THE OUTWARD BOUND TRUST

REPORT FOR THE HEMRAJ GOYAL

FOUNDATION

2014 / 2015

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THE OUTWARD BOUND TRUST

In 2014, The Hemraj Goyal Foundation donated £10,000 to The Outward Bound Trust and

supported us in our mission to unlock the potential in young people through learning and

adventure in the wild.

Contemporary UK society poses significant challenges for young people. In particular, the

periods of transition they experience can be difficult and stressful, and can leave them

vulnerable to becoming disengaged with their learning and at risk of not achieving their

potential. Despite recovery, the UK is still experiencing a youth unemployment crisis, with the

most recent research indicating that approximately 15 percent of the young people in England

aged 16 to 24 years are not in education, employment or training1. This research indicates

that, in London alone, an estimated 121,000 young people are outside of any form of

recognised participation in society.

For over 70 years, we have been supporting the development of young people through challenging,

adventurous and safe experiences in the outdoors. We help young people to develop the skills and

attributes they need to thrive. Through participating in our courses, they become more self-aware,

increase their confidence and resilience and develop a range of transferable skills that help them

to succeed in their education, their work and their personal lives.

We make our courses available to all young people, regardless of their background or financial

circumstances. In the 12 months between October 2013 and September 2014, we delivered

Outward Bound® courses to 25,802 young people; seventy-three percent2 of whom

received a bursary from The Trust that enabled them to participate.

1 Statistics taken from SFR47/2014, Statistical First Release (SFR), NEET Quarterly Brief - July to September 2014, published by the Department for Education, 2o November 2014, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/375989/Quarterly_Brief_NEET_Q3_2014_FINAL.pdf. Data for specific regions can be seen in NEET estimates 16 to 24 by region and gender: SFR47/2014 available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/neet-statistics-quarterly-brief-july-to-september-2014 2 This percentage refers to our work with schools, colleges, youth groups and individuals. It does not include our work with apprentices and graduates.

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Young people based at our Loch Eil centre take part in a challenging expedition

A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE OF ADVENTURE AND LEARNING IN

THE WILD

It is the unique combination of our instructional staff, the locations in which we work and our

approach to learning that enables us to achieve significant and lasting outcomes for young

people. In addition to being outdoor practitioners, our instructors are skilled, trained and

experienced educators. Our courses are delivered in inspiring, natural, outdoor environments

that enable us to expose young people to high levels of challenge and adversity. We use an

experiential learning approach, which provides a contrast to traditional ‘classroom learning’.

Our instructors work with groups of up to 12 young people for the duration of their course,

enabling them to deliver highly personalised learning.

During our courses, young people complete a series of adventurous and challenging outdoor

activities. The delivery of every course is underpinned by the Outward Bound Learning

Process, which means that each activity is designed to achieve specific learning outcomes. All

participants are challenged and impelled to achieve more than they believe they can. As a

result, they discover what they are capable of if they work hard and push themselves.

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Reviewing is an integral element of all our courses and our instructors use a range of methods

to encourage the young people to reflect on their experience and transfer what they have learnt

to their home and school environment.

AN OUTWARD BOUND EXPERIENCE

We deliver a variety of courses for young people, ranging from 3-day courses to 22-day long

programmes. Most of the young people with whom we work participate in a 5-day residential

course delivered at one of our Outward Bound centres, which are located in Scotland, Wales

and the Lake District. During their course, they are immersed in the natural environment.

The activities they complete take place in rivers, lakes and gorges, on the sea and in the

mountains. Typical activities include canoeing, rock climbing and gorge walking3. Most of

our course participants also complete an overnight expedition, during which they camp out at

a wild campsite in the mountains.

We challenge young people and encourage them to step outside their comfort zones. They

often report overcoming fears and realising that they are capable of more than they had

thought. Their Outward Bound experience involves individual and group challenges, requiring

them to co-operate with, rely on, encourage and support each other. As a result, they develop

their ability to interact, and work, with others effectively. Through providing young people

with new experiences in the outdoors, our courses also broaden their horizons and increase

their understanding of, and appreciation for, the natural environment.

