Evaluation of Educational Access: Final Report, March 2022

In October 2021, Ecorys was commissioned by Natural England to evaluate the current delivery of educational access and draw comparisons with best practice in outdoor learning as explored in literature. Specifically, the evaluation aimed to answer the following questions: What curriculum subjects and topics and pedagogical approaches can be delivered within (non-residential) outdoor learning? What curriculum subjects and topics and pedagogical approaches are currently being delivered on educational access sites? How does the current approach to educational access compare to optimal approaches within (non-residential) outdoor learning? What are the facilitators and barriers towards the implementation of optimal approaches within (non-residential) outdoor learning? The mixed-method approach consisted of: (a) a literature review which examined best practice of curriculum content and pedagogy within outdoor learning, (b) a survey of existing educational access providers to understand how visits are currently delivered, and (c) in-depth interviews to explore examples of how providers tailored teaching and learning to their farm or wildlife site. Findings from each work package were triangulated in order to answer the research questions