| Reference | Ross, Raymond. “A Chance To Try Life Skills And Mature.” The Times Educational Supplement, 30 Aug. 2002, pp. 3-3. |
| Story Protagonists | Story Extracts |
| Philip is a student in secondary education, diagnosed with severe and complex learning difficulties, and Kathleen Keenan is the principal teacher of his school. The school is not a mainstream school and enlists only 15 students. | Extract 1 (Philip) “My knees are knackered!” Knackered or not, Philip helps to load the boats onto the trailer and tie the appropriate knots to keep them there. Here, part of the educational process is learning how to prepare equipment and put it away safely. Extract 3 (Kathleen) “This (experience) can be the pupils’ first time away from home and is a very big experience for them,” says Mrs Keenan. It’s a chance to practise cooking and housework skills, which are part of the access units on life and community skills we deliver. These are skills necessary to prepare them for the time if and when they leave home and move into supported accommodation. Extract 9 (Kathleen) “Outdoor activities build confidence, teach life skills and teamwork and enable pupils to visit areas which they otherwise might not do…. And it’s great for the parents. They’re completely supportive of these activities and are sometimes surprised by what their children can achieve…Outdoor activities are a major part of this maturing process, providing physical and psychological skills.” |
| Reference | Frances, McGuire. “A vital lesson in the great outdoors.” Yorkshire Post, 27 Nov, 2006. |
| Dr Frances MacGuire is an environmental scientist working for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on regional policy and comments about providers that offer out-of-classroom experiences for children and educational policies. | Extract 2 “Denying our children access to learning opportunities outdoors threatens not just their skills development and connection to the world around them, but also their interest in science. This is an outcome that none of us should accept.” Extract 6 “Mucking about in rock pools identifying the slimiest seaweeds and the ones that pop loudest. Golden times spent out of the classroom and in the real world.” Extract 8 “To learn about science without getting your hands dirty in the laboratory or the field is to lose its very essence—inquiry and exploration, creativity and discovery, testing, failure, cooperation and collaboration. These are also the skills vital to personal, social and business development and success… First-hand experience of the natural world and our cultural heritage is one of the most effective forms of education…it is motivating, nurtures social skills and creates a sense of place, nature, culture and history.” |
| Reference | Tom, Dowling. “EUROZONE FUN”. Liverpool Daily Post & Echo Ltd, 10 Dec. 2011, pp.12 |
| Tom Dowling reports the visit of 12 teachers from across Europe to a Kirkby school that led an outdoor education programme for students with physical disabilities and complex needs. | Extract 10 ‘Seeing first-hand the range of outdoor education on offer at Springfield School has really inspired the group who plan to go back and share ideas in their own countries.” |