education is only growing.

“This generation of children and young people have probably had the least access to nature and the outdoors than any other previous generation, and that disconnection from the outdoors has an impact on society, so it tells us how important that is,” he says.

And he believes independent schools’ commitment to outdoor learning has a huge part to play in other areas of a child’s education and development.

“There is merit to just being outdoors,” he said “It changes the way young people behave, and there’s plenty of evidence that it supports improved well being, better self regulation, pupils feel more connected, more relaxed - it allows them to be in a better state of mind.

“There’s much better engagement. Learning is experiential and active rather than passive, and you see young people involved in something which enables them to be problem solvers and think outside the box.

“We need more young people able to think in that way, to make connections between themselves and other people around the planet.”

The good news is that the trend is shifting in the right direction, albeit slowly. A 2022 NatureScot report, Teaching, learning and play in the outdoors: a survey of provision in Scotland, found that, on average, children in Scotland spent 39% of their time in ELC outdoors – an increase of 3% on the 2014 report.

Children and Young People’s Minister Siobhian Brown said: “We are supportive of outdoor learning in all its forms, recognising that it can help children and young people engage with the natural environment, create a strong sense of community, improve relationships and nurture qualities including independence, teamwork and maturity.

“Spending time outside also benefits children’s physical health, mental wellbeing and social skills. That is why outdoor play and learning is already an integral, everyday part of early learning and childcare in Scotland.

“The Scottish Government is also continuing to invest in the Outdoor Community Play Fund, committing £500,000 in 2026-27 for community-based outdoor play activities for children, young people and their families.”

Our changing world is also leaving the next generations with the job of being environmental champions. And For the John Muir Trust, the conservation charity dedicated to protecting and enhancing wild places across the UK, this means outdoor education is essential to the future of the country.

“Getting young people outside learning about the natural world around them is more important than ever before, because of both changing lifestyles, which is putting new kinds of pressure on young people, and the growing pressure being put on wild places,” said Gareth Morgan, head of engagement at the John Muir Trust.

“The trust exists to protect wild places and fight against what is essentially an incremental erosion of the quality of those places over years, decades and generations from climate change, development and industrialisation.

“Unless we protect them there won’t be these wild spaces for the next generation to have those experiences.”

“Outdoor education gives young people experiences that they just can’t get in the classroom - the joy of exploring, the sense of independence, the thrill you get from experiencing something much bigger than yourself.

“We see outdoor education as vital in helping young people build these lifelong connections to nature early in their lives. We want future generations to value and protect these places, and in order to do that they need to understand why they matter.

“And it doesn’t just have to be remote mountains - the gateways to Scotland’s wild spaces will often start closer to home, with the rivers or woodlands that are on people’s doorsteps.

All you have to do is step outside.”