Enabling Environments: Outdoors - In the lead

Even if leadership is not part of your job description, the very fact that you are an early years professional makes you a leader of learning. You are a role model, and hopefully, as American president John Quincy Adams said, 'If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader'.

Most settings distribute leadership responsibilities across the team. For example, you may have someone with designated responsibility for communication, language and literacy. Ideally, a setting should also have a designated person for supporting colleagues in developing a high-quality learning environment and to lead best practice outdoors. However, all practitioners should see themselves as having responsibility for all areas of provision, and that includes outdoor learning.

QUALITIES

To be an effective leader in any area of learning, you need to have or develop a range of qualities. Some of these may come naturally, while others will require more work and attention in your professional development. Here are examples of four essential qualities for leading learning outdoors.

1. Confidence

To lead learning outdoors, you need to develop confidence in working with natural materials, in responding to the situations that may occur in all seasons and all weathers, and in managing appropriately risk, risk benefits and challenge.

2. Enthusiasm

It is sometimes difficult to be enthusiastic about going out in the rain or cold. A leader of learning outdoors makes a feature of preparation by ensuring that everyone has suitable clothing and that there are exciting ways of making the most of, for example, a sudden downpour - using the opportunity for new kinds of water play or exploring the play potential of a puddle or mudslide.

3. Knowledge

You don't have to be a botanist or horticultural expert to lead learning outdoors, but it certainly helps to become familiar with the plants, insects and animals that you or the children are likely to encounter outside.

If you encounter unfamiliar plants or insects, ask the children or colleagues to help you to develop your expertise by visiting garden centres, reading books and searching the internet. The Wildlife Trusts and environmental education organisations are usually extremely helpful.

4. Experience

Confidence, enthusiasm and knowledge will grow through experience. Leaders of learning outdoors can develop these qualities by going on training courses, visiting outdoor learning centres and asking local authority advisers about where to observe best practice. Build up your own portfolio of resources and activities that have gone down well when working outdoors.

Outdoors and the EYFS

A Unique Child: child-centred practice

Leading learning in early years always starts with the child. Your role is to take your 'cues' or 'leads' from the child, having developed your understanding of what any child in your care needs. Take account of each child's unique make-up, stage of development, interests, character and disposition to learning.

As with adults, children will vary in their experience and confidence in making the most of the outdoors. Some will prefer indoors to outdoors, while others will need more encouragement. They may need practical support with clothing, or emotional and social support in trying out new materials and experiences, such as placing their hands in soil or caring for plants and animals.

Positive Relationships: listening to and learning from each other

Early years leaders need to develop good relationships with the children, with parents and carers and with their colleagues. Observation, listening and good communication are key.

When working outdoors, it is essential to build in opportunities for reflecting on practice. Make sure practitioners have time to carry out observations outside and to discuss at staff meetings which aspects of provision work and which do not. Use the process of change by asking the following questions:

- Where are we now?

- Where do we want to be?

- How do we get there?

Then focus on making positive changes a reality together.

Enabling Environments: use, design and management

What kind of environment helps children to learn and develop their potential? Outdoors, it is useful to assess an environment by considering its Use, Design and Management. First, how do the staff and children use the outdoor environment? What kind of experiences can they access outdoors?

Then, consider how the outdoor area is laid out to provide those experiences. Are there design features that help or hinder: shade, shelter, different surfaces, levels, and 'zones' for different kind of activities? Are there obstacles, such as storage, or can the children access all areas freely?

Finally, it is important to think of the many management issues such as policies, risk assessments, maintenance plans and staff training and development that will be needed to make the outdoor provision as good as it can be.

Learning and Development: Areas of learning - a richer classroom outdoors

All areas of learning can be supported outside, and children's entitlement to daily outdoor learning experiences is enshrined in the EYFS.

In many cases, the outdoor environment has a richer, more flexible and more varied potential for learning than the indoors. Working with colleagues, using their expertise to look at each area of learning in turn and thinking how well it is supported by the outdoor provision, will help improve quality.

If the current priority or focus in your setting is on mathematical development, for example, then look at how this is resourced and supported outdoors. The National Strategies' Effective practice: outdoor learning and resources at Learning Through Landscapes provide lots of ideas.

Continuous improvement

'The ultimate test of practical leadership is the realisation of intended, real change that meets people's enduring needs,' wrote James MacGregor Burns in Leadership.

As a leader in learning outdoors, you will constantly be seeking to improve the quality of experience for children. Leadership means change, and change involves taking risks.

Sometimes this involves taking risks and trying new things. Often it involves explaining to others - colleagues, parents or visiting inspectors - why and how you are using the outdoor environment to support high-quality learning, as it may not always be obvious to them.

