The CLOtC National Conference is made possible through partnerships with organisations that share our belief in the power of learning beyond the classroom – and this year, we’re proud to have PGL Beyond as one of our lead sponsors. PGL Beyond has long championed experiences that help young people build confidence, develop essential life skills and discover new possibilities. Anthony Jones, CEO of PGL Beyond, and Michelle Evans, Director of Product & Marketing, tells us why this partnership matters to them, and why investing in learning beyond the classroom benefits everyone…
Q: PGL Beyond has been helping young people learn through real experiences for many years. Why do you believe learning beyond the classroom is so important today?
Anthony: Here at PGL Beyond we’re really passionate about supporting young people and we do that through the power of outdoor learning, learning outside of the classroom.
Enrichment is a big word right now in the education sector and we’re so delighted about that. Enrichment is about unleashing that potential and our purpose is providing enriching experiences for young people to unlock the potential and help shape brighter futures.
So whilst enrichment is a big topic right now, it’s something that we’ve been doing throughout all of our brands for decades, up to 70 years in some cases.
Q: What changes do you see in young people when they’re given opportunities to learn in new environments and step outside their comfort zone?
Anthony: We see huge changes in young people from the day they arrive with us to the day they leave. We often talk about this simplistically as they leave 10 feet taller. I mean, they really do! They walk taller, they walk with more confidence, resilience and independence.
In some cases it unlocks some innovation that was perhaps latent within them, and provides those vocational skills that you don’t get in a standard learning environment.
Q: Schools face increasing pressures on time and budgets. How can organisations like PGL Beyond help make high-quality learning beyond the classroom more accessible and achievable?
Anthony: Here at PGL Beyond we’re really passionate about inclusivity. Indeed it’s one of our six values and every one of our colleagues here at PGL Beyond lives this value every day.
We believe these valuable life-changing experiences that we can provide should be accessible to all, regardless of your circumstances. And we’ve worked really, really hard to make sure that we can make the biggest possible impact and reach as many young people as possible.
So whether that’s an issue of affordability through our breakthrough fund and a narrative that we’re prepared to stand behind of pay what you can afford which makes all the different experiences we offer affordable, accessible to all young people.
Whether that’s our recent work around special educational needs and disability where we can now work with young people across the spectrum confidently or whether this is about ethnicity and religion, where we’re able to now to make the necessary adjustments across all of our programmes to be able to welcome these young people.
We will do whatever it takes to be as inclusive as possible and to make the biggest possible impact.
Q: PGL Beyond is a lead sponsor of this year’s conference. What made supporting the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom such a natural partnership for you?
Michelle: For PGL Beyond, this partnership is rooted in a shared belief that some of the most powerful learning happens beyond the classroom.
Across PGL, NST, Esto and StudyLink Tours, we see every day how outdoor learning, educational travel and real-world experiences can build confidence, strengthen relationships, broaden horizons and help young people develop the skills they need for the future.
The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom brings together a community that is equally committed to the quality, value and accessibility of these experiences. Supporting the conference gives us an opportunity to stand alongside that community, share learning and help make experiences beyond the classroom a given, not a privilege.
With enrichment now receiving greater national focus, this partnership also feels particularly timely. Together, we can help schools turn that ambition into purposeful experiences with lasting impact.
Q: What excites you most about the future of learning beyond the classroom, and what role do you hope organisations like yours can play in helping it grow?
Anthony: I’m super excited about the role of learning outside the classroom. I think society and in particular government have caught up with what we in our sector have known for years, decades frankly.
It’s great to see through the narrative of enrichment, through the youth crisis which is acknowledged by our government today, that the role that our sector can play is being acknowledged.
And the world that I want to get to and what I’m advocating for and pushing wherever I can is that we need to move on from the current situation where perhaps a young person will do a PGL residential in year 6 and a history trip in year 7 and maybe a ski trip and so on. A sheep dip. One residential is not enough.
Young people today need these experiences prevalent throughout their young journey, throughout 8 to 24, the technical definition of a young person. These experiences need to be consistent throughout their journey.
Their needs evolve, the outcomes that they need at different parts in their journey evolve and they’re different. We have programs built around those needs at different key learning stages and it’s important that society starts looking at it as a journey, not just a sheet dip.
And I think today, with some of the recent changes, I think that’s where we’re evolving and I think it’s really exciting.
Q: What value do you see in bringing together schools, educators, charities, providers and partners through events like this?
Michelle: No single organisation can remove every barrier or meet every young person’s needs alone. Meaningful change happens when schools, educators, charities and specialist partners bring their knowledge, experience and ideas together. Events like this create space for honest discussion about what is working, where gaps remain and how we can widen participation without compromising quality, safety or educational purpose. They allow us to learn directly from schools and young people, share evidence and good practice, and build partnerships that turn ambition into action.
Q: What message would you like to give the delegates who attend this year’s conference?
Anthony: Just that PGL Beyond is here to help, we’d love to chat, we’d love to talk about your needs and we’d love the opportunity to share with you what we’ve been doing, who we are, why we do it and how we can help you.
We want to make the biggest possible impact. and we’d love to work on that in partnership with you.
