Memorandum submitted by the British Ecological
Society
INTRODUCTION
1. The British Ecological Society (BES)
is pleased to provide written evidence to the Education and Skills
Committee's inquiry into Education Outside the Classroom. The
British Ecological Society, founded in 1913, is an independent
learned society with an international membership of over 4,000.
Its primary objectives are to advance and support research in
ecology, promote ecological education and provide science policy
advice. Our primary involvement in terms of education outside
the classroom is linked to academic fieldwork.
2. The Society supports work in this area
by offering a number of funding opportunities to further the education
of young ecologists. The BES is helping biology teachers to develop
their expertise in fieldwork through sponsoring training courses
specially designed for trainee and newly qualified teachers in
collaboration with the Field Studies Council. The courses include
support on management of groups during fieldwork, risk assessments
and practical subject-based activities and ideas. Our Education
Officer provides advice to teachers about ecological fieldwork
on a one-to-one basis and is involved in delivering in-service
training (INSET) to teachers focusing on the effective use of
school grounds to enhance science teaching. We have also developed
a website: www.britishecologicalsociety.org/education to provide
information and resources for teachers.
SUMMARY
3. The BES welcomes the Committee's initiative
to examine students' access to experiences outside of the classroom
and exploration of the barriers that prevent this from occurring.
There is strong evidence that despite the clear educational and
personal development strengths that it offers, fieldwork and other
provision for outdoor learning is declining. This is happening
at a time when there is not less but indeed more demand for people
with the skills and confidence to practise ecology. There are
many reasons for the decline in education outside the classroom,
but the main issues that need to be addressed are:
(i) Biological fieldwork needs to be a requirement
rather than an option in the Biology curriculum at all key stages
whether this is in the school grounds or elsewhere.
(ii) Specific outdoor teaching experience
should be within the national curriculum for science teacher training
and should feature in continuing professional development opportunities
for teachers to rectify the shortage of experienced biology teachers
who possess the skills to promote fieldwork outside the classroom.
(iii) The fear that teachers have of losing
their job as a result of the occurrence of a genuine accident
remains an important barrier to the provision of outdoor experiences
for young people and we are pleased that the Secretary of State
for Education recognises that staff involved with school trips
deserve more protection from the "blame culture".
THE VALUE
OF EDUCATION
OUTSIDE THE
CLASSROOM
4. The BES strongly supports outdoor classroom
education as an essential part of the curriculum, because it allows
students to connect abstract scientific ideas with "hands
on" experiences. Biological fieldwork may provide the only
opportunity for students to observe living animals and plants
in their natural habitat and promote a deeper understanding of
the investigatory approaches that underpin the whole of science.
It places students in situations which are more unpredictable
and less compartmentalised than the conditions encountered in
classrooms and laboratories. Biological fieldwork is important
for the future of academic disciplines like ecology, for the science
skills base and for the public understanding of science and environmental
change. There is currently a shortfall in practical skills, such
as field surveying and identification that are required to address
pressing environmental and conservation issues.
COSTS AND
FUNDING OF
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
5. Costs are known to be a major influence
on fieldwork provision. Fieldwork in schools is often heavily
subsidised by parents/guardians. If field studies organised by
state schools cannot rely on a parental/guardian financial contribution,
subsidy has to come from the school budget and compete with many
other demands. This situation is not helped as the role of the
Local Education Authority adviser diminishes and some Local Education
Authorities reduce funding arrangements, thus inhibiting the role
of centres in curriculum-related provision. Only some degree of
unequivocal statutory requirement will overcome this inequality
and eliminate the potential for financial discrimination. The
BES recommends that Government funding needs to be ring-fenced
to support this minimum entitlement.
6. Besides the cost of outdoor education
activities, there is the cost of supply cover for the members
of staff involved in the outdoor activity. This needs factoring
into funding and money should be specifically set aside for it
in addition to the direct costs involved.
7. Teachers are finding it increasingly
difficult to take young people away from school outside of the
regular school day. Difficulties in trying to position residential
fieldwork within the curriculum often result in such activities
running at weekends or during holidays. This has implications
for staff time and student motivation. Students in A-level or
University are often in part-time employment and are therefore
less willing to attend such courses.