Good planning is essential in ensuring people recognise that taking risks, following an appropriate risk assessment, is an outcome of effective leadership and an instrument for change.

Annie Davy is early years adviser for Learning Through Landscapes and is currently on secondment from Oxfordshire County Council, where she is head of early learning and childcare

CASE STUDY: LESLEY DONOHUE

Lesley works part-time as a teacher in Everton Children and Family Centre and is associate consultant with Liverpool Early Years. She also works independently as an outdoor trainer with schools and private nurseries and with Sefton Early Years, introducing Forest School training.

She has a BEd degree in Environmental Science and Primary Education and is a qualified Forest School Leader and a qualified Girl Guide leader, using outdoor crafts and skills.

'When I was growing up, I enjoyed the freedom of the outdoors, which gave me a love of nature that has stayed with me,' says Lesely. 'I believe passionately that any subject can be taught outdoors and that children really respond to outdoor learning. I want to introduce children to the wonder of nature so that they build a lifelong respect for the natural world.'

She has trained with organisations such as Bridgwater College and worked with outdoors consultant Wendy Titman and colleagues at Everton Children's Centre to develop their outdoor area. Learning Through Landscapes has given her ideas and inspiration to keep her practice fresh and up to date.

Qualities

Lesley says that the following qualities are essential for leading learning outdoors:

- a love of the outdoors, and recognising that young children respond well to learning outdoors;

- valuing the contribution that parents and carers can make to creating an interesting and inspiring outdoor space;

- sharing a vision with colleagues and staff teams;

- the ability to lead and create a plan for what the staff team want to achieve when developing their outdoor space;

- a positive approach to challenges posed by being outdoors in all weathers;

- some knowledge of living things such as insects, plants and birds, which helps to inspire children to want to discover more about them;

- willingness to learn from books and articles and keep up to date with ideas and theories relating to outdoor learning.

Lesley is starting work with Early Education delivering training on the outdoor resource pack, which has been produced jointly with Learning Through Landscapes and will shortly be available to all. Watch this space!

CASE STUDY: SUZANNE SERGEANT

Suzanne Sergeant is an advisory teacher for the Foundation Phase in Wales.

Before taking up her role as advisory teacher, Suzanne worked in a variety of early years settings in England and Wales. She was the deputy head of a large infant school in north London before relocating to Wales, where she became the head of nursery in a leading independent school.

Suzanne tells us, 'Outdoor learning is an integral part of the Foundation Phase, which is a new Key Stage in Wales that incorporates Early Years and Key Stage 1.

'I have always enjoyed being outdoors and spent a lot of time as a child climbing trees, making dens and exploring the countryside. After having my daughter, my passion for outdoor learning really grew. I could see that she was not able to access many of the opportunities and experiences that I had taken for granted. This realisation prompted me to focus my energy on developing outdoor learning within my professional role.'

Suzanne is also an accredited Learning Through Landscapes trainer and facilitator. She visits schools and settings and advises them on ways in which they could develop their outdoor areas.

'Growing up in rural Wales definitely allowed me to feel the positive benefits of being outdoors. I have always gathered inspiration from my local environment, whether that is the bustling market in London's Columbia Road or the tranquillity of the coast in west Wales.'

Tips

Suzanne's tips for those wanting to become a leader of learning outdoors are:

- Enthusiasm is infectious, for both children and adults. Show other practitioners the potential of being outdoors and how much fun it can be.

- Be creative - developing any outdoor area can be a challenging task, with lack of resources, space and commitment often issues. However, much can be achieved on even the most limited budget - where there's a will, there's a way!

- Don't be deterred if you don't consider yourself to be an 'expert'. There are many websites and publications where you can quickly find out the information you need.

- Accessing accredited training is obviously useful, whether it be Forest Schools, Learning Through Landscapes or inset training offered by the local authority.

- I always learn a huge amount by visiting other schools and sharing their experiences. Many organisations offer support groups and networks that are free to join and can give you a wealth of information and ideas.

- The best advice I could give is to just go for it! My favourite quote is, 'Reach for the moon, because even if you don't make it, you'll land among the stars!'

REFERENCES

- Transforming Leadership: A new pursuit of happiness by James MacGregor Burns, Atlantic Monthly Press (2003)

- Leadership by James MacGregor Burns(Harper Collins, 1978)

- Effective practice: outdoor learning is downloadable from http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/84347www.eyfs.

- Learning Through Landscapes, known in Scotland as Grounds for Learning, helps schools and early years settings make the most of their outdoor spaces for play and learning. It is a national charity with over 20 years' experience of working in partnership to improve outdoor provision for children. You can find out more about its membership scheme to support early years settings (Early Years Outdoors) and professionals who work with them. Visit www.ltl.org.uk or telephone 01962 845811

- The Wildlife Trusts, www.wildlifetrusts.org/