This paper uses ethnography to explore an outdoor, arts-based intervention run by Urban Wilderness, in partnership with an English primary school. Urban Wilderness are a not-for-profit organisation which aims to connect children and young people from disadvantaged areas to locally accessible nature. Over the course of three afternoon workshops,…

In this article, we consider the term "assessment", its relationship to "evaluation" and the implications for outdoor learning in the light of changing educational policy on assessment in England. A small-scale empirical study of how assessment was practised by two primary teachers on a residential trip and two further cases in…

Enabling educators to meet new and challenging times requires fundamental shifts to ways of imagining and enacting their practice. A central yet often understated aspect of this educational change are the various ways in which educators receive training and development. From initial teacher training through to continuing professional development,…

Aim: This study gathered views of 10 to 12-years-old pupils about their play experiences before and after transition to secondary school, comparing access to their right to play. Method: A multiple-case study design was used to gather views of six Year 6 primary pupils and six Year 7 secondary pupils living in the same community in the United…

In the October 2007 issue of "Adults Learning," Paul Stanistreet wrote an article which celebrated the successes of the countryside access movement of the twentieth century. He highlighted how, while some of the legal barriers to access have been reduced, not all citizens are able to take advantage of the rights that were won by an…

The mass trespass on Kinder Scout was a milestone in the struggle for access to Britain's countryside. Seventy-five years on, walkers have the right to roam across land closed to them for centuries, but, for many others, Britain's moors and mountains remain, in all but name, another country. In this article, the author discusses the Kinder…

Using Foucault's governmentality approach this paper analyses recent developments in power relations between different levels of government. Taking as its empirical focus the relationship between England's National Park Authorities (NPAs) and the UK government, the paper argues that there are two competing imperatives at work in the governance of…

This book is about using parks and gardens as a study of the historic built environment. Parks and gardens have been laid out for utility and enjoyment for centuries. The ideas presented may be adapted to use in any park - public or municipal parks or those part of historic house estates, or any smaller-scale garden. The chapter titles include:…