We often talk about getting more children outdoors, whether that be through M
more outdoor lessons, more nature connection, or more opportunities to play, explore and learn beyond the classroom. But there is another question we perhaps need to ask: Who is actually getting to enjoy those opportunities? New research published by Natural England in September 2026 looks specifically at the barriers children and young people face when accessing, using and enjoying natural environments and it gives schools plenty to think about.
Natural England’s new evidence briefing, Included Outside: Engaging Children and Young People in Nature, reviewed UK evidence published between 2010 and 2026. It identified four broad types of barrier affecting children’s relationship with nature:
- Structural barriers, including a lack of good-quality green space
- Experiential barriers, such as low confidence in nature or concerns about risk
- Cultural barriers, including a feeling that nature simply isn’t “for people like me”
- Planning and management barriers, including poor playground facilities and a lack of natural space within schools.
Read Natural England’s Included Outside briefing
What’s particularly important is that these barriers don’t necessarily occur separately. A child may experience several at once and that means offering outdoor learning isn’t quite the same as making outdoor learning accessible.
When we talk about inclusion outdoors, it can be tempting to immediately think about whether a child can physically access a space. Of course, that’s important, but inclusion and accessibility goes much further. Think about a child who finds unpredictable sensory experiences difficult. The wind is strong, leaves are blowing around and the playground suddenly feels very different.
Think about the child who doesn’t have wellies or a waterproof coat or the child who doesn’t know what they’re supposed to do when an activity becomes more open-ended. Some children will run through the gate into a woodland and immediately start exploring. Others may stand at the edge. Neither response tells us whether that child likes nature. It tells us that children arrive outdoors with different experiences, needs and levels of confidence.
Outdoor learning doesn’t have to mean going somewhere special
There’s another important point for schools here. Access to a woodland, nature reserve or purpose-built outdoor classroom is wonderful, but it shouldn’t determine whether children experience outdoor learning. A 2026 study exploring curricular outdoor learning in English schools found that the accessibility and suitability of school grounds or nearby green spaces was an important factor in provision. Teachers also identified familiar barriers including curriculum pressure, time, funding, staffing and confidence.
This is one reason we talk so much at Teach Outdoors about using the space you already have.
- A playground can be used to investigate shadows.
- A fence can become a giant number line.
- A single tree can support science, maths, art, geography and English.
- A patch of grass can become somewhere to read, investigate minibeasts or simply sit and notice what is happening around you.
Outdoor learning shouldn’t depend upon having the “right” grounds.
What do teachers need?
Interestingly, the same 2026 study asked teachers what helps outdoor learning become part of everyday curriculum practice. Strong school leadership mattered, as did suitable spaces, flexibility to develop outdoor learning according to the individual school context and ongoing professional development where teachers could collaborate and share practice. Lack of teacher confidence was a significant challenge identified within the research reviewed by the authors and that’s important. Teachers need the confidence to look at what they’re already teaching and ask: could my children learn this outside?
Audit your own outdoor provision
This month, walk around your school grounds and look at them from the perspective of different children.
Ask:
- Who regularly gets to learn outside? Is outdoor learning an entitlement, or does it depend upon which teacher a child has?
- Can all children physically access the spaces we use?
- Do children know what to expect when learning moves outdoors? Would clearer routines or visual prompts help?
- Have we considered sensory needs? Where are the quieter spaces? Where could a child step away without being excluded from the learning?
- Do children have choices in how they participate?
- Are clothing, footwear or equipment preventing some children from taking part?
- Do children see people like themselves represented in our conversations about nature and the outdoors?
- Have we actually asked children what helps them feel comfortable, interested and included outside?
You don’t need to solve everything immediately. Choose one barrier and start there.
