Curriculum for Excellence at our Centres

Opportunities to develop in all four disciplines

'In essence, [the curriculum] must be inclusive, be a stimulus for personal achievement and, through the broadening of pupils' experience of the world, be an encouragement towards informed and responsible citizenship.'
(A Curriculum for Excellence)

The National Foundation for Educational Research review of 150 outdoor learning studies worldwide between 1993 and 2003 found evidence that outdoor learning offers an ideal framework for achieving the four capacities:

Successful learners:
• Outdoor learning develops knowledge and skills in ways that add value to learners' everyday experiences in the classroom.
• It has a positive impact on long-term memory.
• It reinforces links between the affective and the cognitive, with each influencing the other and providing a bridge to higher order learning.
• It fosters the development of specific academic skills, as well as improved engagement, achievement and stronger motivation to learn.

Responsible citizens:
• Outdoor learning has a positive effect on social development and greater community involvement.
• It raises learners' attainment, improves attitudes towards the environment, and creates more positive relationships with each other, with teachers and with the wider community.
• It renews learners' pride in their community and fosters a greater sense of belonging and responsibility.

Confident individuals:
• Outdoor learning impacts positively on young people's attitudes, beliefs and self-perceptions, for example independence, confidence, self-esteem, locus of control, self-efficacy, personal effectiveness and coping strategies.
• It yields benefits in the promotion of positive behaviour and improved physical self-image and fitness.

Effective contributors:
• Outdoor learning impacts positively on young people's interpersonal and social skills, such as social effectiveness, communication skills, group cohesion and team work.