Presentation to launch #BrilliantResidentials in Scotland to NNOL at their meeting on 14 March 2017 at the Millport Field Studies Centre on Isle of Cumbrae.

1. Learning Away was founded and initially developed by Paul Hamlyn Foundation

2. National Network for
Outdoor Learning
Peter Carne OBE (Learning Away National Adviser)
Kim Somerville (Learning Away Campaign Coordinator)
14th March 2017
Learning Away was founded and initially developed by Paul Hamlyn Foundation

3. Action research
PHF funded special initiative
Over 5 years
With 60 schools
In 13 partnerships
Rigorous evaluation
12,500+ pre and post surveys with
students, parents and staff
100+ focus groups

4. What has Learning Way been trying to do?
 Make a strong case for change, by finding compelling evidence of positive
impact and benefits (for young people, teachers and schools as a whole).
 Discover exactly what it is that’s so powerful about residential learning.
 Find out whether certain types of residential are more effective than others
i.e. what is a high quality residential learning experience?
 Develop advice, guidance & support for teachers & residential providers.

5. What did our Learning Away schools do?
Residential models offered included:
 Partnering with outdoor education, field study and heritage providers
(local authority, voluntary sector and commercial)
 Low cost camping (on school sites, locally and further afield)
 School exchanges
 Family support programmes (using holiday cottages)

6. “Learning Away has shown that a residential
learning experience provides opportunities
and benefits that cannot be achieved in any
other educational context or setting.
The impact is greater when residentials are
fully integrated with a school’s curriculum
and ethos.”
Learning Away Final Evaluation Report
York Consulting 2015

7. Impacts and benefits
We have strong evidence which demonstrates that there are
numerous positive impacts of Brilliant Residentials, showing
that they improve students’…

9. Resilience and self confidence

10. Attainment

11. Attainment
“Student A was in the middle of her maths test
when she literally shouted out, 'I know how to
do this! You should have all gone to Carroty
Wood - Mr W taught me how to do this!'”
Maths teacher, Canterbury Academy
61% of students who attended Calderglen High
School’s Drama residential achieved higher than
their predicted grade, compared to 21% who did
not attend.
Learning Away Final Evaluation Report

12. Relationships

13. Relationships
“The student-teacher relationship built in a
week on a residential is similar to that of a
relationship built over an entire year in a
normal class situation.”
Staff survey
“In schools you see teachers as scary and strict,
but on the residential trip they’re so much
nicer. You see them as normal human beings.”
Secondary student focus group

14. Engagement with learning

15. Engagement with learning
“Before going on the trip I hated school, but
now I just love it. I love to learn about maths,
literacy and science.”
Primary Student Focus Group
“When I was at Hampton Court there was just
loads of stuff to inspire me. I probably did more
hours of work in that one week than I did in the
whole of this term, I just had so much
inspiration from it.”
Year 10 student, Canterbury Academy

17. The Learning Away ‘theory of change’
Residentials bring
The overnight stay & an
intensity of experience
A new context for
relationships
Different & varied
opportunities to experience
success
New ways of learning
Short & medium
term
Enhanced relationships
Improved engagement
& confidence in
learning
New & developing skills
& understanding
Longer term
Improved …
Achievement, progress &
attainment
K,S & U
Relationships
Engagement, behaviour &
attendance
More successful
transitions

18. What makes brilliant residentials brilliant?
 Fully integrated with school curriculum and ethos
 Led by teachers
 Led by students (where appropriate)
 Co-designed with students
 Inclusive and affordable for all
 Planned with clear learning objectives to meet specific learning needs
 Planned so that learning is embedded and reinforced back in school
 Part of a progressive programme of experiences
 Designed to include a wide range of new and memorable experiences
 Designed to allow space to develop collaborative relationships
 Evaluated rigorously
 Supported by senior leadership

19. Recommendations for
schools
1. Provide a range of inclusive and
integrated residentials
2. Work closely with residential providers
3. Recognise and plan for the value of
informal social time
4. Plan for evaluation to confirm value
5. Develop a climate that supports healthy
risk-taking around teaching and learning

20. Recommendations
for schools
6. Provide staffing, CPD and support structures to assist teachers
7. Look for wider school community and volunteer expertise and support
8. Partner with other schools
9. Develop inclusive and lower-cost residentials
10. Use residentials to support students through key transitions points.

