LOtC Champions

Paul Rose

Presenter, explorer, naturalist

“I shone at three things in school – trips away from school, sports and metalwork. Those classrooms were not for me: overheated, incomprehensible and dull lessons. I was so bored. Then, when I was fourteen, my geography teacher took us outside of the classroom and all the horrors that it held for me. I shall never forget how alive and in tune with nature I felt. Those days peeling spuds at the Merthyr Tydfil youth hostel after a day in the hills.

Paul Rose - "LOtC changes lives"

Learning outside the classroom can have a profound impact in raising the confidence of those young people who do not perform well in the classroom environment. Taking learning out of the classroom context gives young people with different strengths and learning styles the chance to shine, improving relationships between peers and strengthening student-teacher relationships. These impacts have a lasting effect both back inside the classroom and in later life. Learning outside the classroom changes lives.

I am a huge advocate of the work undertaken by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, and support their work in changing the lives of young people who otherwise would remain uninspired and unfulfilled in their education”.

Ellen MacArthur

Sportswoman, Yachtsperson

“I believe giving children access to new experiences and adventure helps them to develop the skills and confidence to face the challenges of real life. The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom is calling for every child to experience life and lessons beyond the classroom walls as an essential part of their education and I support them in their campaign to help more young people achieve their full potential.”

Sir Richard Branson

Adventurer and Entrepreneur

“Adventure is all about balancing the risks and benefits in an uncertain environment and deciding to go for it.  It’s exactly the same whether you’re setting ballooning records or starting a new business.  Giving young people a taste of adventure is so important if we are to foster the enterprising and ambitious entrepreneurs of tomorrow.”

Andy McNab

Author

“When I joined the Royal Green Jackets at 16, I couldn’t read or write. I was educated in the army, and they said “You aren’t stupid, you just haven’t been educated.” Many kids just don’t respond well to the classroom environment, and learn better through doing.  I believe schools should offer more learning outside the classroom to introduce young people to challenge and adventure, teach them about handling risk and engage them with new experiences. These real life experiences re-motivate children who are bored at school and inspire them to reach their full potential.”

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh KG KT

“Everybody wants all sports and recreations to be as safe as possible, but this can only be achieved when all participants have been made aware of the risks and of how to avoid them.  Learning by experience of real adventure under competent leadership is the best way to develop that awareness, and to reduce unnecessary accidents.”

Sir Chris Bonington

Mountaineer

“Experiencing the Outdoors should be a vital part of every person’s education both as an adventure and an awareness of the wonders of nature.”

Libby Purves

OBE, Journalist and Broadcaster

“A modern child’s world can too easily be overtaken by virtuality: the screen, the handset, the computer mouse.  Even sport may become an increasingly technical, indoor business with little risk or abrasive unexpectedness.   But to grow fully human we need the salt of reality: the exhilaration of adventure in the natural world.  We can’t allow a society in which the only physical adventures available to young people are sex, drugs and joyriding.”

Ben Ainslie

OBE, Olympic Gold Medallist

“As a youngster growing up in Cornwall there were plenty of opportunities to get out and test yourself against the elements! My great love is sailing and through that I was able to learn much about working with other people and dealing with high pressure situations.  On the North Shore of Cornwall we did a lot of surfing and that was wild!  Being pummelled by a six foot wave really teaches you the amazing power that the water has.  Most of all I think it was important to have the chance to get outside and see how much fun you can have, either on land, in the water or in the air!”

Kate Humble

Presenter and naturalist

“As a child, I was extremely lucky to live in the countryside, where my passion for wildlife and the environment was born. Since then, I’ve developed a real wanderlust and have been able to learn about the world’s animals and plants, and key issues such as climate change from first hand experiences. It is this real world learning that has shaped my career to date.

So many children these days aren’t so lucky in their opportunities to experience the natural world. We must reconnect our children to the natural environment, teaching them to experience, value and appreciate the wonderful world on our doorstep. Whilst classroom learning clearly plays its part, we should not undervalue the importance of learning outside the classroom. Although you can teach facts and generate interest through textbooks and the television, to instil real passion for wildlife in the next generation young people must have the opportunity to see, hear, touch and explore the environment for themselves.

I believe that the work of the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom in encouraging and supporting teachers to make these opportunities available for young people as a regular part of their daily education is vital because today’s children are tomorrow’s decision makers”.

Richard Jones

Head of Policy and Public Affairs at IOSH ( Institution of Occupational Safety and Health)

‘We strongly support the benefits of learning outside the classroom and think the solution to easing teacher concerns is to give them better training, support and resources’