Improving school attendance: can participation in outdoor learning influence attendance for young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties?

Abstract

The link between good attendance in school and academic performance has been acknowledged for some time now. However, improving school attendance for young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) or pupils at risk of exclusion can be a challenging task for educational leaders. This paper begins with a discussion of earlier studies on outdoor learning and school attendance. It adds to the discourse by presenting findings from a one-year outdoor learning programme situated within an English special school for young people with SEBD. The research reported here is part of a larger study that used an action research design. The paper concludes that although improvements in attendance can be achieved, the factors affecting attendance are complex and that improvements may be restricted to programmes that utilise an outdoor learning approach rather than being achievable across the whole school curriculum.

Keywords:

• outdoor learning
• school attendance
• exclusion
• disaffected
• social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD)

Acknowledgements

The author would like to express grateful thanks to the anonymous reviewers involved with previous interactions of this paper. Their contributions made the paper clearer. Thanks are also expressed to the learners, staff and head teacher and author’s family for their support of the project.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alan Price

Alan Price is a part-time doctorial researcher at the School of Education, University of Birmingham, UK. During the day he is employed as a teacher for learners with special educational needs. His research interests relate to how outdoor learning can be used to promote personal and social skill development amongst learners with special educational needs.