Scotland's new Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) Bill passed!

Scotland’s new Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) Bill marks a landmark commitment to ensuring that every young person in state and grant-aided schools can access at least four nights and five days of residential outdoor education during their school career, backed by government funding. This development underlines the growing recognition that time spent learning and living in nature should not be seen as a nice add-on, but a core part of education that builds confidence, resilience, teamwork and a connection with the environment.​

Scotland’s new outdoor education law

The Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) (Scotland) Bill is a Member’s Bill introduced by Liz Smith MSP to guarantee that all pupils in Scottish schools have the chance to participate in a week-long residential outdoor learning experience. It places duties on education authorities and Scottish Ministers to secure, guide and fund this provision so that cost and geography are not barriers to participation.​

Behind this legislative success lies years of work from outdoor learning providers, youth organisations, educators, researchers and political champions who gathered evidence, built public support and navigated the parliamentary process. Their efforts reflect a broad consensus that residential outdoor education improves attainment, attendance, social skills and wellbeing, while also fostering environmental awareness and stewardship.​

Many voices, one message

A striking feature of the journey to this Bill has been how a diverse sector learned to speak with one voice without everyone having to be the same.  The sector was able to align around a shared message that all children deserve quality outdoor learning. Different organisations brought distinct strengths – from impact data to on-the-ground stories – yet coordinated their advocacy to ensure decision-makers consistently heard a clear, compelling case for change.​

This process was long and complex, involving committee scrutiny, financial negotiations and detailed debate on inclusion, funding and capacity, showing that meaningful policy change in education requires persistence as well as partnership. The result is not only new legislation, but a stronger, more confident outdoor learning community that has demonstrated what collective advocacy can achieve.​

Hong Kong’s outdoor education success

Back in Hong Kong, schemes such as the Outdoor Education Camp Scheme (OECS), which for over a decade has supported primary and secondary schools to organise nature-based camps that provide life experience in the natural environment, reassures us that the conversation of outdoor education for young people at a government level is not non-existent. Through 3–5 day experiential programmes, the scheme supports students to develop social skills, independence, self-discipline and environmental appreciation in settings such as government and NGO-run campsites.​

Before the pandemic, the scheme was enabling just over 80,000 students a year to join outdoor education camps across 38 sites, representing a major investment in learning beyond the classroom. These opportunities show how Hong Kong already recognises the value of outdoor and environmental education as part of whole-person development, not merely as recreation.​

Why stronger advocacy matters

While 80,000 students each year is a significant achievement, it still represents only a small portion of Hong Kong’s young people (approx 550,000 young people, EDB Report on Student Enrollment 2024/25), meaning many students miss out on extended time learning in nature. Stronger advocacy can help secure the policies, resources and partnerships needed to widen access so that more schools, more families and more communities benefit from high-quality outdoor learning.​

Experiences in nature support physical and mental health, deepen understanding of environmental issues and encourage pro-environmental behaviour, all of which are increasingly important in a dense, urban city facing climate and biodiversity challenges. Making outdoor and environmental education more central to Hong Kong’s education system would also align with international trends that see outdoor learning as a powerful tool for equity and social cohesion.​

A call to action for Hong Kong

Scotland’s recent Bill shows what is possible when a sector commits to a shared purpose and speaks with a unified, though diverse, voice about the importance of outdoor education for every child. Hong Kong can draw inspiration from this positive example, building on the success of the Outdoor Education Camp Scheme to push for broader, more sustained recognition of learning outside the classroom.​

Educators, NGOs, parents, young people and policymakers in Hong Kong are encouraged to continue advocating for outdoor and environmental education, to protect and expand existing programmes, and to explore how policy can guarantee more students regular, meaningful time in nature. By doing so, Hong Kong can honour its own achievements, follow Scotland’s lead and ensure that the benefits of outdoor learning reach every learner, our society and the natural environments on which all depend.