Overall, the report concludes that currently, pupils’ chances of accessing the benefits of spending time in nature – including physical health, mental wellbeing and educational quality – are a matter of chance, depending on their year group, size, location and catchment wealth.
Regulations
Importantly, being in nature is not just beneficial for students but also for teachers, who can benefit from increased job satisfaction through outdoor learning, which in turn has a positive impact on their teaching practice and professional development.
The report includes case studies of schools that have successfully integrated nature into their curriculum and offers practical advice on how more schools can integrate nature in their schools. In light of the findings, WWF wants to help all schools offer regular nature experiences, and philanthropy will be key to making this vision a reality.
Opportunities for pupils to experience nature in schools can be more formal – during lessons, during free time, on school trips, extra-curricular activities and clubs – they do not need to be expensive and can be integrated into a wide range of subjects.
However, less than a third of UK schools say outdoor learning is part of the curriculum for all their pupils.
Integrating outdoor learning into the curriculum means planning when, how and what teachers will teach outside the classroom – it’s also a way of ensuring that nature is integrated into pupils’ learning provision.
Results
For pupils to be able to access nature in their free time, schools need to have natural environments or incorporate natural elements on-site, yet half of UK schools say none of their pupils have the opportunity to spend free time or play in a natural environment at school every day.
Overall, the report suggests that the most common ways of experiencing nature are through school trips and extracurricular activities and clubs, with a quarter of schools saying that school trips to natural environments are organised every year for all, or almost all, pupils.
School trips and extracurricular nature experiences are important but also infrequent and optional. Rising costs of living have parents and schools reassessing their commitment to school trips, and volunteering is more likely to attract students who are already involved with or interested in nature.
Rather than addressing inequalities based on educational level or socio-economic factors, selective activities may actually reinforce and exacerbate existing disparities.
We know that spending time in nature is good for us, and there is growing evidence that when children and young people connect with nature through their learning, it leads to a range of positive outcomes for students, teachers and nature.
Mental health: Experts say the mental health of children and young people has worsened in recent years. In contrast, recent reports have found that children who take part in outdoor learning have improved resilience, self-esteem and self-efficacy. Overall, children who experience nature-rich, immersive learning are more likely to feel good about themselves, which in turn improves their wellbeing.
Increased achievement: Learning in a natural environment improves student motivation, reduces stress, fosters positive attitudes, and improves educational outcomes. Teachers report less disruptive behavior and more engaged students, benefiting even students who struggle in traditional classrooms.
Benefits for teachers: Survey data from the largest outdoor learning project commissioned in the UK found that 72 percent of schools that participated in the project reported a positive impact on teachers’ own health and well-being. The majority of teachers surveyed said they had experienced an increase in job satisfaction as well as a positive impact on their teaching practice and professional development. Teachers also reported feeling less stressed as a result of spending time outside the classroom and engaging with nature.
Benefits to nature: The UK is in the top 10% of countries in the world that are most depleted of nature, with more than 40% of its species in decline. [9]For future generations to care for nature and take action to protect and restore it, they must first build a relationship with the natural world around them. Learning in and about nature at school plays a key role in fostering this relationship.
This author
Brendan Montague is EcologistThis article is based on a WWF press release.
