The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom

The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom will promote and champion learning outside the classroom learning, to enable all young people to benefit from increased opportunities for high-quality and varied educational experiences. The Council will become a leading voice for Learning Outside the Classroom, influencing and challenging relevant policy and practice. By raising the profile of learning outside the classroom, the Council will promote its benefits and aim to increase the number of quality learning experiences outside the classroom.

The Council is now established as a company limited by guarantee and at the beginning of January 2009, Beth Gardner started work as chief executive of the Council.  Beth Gardner joins the Council from the Carers Federation and brings with her a wealth of management and organisational development expertise.  Beth believes that learning outside the classroom can play a vital role in ensuring the welfare and education of young people.

Over the coming months the Council will work to finalise its strategic plan looking at critical areas of work including raising the profile and advocating the benefits of learning outside the classroom with schools and further support and guidance for organisations applying for the Quality Badge.  The Council will also continue to build its operational team and work closely with the DCSF to ensure the smooth handover of operations to the Council at the end of March 2009.