Girls and disadvantaged children benefit most from outdoor education, MSPs told

Girls and children from poorer backgrounds could benefit most from proposals to give pupils more access to outdoor education, MSPs have been told.

Holyrood’s Education Committee took evidence from experts during a session on the Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) (Scotland) Bill.

The legislation, proposed by Conservative MSP Liz Smith, would give all pupils in state and grant-aided schools the chance to experience at least four nights and five days of residential outdoor education during their school career.

MSPs were told on Wednesday that outdoor residential education can have a lifelong impact on pupils, particularly those from disadvantaged areas.

But they were also warned the plans could be expensive, while facilities currently available for children could struggle to cope with demand.

Roger Scrutton, an outdoor education researcher at the University of Edinburgh, said: “There is research evidence that young people from more deprived backgrounds gain more.”

He said his own research in Scotland has shown children in receipt of free school meals benefit from outdoor learning more than other pupils, while there is also a “clear signal” that there is a bigger impact on girls than on boys.

He said: “The things females do particularly well in are things like resilience, self-confidence, social efficacy.”

Dr Scrutton said while boys do not always improve on these measures, girls “always improved”.

Professor Greg Mannion, a senior education lecturer at the University of Stirling, said despite benefiting more from outdoor education, pupils from urban and poorer areas tend to have less access to it.

He also highlighted that the policy, which would apply to all state and grant-aided school pupils, would be expensive.

MSPs heard outdoor education can have a lasting impact on children, including on their attainment at school, their relationship with teachers and their career choices later in life.

“It is a unique experience that lasts people a lifetime,” Dr Scrutton said. “It influences careers, it influences personal belief, it influences connections with nature.”

The researcher added that outdoor school trips are viewed as “universally positive” by pupils.