High Quality Outdoor Education - English Outdoor Council

5. Are acquiring and developing arange of skills in outdoor activities,expeditions and exploration.6. Are demonstrating increasedinitiative, self-reliance, responsibility,perseverance and commitment.7. Are developing and extending theirkey skills of communication, problemsolving, leadership and teamwork.8. Are learning to appreciate thebenefits of physical fitness and thelifelong value of participation inhealthy leisure activities.Differentiation andprogressionIn high-quality outdoor education youngpeople are engaged as far as possibleat a level that matches their own abilitiesand development. Activities are plannedthat can be adapted to presentchallenges at different levelsappropriate to different group members,or permit group members to take ondifferent roles. Young people’s progressis monitored to ensure they can becontinually motivated by newchallenges.9. Are displaying an increasedmotivation and appetite for learningthat is contributing to raised levelsof attainment in other aspects oftheir education.10. Are broadening their horizons andbecoming open to a wider range ofemployment opportunities and lifechances.Safety and risk managementadventurous activities in new andchallenging environments awayfrom their local area, with uniqueopportunities for personal and socialdevelopment. They are often among themost memorable experiences of a youngperson’s school career.Outdoor education should always beconducted within a sound frameworkof safety. Responsibility for safetymanagement rests primarily with theleaders and instructors or coaches incharge. However, in high-quality outdooreducation the young people themselvesare actively engaged in the process ofrisk assessment, at the planning stage,whilst undertaking their activities, and indebriefing and review.Risk management is a ‘life skill’ in itsown right. Learning this skill will be ofvalue to young people both in the workplace and in other aspects of their adultlife.7