In addition to supporting the development of their social skills, the residential element of our

courses helps young people to become more independent and improves their ability to take

responsibility for themselves. They are trusted with looking after the equipment they use

during their course; each group being required to take joint responsibility for anything that is

lost. They are also tasked with managing their own time-keeping whilst they are at the

Outward Bound centre.

THE YOUNG PEOPLE WE SERVE

The majority of the young people we work with are facing challenges associated with

adolescence, the transition from compulsory education into further or higher education,

employment or training and/or the pressures of academic achievement. Some of them have

complex special educational needs. Many come from low income families, have limited

horizons and/or lack self-confidence. For some of the young people, their Outward Bound

course is the first time they have stayed away from home or left their local area, and the only

3 Gorge walking involves scrambling up a river or small waterfalls with assistance from group members.

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opportunity they will have to experience genuine adventure, challenge and pride in their

achievements outside of the classroom.

Without the financial support we provide through our bursary scheme, many of the young

people who attend our courses would not have access to an Outward Bound experience.

Schools and colleges can apply for a bursary for groups of pupils or individuals, and we work

closely with school staff members to ensure that bursaries are allocated to those young people

who are most in need. In the year ending 30th September 2014, 16,470 young people benefited

from a bursary supported course.

Young people participating in a

course at our Ullswater centre

go climbing

OUR IMPACT

Measuring the impact of our work is a priority for us. We employ a range of methods in order

to measure, and develop our understanding of, the outcomes we achieve for young people. The

results of our research into a wide range of outcomes that our courses achieve for young

people, such as increased confidence, determination and engagement with learning, can be

found in The Outward Bound Trust’s most recent Social Impact Report4.

To illustrate how your donation to The Trust has benefited the disadvantaged young people

with whom we work, in this report we present a case study of the pupils from St

4 Please contact us if you would like a copy of The Outward Bound Trust’s most recent Social Impact Report. The report is also available at http://www.outwardboundtrust.org.uk/social-impact-report-2014.pdf

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Alban’s Church of England Primary School; one of the schools that has received

an Outward Bound bursary. This is supported by evidence of the lasting impact

of our courses, drawn from a survey for teachers we conducted in 2014.

Young people

based at our

Aberdovey centre

go canoeing

THE TRUST AND ST ALBAN’S CHURCH OF ENGLAND

PRIMARY SCHOOL

Located in a recognised area of deprivation in the heart of Holborn, London, St Alban’s Church

of England Primary School is surrounded by office buildings and a very large housing estate.

There is no immediate green or open space near the school. Twenty-five languages are spoken

within the school and approximately 84% of the pupils are known or believed to have a first

language other than English5; a much higher figure than the average for primary schools in

England, which was just under 19% in January 2014. Approximately 38% of the pupils are

known to be eligible for free school meals5. This figure is high in comparison with the average

percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals within nursery

and state-funded primary schools in England, which was 17% in January 2014.

In October 2014, 51 young people from St Alban’s Church of England Primary School attended

our 5-day First Challenge course at our Ullswater centre in the Lake District. Taking

5 Statistics taken from SFR 15/2013: Statistical First Release (SFR) Schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2014, published by the Department for Education, 12 June 2014, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/335176/2014_SPC_SFR_Text_v101.pdf, accessed 28 November 2014.

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responsibility and learning to become more independent are key themes on the course, which

is designed to achieve the following learning outcomes for the young people:

Enjoyment and experience of new adventures

Increased self-confidence

Development of the skills required to become independent learners

Increased respect and responsibility for self, others and the natural environment

Development of collective responsibility and increased understanding of the

importance of looking after each other

The head teacher at the school hoped that the pupils would experience a rural environment,

have the opportunity to learn about risk and face genuine challenges, develop their resilience

and improve their team building skills during the course. The pupils, aged 9 to 11 years, were

in Years 5 and 6 at school. The group included young people who were not achieving their

potential at school and/or who have special educational needs, a pupil who has Autistic

Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a pupil who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

and a young person who has cerebral palsy. The group also included pupils from low-income

families and young people who speak English as a second language.

