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Amid financial uncertainty, parents and schools may well withdraw from offering students memorable outdoor experiences – but as Anthony Jones explains, it doesn’t have to be this way... S elf-esteem is a vital step towards achieving potential. It’s the bridge between the essential and the possible – what every child needs to thrive. However, I’mconscious that the cost-of-living crisis is impacting schools hugely, and that the definition of ‘needs’ is in danger of reverting back to the basic requirements for learning. Yetmy concern is that enrichment opportunities are being deprioritised, causing young people tomiss out inwhat’s a challenging period. Outdoor education Self-esteem is built in every classroomevery day, of course – but there are some things that can’t be taught within thosewalls, which often prove to be those experiences that will staywith children forever. Onemanwho understood this was Peter Gordon Lawrence. After leaving college in 1955, he embarked on a canoeing holiday down the River Danube. The experience was transformative, prompting himtwo years later to set up a company arranging trips for young adults down theUK’sRiverWye. By the time of Peter’s passing in 2004, that company, PGL, had grown to provide similar opportunities for children across the country, enabling several generations to benefit fromtheir initial experiences of overcoming challenges in the great outdoors and staying away fromhome for the first time. Everyweek, I witness children discovering their self-esteemat PGL centres across theUKand France – be it overcoming their fears on a high rope, building a raft that floats or conquering the Jacob’s ladderwith their classmates. Listening to teachers and parents Bonds forged outdoors empower childrenwith the self-belief needed to tackle academic challenges at school. Peter believed, as I do, that every child and young person should get to benefit fromsuch experiences –not just those whose parents can afford the cost of the trip. Three years on fromthe global pandemic denyingmany schoolchildren suchwonderful opportunities, however, the cost-of-living crisis is nowdeepening the social divide between children whose families can afford enrichment experiences and thosewho can’t. This is somethingwe have to address. Researchwe conductedwith teachers inFebruary this year revealed that those schools with the highest levels of Pupil Premiumwere spendingmore of their funding onmeal provision and other essentials, making them less able to provide opportunities for outdoor learning. “These trips are vital for social, emotional and character-building, and gaining independence for our pupils,” one teacher told us, “yet finance is a huge barrier to providing amazing experiences.” Around the same time, we at PGLundertook a reviewof our curriculum in light of recently issuedOfsted guidance on character building and in the wake of the pandemic.What became very clear to us, based on our conversations with teachers and parents, was that the opportunities we provide remain valuable to all children and young people at every stage of their education. Designed for life This research resulted in the launch of two initiatives. The first is PGL’s neweducation framework, R.E.A.C.H., which is structured to deliver different learning outcomes at each stage of a child’s development, through toY11.While children in primary school can benefit fromtrying newexperiences and bonding as a group, activities for secondary school pupils should be geared towards the development of more complex communication skills and the building of confidence, wellbeing and resilience. Put simply, we recognise that needs differ fromage group to age group, and even between different stages throughout the academic year. Our programmes are led by the outcomes teachers tell us that they need for their pupils. The second initiative is The BreakthroughFund, designed to givemore schoolchildren across theUK the chance to experience those breakthrough moments on residential outdoor learning trips, irrespective of their financial situation. Different forms of funding support can be offered, depending on the level of need. For schools with high levels of need, 50%of the total trip cost will be funded by PGL.Where there’s less overall need for financial support across the student population, we’ll provide a range of funding options to ensure that those childrenwho do require support can experience the same opportunities as their classmates. For schools with the highest levels of need, we’re even offering a number of fully funded trips each year! To find outmore and register your interest, visit pgl.co.uk . Anthony Jones is the CEO of PGL All children deserve BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS OUTDOOR L E ARN I NG www.teachwire.net/school-trips | 63