21. Recommendations for providers
1. Draw on the finding of Learning Away to inform your offer and
approach to working with schools
2. Publicise the benefits of residential experiences
3. Direct schools and policy makers to our research evidence
4. Publicise the unique nature of the overnight stay and the
opportunities this offers for learning
5. Promote curriculum integration - residentials should be entitlement
not an enrichment

22. Recommendations for
providers
6. Work collaboratively with teachers and students
7. Support schools to use informal social time
8. Evaluate the impact of your residentials rigorously
9. Support lower-cost residential models e.g. camping, shorter
residentials, teacher-led activities
10. Draw schools attention to funding opportunities.

23. Learning Away is now led by a ‘legacy’ consortium of organisations
united in their commitment to ensure more young people have access
to high-quality brilliant residential learning experiences ...

24. Campaigning phase

25. Our vision
 We want more children and young people taking part in residentials
 We want improved quality of residential provision in line with the
principles of Brilliant Residentials

26. Aims of the campaign
• Influence the practice of:
 Schools (Non-adopters, adopters, champions)
 Residential providers
 Initial Teacher Training providers
 Policy makers
 Parents
 Youth groups / organisations
• Raise awareness that residentials do not need to be expensive …
they must be affordable and inclusive to be brilliant.

28. Online
Now
• Free resources, planning tools and templates
• Over 100 case studies
• Pledge system
• New animated video
• Significantly increased following on social media
Next
• Blog
• Brilliant Residentials tool
• More case studies

29. Publications and print
Now
• Visual identity and guidelines
• Events and exhibition material
• Digital campaign pack for providers and
schools to use
• E-newsletters
Next
• Grow network of renowned faces in arts,
heritage and outdoor education pledging
their support for Brilliant Residentials

30. “The Learning Away evidence proves
what I have always known, children
benefit in a profound way from the
adventure of a residential and the
opportunity and experience of being
absorbed in what they are learning in
the great outdoors.”
Sir Chris Bonington

31. PR and media
Now
• BBC Breakfast coverage reaching 6m worth £1m
• Press coverage in education and sector press
e.g. Teach Secondary, Teach Primary, SSAT Journal
Next
• Continue to develop links to foster regular
columns, articles and features in education press
and media
• Seek more coverage focussed at schools in Scotland

32. Events
Now
• Successful communications launch gained
provider buy-in
• Spoken to >1000 people at 13 events and
conferences (target is 300 by March 2017)
Next
• Education Show
• Events with high teacher attendance
• Champion Schools

33. Measuring our success
• More residentials - baseline and future tracking via the Evolve
educational visit approval system, used by 127 local authorities
nationally.
• Higher quality residentials - with the support of LMKCo. and the
Outdoor Education Advisers Panel schools will be regularly asked to
complete an online survey gauging to what extent their residentials
are ‘brilliant’.
• Could we / should we do something similar in Scotland?

34. Launching Brilliant Residentials in Scotland
Working together to:
 Share the impact of these learning experiences
 Promote the benefits of high-quality residentials
 Encourage and support schools to provide more Brilliant Residentials

35. Pledge - make your pledge to work with others to
Provide more and higher quality residentials here
Share - share your stories and photographs of high-quality
residentials on facebook and twitter, and use the
#BrilliantResidentials hashtag
Campaign Pack - use the tools in the campaign pack which can
be downloaded here to put Brilliant Residentials on the map
Champion Schools – identify schools who can share best practice
with more info here
What can you do now?

36. Freda Fallon
Outward Bound

37. Neil Baird
Scouts Scotland

38. Website: learningaway.org.uk
Twitter:@LearningAway #BrilliantResidentials
Facebook: /WeAreLearningAway
Email: kim.somerville@lotc.org.uk
Email: learningaway@petercarne.co.uk