The pupils were divided into groups of up to 12 and each group was assigned its own Outward

Bound course instructor. Seven teachers from the school also accompanied the young people.

During their course, the pupils went gorge walking, rock scrambling and canoeing. They

enjoyed exploring the natural environment, learning some basic bushcraft skills and having a

campfire.

The young people learnt about the concept of ‘comfort zones’, challenge and support. The

Outward Bound instructors reported that the pupils were keen to play, and some were easily

distracted by the many external stimuli in the outdoors. In particular, the pupils enjoyed

hearing facts and stories that helped them to learn about the environment. The Outward

Bound instructors reported that the highlights of the course for the pupils were taking part in

the trapeze activity, having campfires and hearing stories on the summit of the hill they

climbed during a hiking expedition.

Our research indicates that, during the course, the young people became more self-aware,

gained confidence and improved their ability to work with others6. They also

developed their knowledge of the natural environment (see Tables 1 and 2 below for

the pupils’ and accompanying staff members’ responses to the closed-ended questions on the

feedback form they completed at the end of the course).

6 We used feedback forms to gather feedback from the pupils and all seven accompanying members of staff at the end of the course. These forms included both open and closed-ended questions.

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Increased self-awareness, self-confidence and self-esteem

Forty-eight of the pupils reported that they had achieved something that they didn’t think they

could do during the course. Some of them described overcoming a fear of heights. The

accompanying school staff members also provided a number of examples of individual pupils

who had achieved personal feats during the course.

Forty-seven of the pupils reported that they felt better about themselves following the course.

All the accompanying members of school staff also agreed or strongly agreed that, as a result

of attending the course, the young people’s confidence had increased. One of the teachers, Jo

Robin, reported that “shy, quiet children [became] more involved and vocal.”

The pupils’ feedback indicates that their experience changed the way they think about

overcoming challenges. For example, one of the young people, Vahin7, reported: “[I learnt

that] You can do anything if you have courage”.

Improved ability to work with others

One of the accompanying staff members, Jo Robin, reported that the pupils “helped others

more willingly” and “looked out for each other” during the course. All of the accompanying

school staff members agreed or strongly agreed that, during the course, the young people had

demonstrated increased respect for others and developed their ability to work with others

effectively. The pupils also described learning about working with others. Examples of their

comments are included below.

“When I was working and interacting with other members I learnt to support others.” Sia, 10

“I learned that when you are being challenged, you need a team to support you and you can’t

just do everything by yourself.” Charlotte, 10

Increased knowledge of the natural environment

One of the accompanying school staff members, Elaine Cowin, reported that the pupils

developed “a better sense of awe and wonder about the natural world simply from being in

such stunning surroundings.” At the end of the course, one of the young people, Malak, stated:

“I’ve learnt that the environment is nothing like London”.

All of the accompanying school staff members reported that the young people were more

aware of the impact of their actions and behaviour on the environment following their

Outward Bound experience. Accompanying staff member, Jayne Andrews, observed that the

pupils learnt “To respect [the environment] more” and that “litter is everyone’s responsibility”.

7 All pupils’ names in this report have been changed to ensure their anonymity.

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Table 1: The pupils’ responses to the closed-ended questions on the end-of-course

feedback form

Statement from pupil No. of

responses

No. of pupils who selected ‘Agree a

lot’ or ‘Agree’

During my course:

I learnt to do more things for myself. 51 48 (94%)

I achieved something I didn’t think I could do. 51 48 (94%)

I gave someone help when they needed it. 51 48 (94%)

The other people in my group helped me. 51 49 (96%)

I learnt new things about the environment. 51 46 (90%)

Now that I’ve finished my course:

I feel better about myself. 51 47 (92%)

I think I will take more responsibility for myself in the future.

