The world beyond the classroom: how far should you go?
Ofsted’s report Learning outside the classroom: how far should you go? was published on 2 October. It evaluates the importance of this type of learning in 
primary and secondary schools and colleges. It aims to help schools and colleges answer for themselves that question – how far should you go with learning outside the classroom?
Classroom-based learning is a tried and tested method of organising schooling. However, teachers and learners have always valued the chance to move outside the classroom. This might include day and residential visits, field studies, sporting events, and music and drama productions. In organising such activities, schools and colleges have often drawn on the services of a range of providers, including commercially run outdoor education and sport centres, as well as the education departments of museums, art galleries, theatres and concert halls. This report identifies strengths and weaknesses in practice, and shows how to overcome barriers that limit successful learning outside the classroom.
Perhaps the most important finding of all was that exciting hands-on activities led to improved outcomes for pupils and students, including better achievement, standards, motivation, personal development and behaviour
Case study
During a science activity in the school garden, two fascinated Year 3 pupils used a magnifying glass to explore various habitats. ‘Why does it live there?’ asked one girl, when she discovered a woodlouse under a stone. She and her partner considered various possibilities, ‘The stone protects it, it doesn’t want the sun.’ They recorded their ideas and later compared them with other pupils’ responses. Through direct observation and experimentation, these pupils were able to arrive at sound conclusions based on evidence, fulfilling an important requirement of the National Curriculum programme of study for science.
During the survey we visited 12 primary schools, 10 secondary schools, one special school, one pupil referral unit and three colleges across England. Previous inspections in these providers had shown that learning, particularly outside the classroom, was good, outstanding or improving rapidly. Inspectors also visited or contacted 13 specialist organisations, and held discussions with representatives from five local authorities.
Recently, the Government published the Learning outside the classroom manifesto. While only six schools knew in detail about this manifesto, the most effective ones included learning outside the classroom as an integral part of a well-planned curriculum which ensured the coherent and progressive development of learners’ knowledge, skills and understanding.
Learning outside the classroom was most successful when part of long-term curriculum planning and linked well to classroom activities
Perhaps the most important finding of all was that exciting hands-on activities led to improved outcomes for pupils and students, including better achievement, standards, motivation, personal development and behaviour. The survey also found examples of the positive effects of learning outside the classroom on young people who were hard to motivate.
However, the management of learning outside the classroom was not consistently good. Schools and colleges didn’t always exploit its potential or evaluate its impact well enough. But, they had all been successful in overcoming several common barriers to learning outside the classroom, including concerns about the health and safety of participants. Their approaches offer useful models for other providers to consider.
Some key findings from the report
- When planned and implemented well, learning outside the classroom helped to raise standards and improve pupils and students personal, social and emotional development
- Learning outside the classroom was most successful when part of long-term curriculum planning and linked well to classroom activities
- Primary schools made better use of their own buildings, grounds and their local area to support learning than the secondary schools
- Learning objectives of visits out were often not clearly defined or well enough integrated with activities in the classroom. This was particularly the case in primary schools
- Schools relied very heavily on contributions from parents and carers to meet the costs of residential and other visits and had given very little thought to other ways of paying for them. The vast majority didn’t think about value for money; in other words, they couldn’t say how much learning went on outside the classroom and how that related to the money spent on it
- Only three of the schools evaluated the impact of learning outside the classroom on improving achievement, or kept a tally of the activities
- Local authorities and local Learning and Skills Councils provided valuable support in meeting health and safety requirements.
Case study
A visit to a farm proved to be a highly stimulating experience for one reception class. Two weeks later, when the inspector visited, the children were still talking enthusiastically about what they’d seen and done. They were also proud to show the writing that they'd produced about the farm. This was of a better standard than might be expected from children of their age, but more importantly, a stark improvement on the writing they’d produced before the visit.
The recommendations for the Department for Children, Schools and Families, local authorities and their partners, schools and colleges can be found in the full report at this link.
The Learning outside the classroom manifesto can be viewed at this link.
Published: 1 December 2008.
