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Turbulent times: Outdoor education in Great Britain 1993–2003

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Abstract

Outdoor education has a long and well documented history in Great Britain which is regularly linked to Hahn, Gordonstoun School, and the Outward Bound movement. A kayaking tragedy in 1993 resulted in the introduction of new legislation through Parliament. This has led to major changes in outdoor education in Great Britain and extensive debates, which are only partially documented. This paper outlines some of these changes and offers readers references that direct them to more detailed information. In addition, some of the resulting trends and debates that have emerged in the aftermath of the tragedy are provided. The paper concludes by considering some implications for outdoor education as a profession and argues that outdoor educators in Great Britain ought to consider the value of becoming a profession before striving to become one. Finally, some suggestions are made as to why these reflections on’ turbulent times’ might be relevant to the field of outdoor education in Australia and other countries.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Edinburgh, UK

    Pete Allison & John Telford

Authors
  1. Pete Allison
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  2. John Telford
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pete Allison.

Additional information

Pete Allison PhD FRGS is lecturer and programme co-ordinator at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He is founder and was editor of the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning. He also serves on the journal advisory committee for the Journal of Experiential Education, and as a reviewer for Leisure Studies and the Australian Journal of Outdoor Education.

John Telford is a part-time lecturer and PhD student at the University of Edinburgh. His interests are in the influences of outdoor education experiences on later life choices and environmental sustainability.

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Allison, P., Telford, J. Turbulent times: Outdoor education in Great Britain 1993–2003. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education 9, 21–30 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03400818

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