51 47 (92%)

Table 2: The accompanying staff members’ responses to the closed-ended

questions on the end-of-course feedback form

Statement from accompanying staff member No. of

responses

No. of staff members who

selected ‘Strongly Agree’ or ‘Agree’

During the course, the young people:

The young people demonstrated increased respect for others.

7 7 (100%)

The young people developed their ability to work with others effectively.

7 7 (100%)

The young people developed skills that will help them to be more independent learners.

7 7 (100%)

As a result of attending the course:

The young people’s confidence has increased. 7 7 (100%)

The young people are more supportive of each other.

7 7 (100%)

The young people will take more responsibility for themselves in the future.

7 7 (100%)

The young people are more aware of the impact of their actions and behaviour on the environment.

7 7 (100%)

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“Some of our quieter children came to the front e.g. some of our Bengali girls really stepped

out and became leaders...others learned it was O.K. to be scared, that the more effort they

gave the more satisfaction/fun they had. Definitely all [of the pupils became] more confident

and resilient.”

Niall Jackson, accompanying Learning Mentor

The accompanying school staff members’ feedback indicates that the course will have a lasting

impact on the young people. They believed that, in the future, the young people would benefit

from their increased independence and confidence, as well as their improved ability to work

with others. The school staff members also believed that the pupils’ Outward Bound

experience would help them to challenge themselves and engage in more adventurous

activities in the future.

MESSAGES OF THANKS FROM THE YOUNG PEOPLE AND

THEIR TEACHERS

The young people and accompanying members of school staff wished to express their gratitude

to the funders who made it possible for them to attend an Outward Bound course. Examples

of their messages of thanks are below.

“Thank you for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.” Farha, 11

“Thank you for helping us, we wouldn’t be here without you.” Dhan, 9

“Thank you, I wouldn’t have learnt all these things if it weren’t for you.” Mita, 9

“You deserve a medal – this has been an absolutely fantastic opportunity for the children

which would not have been possible without you, so a very big thank you from all of us.” Jo

Robin, accompanying teacher

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Young people

participating in a

course at our

Ullswater centre go

cutter Sailing

EVIDENCE OF THE LASTING IMPACT OF OUR COURSES

Teachers’ and school staff members’ observations of changes in pupils’ attitudes, behaviours

and skills following an Outward Bound course provide evidence of the lasting impact of our

courses. Approximately one month after pupils participate in one of our courses, we ask

teachers and school staff members to complete a follow-up survey8. Their responses indicate

that our courses bring about lasting improvements in young people’s self-awareness,

confidence and sense of responsibility. For example, 95% of the respondents who

completed the survey between February and August 2014 reported that their pupils were more

aware of their strengths and 90% reported that their pupils were more aware of the areas in

which they need to develop. 88% of the respondents also reported improvements in their

pupils’ ability to take responsibility for their actions (see Chart 1 below).

Teachers and school staff members also report lasting improvements in the skills,

attitudes and behaviours that help pupils to reach their potential at school, such

as their educational aspirations and the effort they put into their studies (see Chart 2 below).

8 Evidence drawn from a survey conducted with teaching staff one month after their pupils’ participation on an Outward Bound course. Our sample includes responses from teachers and school staff members who have regular contact with pupils who have participated in one of our courses. These results refer to all responses that we received between February and August 2014. 87 respondents completed the survey during this time.

