Parliamentary Debate - Scottish Outdoor Education. February 4, 2008
Posted by Bill in : Outdoor Learning , 5comments
“Outdoor learning is not just something that is done in five special days of schooling; it should be part of where and how children and young people learn on a day-to-day basis”
Maureen Watt - Minister for Schools & Skills.
Below are links to last weeks debate in the Scottish Parliament on the below motion that the above quotes are taken from. Once again it seems there is great enthusiasm for the delivery of outdoor learning in Scotland, but the continuity of need and supply on the ground prompted this comment;
“The extraordinary thing is that, in the 1970s and 1980s, there were more young people in education and less was spent on it but we still found the money for outdoor education. Now, we have fewer pupils, more money, but no outdoor education”
Robin Harper MSP.
More details below but definitely some opportunities here for SAPOE members to provide further briefing to better inform a positive future debate.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament notes the vital contribution that taking part in extra-curricular activities makes in developing our young people; notes that extra-curricular programmes help our young people to learn new skills, to enjoy new responsibility, to appreciate the work of other people and to learn about leadership; notes the success of projects such as Crieff High School’s Community Awareness Project, and considers that, in an age when too many of our young people are in the headlines for the wrong reasons and when there are increasing concerns about school discipline and the numbers of youngsters involved in incidents of antisocial behaviour, extra-curricular activities in schools and five days outdoor education for every school pupil in Scotland should be supported.
