Coronavirus (COVID-19): Advisory Sub-Group on Education and Children’s Issues – phased return to in-person learning in schools and ELC settings – next steps

An advisory note from the Advisory Sub-Group on Education and Children’s Issues providing advice on school transport, outdoor learning, community transmission, the impact of school closures and staff safety and well-being was published on 3rd March.

There are two paragraphs about Outdoor Learning:

Outdoor learning
The sub-group considered the scope for an enhanced wellbeing and outdoor learning package for secondary aged pupils, to support their readiness to return to in-school learning and to provide experiences to support wellbeing. Given continued consistent evidence that risks of transmission outdoors are low, and the benefits of outdoor activity are well recognised, the sub-group was very supportive of an increased emphasis on as much outdoor activity as possible as we progress through the phases of return and into sustained recovery.

In order to facilitate the increased emphasis on outdoor activity for wider wellbeing purposes, the sub-group is content that physical distancing should be maintained where possible, but that the requirement for strict 2 metre distancing could be relaxed when young people are outdoors for the purpose of outdoor activities and learning.