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Chart 1: Teachers’/visiting staff members’ observations of changes in their

pupils’ self-awareness and personal responsibility9

Chart 2: Teachers’/visiting staff members’ observations of changes in skills,

attitudes and behaviours that help pupils to reach their potential at school10

9 We received 87 responses to the items ‘Awareness of the areas in which they need to develop’ and ‘Responsibility for their actions’ and 86 responses to the items ‘Awareness of their strengths’ and ‘Awareness of what they are capable of achieving’. 10 We received 87 responses to the items ‘Interest they show in their school work’ and ‘Effort they put into their studies’ and 86 responses to the remaining items.

2%7%

3%10%

66%

68%

52%

60%

29%22%

43%

28%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Awareness oftheir strengths

Awareness ofthe areas inwhich they

need todevelop

Awareness ofwhat they are

capable ofachieving

Responsibilityfor theiractions

the young people do this a lotbetter / a lot more often

the young people do this a littlebetter / a little more often

there has been no change in thisarea

the young people do this a littleless well / a little less often

the young people do this a lot lesswell / a lot less often

I feel unable to comment

17%13%

12% 18%24%

63%55% 59%

56%

57%

16%23% 22% 21%

13%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Interest theyshow in theirschool work

Educationalaspirations

Speed atwhich they

recover fromsetbacks

Effort theyput into their

studies

Extent towhich they

listen duringlessons

significant increase

slight increase

no change

slight decrease

I feel unable to comment

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When asked what impact the Outward Bound course had had on the learning environment

within the classroom, 79% of respondents reported that the classroom environment

had become more conducive to learning; with 26% reporting that it was ‘significantly

more conducive to learning’ and 53% reporting that it was ‘slightly more conducive to

learning’. These findings indicate that the impact of our courses may stretch beyond the young

people who participate.

Findings such as those presented above make us certain that our courses have a significant

and lasting impact on young people; helping them to achieve their potential and build

successful lives for themselves.

Young people based at our Loch Eil centre go kayaking

In a time when young people face considerable challenges, our courses help them to develop

the attitudes, skills and behaviours that enable them to thrive; be that in their education, their

work or their personal lives. Our work continues to be highly relevant and your support is vital

to enabling us to serve as many young people in the UK as possible, regardless of their financial

circumstances. Your support enables us to continue to provide opportunities for young people

to discover their potential and improve their life chances through an Outward Bound course.

Thank you very much!

® Outward Bound and the Compass Rose are each registered trademarks of The Outward Bound Trust.

The Outward Bound Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales (1128090) and in Scotland

(SC040341) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales (company number

6748835). Registered Office: Hackthorpe Hall, Hackthorpe, Penrith, Cumbria CA10 2HX.

FURTHER INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

Patron: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh KG KT

Chairman of The Trustees: HRH The Duke of York KG

The Outward Bound Trust’s Official Website

Our official website contains a wealth of information about The Trust, including information

on our centres, the courses we offer, our staff members and upcoming events. Our latest news

and additional case studies can also be found here. The website contains a specific page on

trusts and foundations. www.outwardbound.org.uk

The Outward Bound Trust’s Social Impact Report 2014

http://www.outwardboundtrust.org.uk/social-impact-report-2014.pdf

The Outward Bound Trust’s Annual Report and Accounts 2013 - 2014

http://www.outwardbound.org.uk/media/382247/Annual-Report-2014.pdf

The Outward Bound Trust Generations Website

At the end of 2009, we launched a new initiative called ‘Generations’ to reach out to the million

plus individuals who have participated in an Outward Bound course since the creation of the

Aberdovey Outward Bound Sea School in 1941. The stories that over 400 alumni have shared

with us suggest that an Outward Bound course has had a positive and enduring influence on

their lives. www.outwardboundgenerations.org.uk

The Outward Bound Trust Images on flickr®

This site is full of photos from courses and of the stunning landscapes in which our centres are

based. www.flickr.com/photos/outwardbounduk/sets/

Further Information

Sarah Mends, Individual Giving Manager

T: 020 3301 6484 M: 07595 277879 E: sarah.mends@outwardbound.org.uk

The Outward Bound Trust, 4th Floor, 207 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8XD