CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE

"Our vision for Scotland is that our children and young people are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens. This is one of the national outcomes set with local government and lies at the heart of Curriculum for Excellence." Curriculum for Excellence through Outdoor Learning.

CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE THROUGH OUTDOOR LEARNING

The journey through education for any child in Scotland must include planned, quality Outdoor Learning Experiences. Here you will find help and support to embed Outdoor Learning in your delivery of the Curriculum progressively and sustainably.

Curriculum for Excellence through outdoor learning provides an outline of the: ‘integral role outdoor learning has in the new curriculum. It signposts ways for teachers, educators and their partners to plan for and use the outdoor environment to provide creative learning and teaching which is relevant, lively and motivating. All staff at every level of involvement with the education of children and young people have a responsibility to make the most of the outdoor environment to support the delivery of the experiences and outcomes of Curriculum for Excellence.’ Support for professional development in outdoor learning.

SELF-EVALUATING OUTDOOR LEARNING

Self-evaluation should be integral to planning outdoor learning experiences and securing significant outcomes. The ‘Curriculum for Excellence Outdoor Learning’ is a self-evaluation framework based on the How Good is Our School? (HGIOS) brand. This provides a suite of quality indicators that support staff and volunteers in all sectors to look inwards, to scrutinise their work and evaluate what is working well for learners and what could be better. General guidance on HGIOS is available via the Education Scotland National Improvement Hub.

The English Outdoor Council has created a resource that details high-quality outdoor learning. This downloadable document describes ten key outcomes.

The planning and delivery of high-quality residentials require effective self-evaluation. The Brilliant Residentials website provides useful resources to support schools and other establishments in planning effective high-quality provision.