8. The cost of Government not funding outdoor
education is significant. The ability to address important environmental
issues, such as the impact of climate change, will be undermined
in the future if there is not a strong skills base in certain
areas such as ecology and taxonomy. This will in turn have a significant
impact on our ability to understand and manage changes to biodiversity
and other natural resources in the future.
THE PLACE
OF OUTDOOR
LEARNING WITHIN
THE CURRICULUM
9. The BES believes outdoor education is
so important that Government needs to make sure that it is a part
of every child's education by making it a minimum statutory entitlement.
Statutory guidance should include the amount of time each child
is entitled to. Part of this minimum entitlement should be earmarked
for science and include first hand environmental/ecological experience.
10. Biological fieldwork should be a requirement
rather than an option in the Biology curriculum at all key stages
whether this is in the school grounds or elsewhere. Practical
experience and observations outside of the classroom are essential
for biological education. Even urban schools may be able to offer
students valuable field-based educational experiences within their
grounds or immediate environs.
EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT
OF PROVISION
11. The Office for Standards in Education
(Ofsted) inspections should include observations on fieldwork
activities and judgements made about schools' provision for outside
learning opportunities. A guidance booklet for schools including
exemplar material to provide clear advice to Head teachers on
what constitutes best practise in provision of field based learning
would be helpful.
ORGANISATION AND
INTEGRATION WITHIN
EXISTING SCHOOL
STRUCTURES
12. Good fieldwork is essential for young
people's learning in biology and should be integrated into the
curriculum, not viewed as an additional exercise. Opportunities
for providing students with educationally valuable experiences
outside the classroom already exist within present school structures
but they need to be highlighted, prioritised and made more accessible
to teachers and their students.
QUALIFICATION AND
MOTIVATION OF
TEACHERS AND
THE EFFECT
ON TEACHER
WORKLOAD
13. There is now a critical shortage of
biology teachers with the academic and professional skills to
support planning and organising fieldwork in both schools and
universities. Teachers, including trainees, need much more support
in developing the skills, confidence and commitment to deliver
out-of-classroom activities. There are presently no clear recommendations
for outdoor teaching experience of biology fieldwork within the
national curriculum for teacher training in science. Therefore,
a minimum entitlement for every trainee teacher specialising in
science to have experience in leading a fieldwork activity is
needed to rectify this deficiency.
14. The opportunities for continuing professional
development in outdoor education are minimal. There needs to be
a programme of low cost professional development courses for teachers
to address their needs. These should include workshops and manuals
covering different fieldwork methodologies and project ideas as
well as help with assessing and managing risk. External funding
should be made available for teachers to attend these courses.
THE FEAR
OF ACCIDENTS
AND THE
POSSIBILITY OF
LITIGATION
15. Too many young people are being deprived
of outdoor activities because their teachers fear being sued.
Teachers have a very real fear of losing their job as a result
of making an alleged misjudgement and although the perceived fear
may far outweigh the reality, it remains an important barrier
to the provision of outdoor experiences for young people. Schools
are no longer running as many trips, especially overseas.
16. In a move to protect its members' interests,
one teaching union has been advising against taking school trips
since February 2004. This only serves to heighten the fear that
exists among teaching staff. We embrace the statement from the
Secretary of State for Education in support of being able to offer
children some form of residential experience. The move expressed
by the Secretary of State to protect teachers from the "compensation
culture" is also most welcome.
17. The paper work required for risk assessment
and planning of school trips is important but at times excessive.
The extra time and burden that the preparation of these documents
places on teachers' means that they are discouraged from running
fieldwork. There is a need to rationalise the amount of bureaucracy
involved by streamlining existing structures and providing a single,
common pro-forma for risk assessment of outdoor learning activities.
An established protocol should be put in place and supported by
all stakeholders including teaching unions and government departments.
HOW PROVISION
IN THE
UK COMPARES WITH
THAT OF
OTHER COUNTRIES
No comment.
October 2004
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