It is generally agreed that schools should be encouraged to celebrate the learning opportunities and the benefits to personal and social development that come from outdoor education visits.

Evidence exists to indicate that good quality fieldwork offers learners opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in ways that add value to their everyday experiences in the classroom.

In light of this schools should utilise any fieldwork in as many ways as possible; directly linked to curriculum subject area, as sources of creativity, and as the focus of ICT.

Similarly outdoor adventure can impact positively on young people's attitudes, beliefs and self-perceptions (examples of outcomes include independence, confidence, self-esteem, personal effectiveness and coping strategies) and their interpersonal and social skills - such as social effectiveness, communication skills, group cohesion and teamwork.

Schools should be encouraged to look at ways of capturing and recognising pupils’ achievements. Some sort of record is really useful. Pupils could be encouraged to participate in taking pictures/video/audio records and to edit/share these records. The Countrywide UK Trust has many examples of how this has been done by the schools it has helped.

Opportunities to link the visit to an award back at school could also help embed the outdoor education visit. E.g. the John Muir Award. http://www.jmt.org/jmaward-home.asp