New research from Natural England suggests that less than 10 per cent of children play in 'wild spaces'. Just a generation ago some 40 per cent of kids roamed around in woodlands, heaths and other open areas.
It's a sad fact that parents' understandable concerns about safety mean that most children are growing up with scant experience of the natural world. And if they don't have the opportunity to get out and enjoy nature firsthand, we can't expect them to value it. To put it bluntly, if they don't value nature our efforts to protect it may well prove worthless.
The natural environment won't be the only casualty.
According to Ofsted, 'When planned and implemented well, learning outside the classroom contributed significantly to raising standards and improving pupils' personal, social and emotional development.'
So, what's to be done?
The RSPB already helps hundreds of thousands of children to discover and enjoy the natural world, through school visits to reserves, Big Schools' Birdwatch, family days out and membership of Wildlife Explorers.
Just over five years ago, we helped to form the Real World Learning Campaign - working with the Field Studies Council, National Trust, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, The Wildlife Trusts and PGL. This has made some progress.
Earlier this year, the Secretary of State for Education, Ed Balls MP, launched a new Quality Badge for Learning Outside the Classroom. Schools can use this to identify outdoor learning venues that meet independently assessed safety and quality standards. The RSPB's Top Lodge nature reserve was one of the first to be awarded this recognition. More are following close behind.
Badging schemes can only go so far. If schools have no money to take advantage of them and teachers don't know about them, their impact is going to be seriously limited. A view shared by Ofsted.
So, as well as supporting the new Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, the RSPB is calling for:
- Ofsted to integrate the mandatory inspection of outdoors learning, for every school in England
- Government to provide £27 million to fund every child in England getting at least one experience of outdoors learning per year
- The Training and Development Agency for Schools to ensure that teachers are confident, competent and committed to giving every child this opportunity.
What do you want for your kids?
Running around in the fresh air, surrounded by green spaces and wildlife? Or stuck in front of a PC or television screen?
As the parent of a two year old, I know what matters most to me . And I can see what works best for Dan.
Nature's amazing - and it's there to be enjoyed by everyone.
For more information about the RSPB's education work, see here.