Support for Learning Outside the Classroom
Detailed below are the websites of a range of supporting bodies, where you will be able to find further information on planning learning outside the classroom.
Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto
View the Manifesto PDF
The Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto (2006) sets out a vision to enable every young person to experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of their learning and personal development.
The Children’s Plan
The Children’s Plan: building brighter futures, Department for Children, Schools and Families (2007). The Government’s ten-year plan for children and young people. Available for download at www.dcsf.gov.uk/publications/childrensplan/
Every Child Matters
www.everychildmatters.gov.uk
Explains the five outcomes that the government plans to achieve for all children and has links to Youth Matters, with details of reform of provision for young people, including positive activities. From the publications pages you can download Staying Safe: Action Plan, DCSF (2008), guidance on safeguarding that aims to encourage and facilitate learning outside the classroom.
Extended schools
www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/extendedschools/ Section of teachernet on setting up extended services. Includes an explanation of the core offer with links to case studies, funding information and further advice.
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
www.qca.org.uk
The curriculum section of QCA’s website includes a section on out-of-school activity, with many useful subject-based links. It also gives details of the new secondary curriculum which encourages integrated use of learning outside the classroom.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office
www.fco.gov.uk
Information, advice and consular services for travelling worldwide.
The Association of British Travel Agents
www.abta.com
Useful for checking a travel agent’s membership to ensure bookings are covered for complaints, disputes and financial loss if the travel company fails.
Local authorities
Many local authorities run museums, galleries, parks, farms, open spaces and historic sites, in addition to residential outdoor education centres, and local authority websites are a good starting point for information. The website address of most local authorities is www.localauthority.gov.uk e.g. www.derby.gov.uk
Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel
www.oeap.info
Information and contact details of Education Visits/Outdoor Education Advisers in local authorities. Provides Information about training courses including those for Education Visit Coordinator, Visit Leader training and Outdoor Learning Cards.
The Disability Discrimination Act (1995)
www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/sen/disabilityandthedda/ddapart0
Guidance on the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act. Practical ideas and training materials that provide both information and inspiration. The principles of best practice are demonstrated through a wide range of case studies. These show how schools and local authorities have made reasonable adjustments to policies and procedures to successfully include disabled pupils in all aspects of school life.
The Disability Foundation
www.tdf.org.uk
A registered charity that offers support to disabled people, their families and carers, including information about travel and adventurous activities.
The Children’s Society
www.childrenssociety.org.uk
The Disability Toolkit has been developed by the Children’s Society It holds a database of resources and links focused on providing you with the advice you need to encourage and empower disabled young people in decision-making and participation. www.disabilitytoolkit.org.uk
Teachernet Health and Safety Guidance
www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/healthandsafety/
Teachernet contains links to guidance on many aspects of educational visits, including health and safety on visits, first aid and managing medicines as issued by the DCSF.
The Health and Safety Executive
www.hse.gov.uk
Specific information on risk assessment and lessons learned from previous incidents.
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995
www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/
The Health and Safety Executive site for reporting of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
www.rospa.com
Provides information on various safety issues such as driver training.
Quality in Study Support (QISS)
http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/education
Recognition scheme, based on self-evaluation and peer review, for study support, now part of the core offer of extended services. Accredited by Canterbury Christchurch University.
Inspiring Learning for All
www.inspiringlearningforall.gov.uk
Online framework, self-evaluation tool and guidance that describes what an accessible and inclusive museum, archive or library which stimulates and supports learning looks like. Although primarily for museums, archives and libraries, this will be of interest to teachers and leaders in assessing the quality of a visit.
Woolf, Felicity (2004) Partnerships for Learning: a guide to evaluating arts education projects, Arts Council England
Available for download at www.artscouncil.org.uk/publications. Provides a five-stage approach to evaluation of artist-led projects.
Early Years Foundation Stage: Guidance on ‘The Outdoor Environment’ for Early Years settings
http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/eyfs/
http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/eyfs/site/3/3.htm
Reflect and Review: the arts and creativity in early years, Arts Council England (2005).
Descriptions of good practice with examples, likely challenges and self-evaluation checklists. Available for download at www.artsmark.org.uk
Connexions Direct
www.connexions-direct.com
Connexions Direct website is a comprehensive online service offering advice, support and information to 13 - 19 year olds in England on a range of teen issues. Young people are able to self-help by accessing information from the website.
National Youth Agency
www.nya.org.uk
The National Youth Agency supports those involved in young people's personal and social development and works to enable all young people to fulfil their potential within a just society. The website lists many publications and resources and links to www.youthinformation.com.
The Prince’s Trust
www.princes-trust.org.uk/
Offers help for young people from 14 to 30 years old relating to qualifications and careers. Also promotes outdoor education through opportunities to participate in a Prince’s Trust Challenge Event.
Volunteering
www.vinspired.com
National volunteering site for young people aged 16 to 25.
Sport Leaders UK
www.bst.org.uk/home/default.aspx
National organisation administering various sports leadership awards including Level 1 and 2 Community Sports Leadership awards and the Basic Expedition Leader award.
Arts Award
www.artsaward.org.uk
Accredited bronze, silver and gold (levels 1—3) arts leadership awards for young people aged 11—25, run by Trinity Guildhall in partnership with Arts Council England.
Duke of Edinburgh Award
www.theaward.org/
The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Information on the award scheme for participants, leaders and parents.
Teachernet
www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/subjec ts
Contains resource links to all national curriculum areas and external websites with ideas and information about how to support learning outside the classroom. Many sections link to subject associations (also listed here) that have lesson plans and ideas for learning outside the classroom.
