If your school is in the habit of taking their pupils on trips to green locations, exploring wildlife trails, walking in national parks and engaging in outdoor sports, you could be inadvertently boasting grade attainment!
New research has shown that those students who ‘feel a strong connection’ to the natural world tend to perform better at Key Stage two SATS than those who feel removed from it. Commissioned by the RSPB, the research was led by University of Derby psychologists who questioned 775 pupils from 15 primary schools. The aim was to establish how connected each student felt to the natural world through the positive or negative answer they gave to certain statements, such as ‘I like to hear different sounds in nature’ or ‘being in the natural environment makes me feel peaceful.’
Dr Miles Richardson, who led the project, stated that those students who exhibited traits more connected with nature did better in Maths and ‘significantly’ better in English. They also demonstrated higher levels of wellbeing, as ‘that connection is part of a healthy and satisfied life’, explains Dr Richardson.
The research was not about the time spent in nature but rather the quality of connection; ‘that feeling of having a relationship to the wider ecology – enjoying it, and finding wonder and awe’. Such a connection can be forged in the great outdoors and the small, the mountains of Snowdonia or the local park.
The Derby based psychologists are now exploring how best to foster this outlook in children, either through teaching young children about plants and animals, or pursuing a more free flowing and creative connection through art based activities.
Handsam can help you find the perfect great and small green locations with our trip planning service and list of outdoor destinations. You can also tailor your trip to have a subject specific focus, from Maths to English, in the run up to that all important test.