Teachers.tv
www.teachers.tv/video/browser/1090
The ‘Whole school issues — trips’ section of the site has programmes giving ideas and examples of learning outside the classroom in a variety of subject areas, such as music, history, nature, geography, humanities, museums, libraries and the arts. You must register to be able to view these videos online.
Subject Associations
www.subjectassociation.org.uk
Details of most subject associations and links to their websites.
www.creative-partnerships.com
Creative Partnerships is the Government’s flagship creativity programme for schools and young people, managed by Arts Council England and funded by the DCSF and DCMS. The programme is built around long-term partnerships between schools and creative practitioners and is cross-curricular. The website includes many resources such as publications, case studies and conference papers.
Building Creative Partnerships: a handbook for schools, Arts Council England is available for download at www.creative-partnerships.com/handbook
www.engage.org/projects/watchthisspace.aspx
Watch This Space was a programme for galleries, teachers and gallery educators, to enable them to gain first-hand experience of one another’s work and build sustainable educational relationships. The site contains case studies, a downloadable version of the Watch This Space toolkit and further resources.
www.ssatrust.org.uk
www.creative-partnerships.com
King, L. and Reeve, P. (2006) The best of both worlds: developing successful partnerships between schools and the arts, Specialist Schools and Academies Trust. Available from the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.
www.youthsporttrust.org.
Youth Sport Trust — a charity set up to support the participation of children and young people in sport and physical activity. It works closely with schools, through the network of Specialist Sports Colleges.
www.sportengland.org
Sport England advises, invests in and promotes community sport to create an active nation. The ‘Get Active’ section of the website includes a directory of clubs for all sports, organised by region.
www.bhf.org.uk
British Heart Foundation guidance on the benefits of physical activity for young people, with useful resource packs and links.
www.healthyschools.gov.uk/
Home of the National Healthy Schools programme, based on a whole-school approach to emotional and physical well-being.
www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/pri mary/publications/banda/seal/
Provides a range of information on the social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL), including various downloadable resources.
www.ase.org.uk
From this site, you can download:
Out of Classroom Learning: practical information and guidance for schools and teachers (2006) Real World Learning Partnership
www.royalsociety.org
The Royal Society — the national academy of science in the UK and Commonwealth. The website has pages for teachers and details of the Partnerships Grants scheme, which can fund learning outside the classroom links between schools and local scientists and engineers.
English National Youth Arts Network (ENYAN)
www.enyan.co.uk
ENYAN aims to raise the profile and support for youth arts within England, providing more opportunities for the creative and personal development of young people, especially young people at risk. The website is a source of national information about youth arts, with many links and resources.
English Outdoor Council
www.englishoutdoorcouncil.org/
Umbrella body for those involved in outdoor education, training and recreation. Website includes articles and literature surveys of research on the benefits of outdoor education and links to member bodies.
Open Space
www.openspace.eca.ac.uk
The Open Space research centre focuses on inclusive access to outdoor environments. Work covers all types of landscape, in urban or countryside contexts, the benefits it can offer and the barriers to access. The website includes research, publications and literature reviews on access issues.
BILD British Institute for Learning Difficulties www.bild.org.uk
The British Institute for Learning Disabilities (BILD) is a national charity committed to improving the quality of life for people with learning disabilities.
Down Syndrome Association www.downs-syndrome.org.uk
Provides general information about Down's Syndrome, and information about outdoor challenges and residential trips for children with the syndrome.
Federation of City Farms www.farmgarden.org.uk
Federation of City Farms is a registered charity which supports, represents and promotes community-managed farms, gardens, allotments and other green spaces, creating opportunities for local communities to grow.
Mencap www.mencap.org.uk
Mencap is the voice of learning disability. Everything we do is about valuing and supporting people with a learning disability, and their families and carers. The charity work with people with a learning disability to change laws and services, challenge prejudice and directly support thousands of people to live their lives as they choose.
National Autistic Society www.nas.org.uk
The National Autistic Society provides support to individuals with autism and their families, and information about services that they can access. The website also includes information about Asperger's Syndrome.
Panathlon Foundation www.panathlon.com
The charity that organise the Panathlon Challenge, part of their work involves delivering opportunities for young disabled people across the country. Panathlon is able to offer free training courses, specialist equipment supply, coaching funds and multi-sport competitions, in various cities around the country.
Parasport www.parasport.org.uk
Parasport is a joint initiative between the British Paralympic Association (BPA) and the professional services firm Deloitte. The project aims to improve how talented sports people are identified at community level, with the aim of increasing participation levels in competitive sporting events.
Resources for Autism www.resourcesforautism.org.uk
The website provides support and advice about autism.
RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association) www.rda.org.uk
This registered charity provides people with disabilities opportunities for horse riding and carriage driving.
RNID (Formerly known as the Royal National Institute for the Deaf) www.rnid.org.uk
RNID offer a range of services for deaf and hard of hearing people and provide information and support on all aspects of deafness, hearing loss and tinnitus. RNID's work involves campaigning and lobbying, providing services, training, products and equipment, and undertaking medi
Sense www.sense.org.uk
Sense is the leading national charity that supports and campaigns for children and adults who are deafblind. We provide expert advice and information as well as specialist services to deafblind people, their families, carers and the professionals who work with them. In addition, we support people who have sensory impairments with additional disabilities.
SCOPE www.scope.org.uk
Scope is a disability organisation in England and Wales whose focus is people with cerebral palsy. Our aim is that disabled people achieve equality: a society in which they are as valued and have the same human civil rights as everyone else.