Meeting of the Parliament 27 March 2025
Before I move the motion in my name, I intimate that I will spend my opening speech talking about the principles of the bill and that, throughout the debate and in my summing-up speech, I will deal with the concerns that have been raised by the Education, Children and Young People Committee and by other members.
On returning from Lagganlia outdoor centre, Nevis—who has cerebral palsy, is a full-time wheelchair user and needs support with feeding and an adult carer with him at all times—said:
“Rock climbing was awesome and I got to sail round an island with my friends in a storm—things I can’t usually do and what you think you will see only in films. I felt so brave. Everyone should get the chance to do this.”
Throughout my 16 years as a secondary school teacher and my subsequent two decades as a parliamentarian, I have been firmly of the view that outdoor education is one of the most valuable and rewarding learning experiences that any young person can have. Residential outdoor education, through which young people experience an environment that is far removed from their everyday situations, is often life changing, as it was for Nevis.
Adventurous new experiences in the outdoors allow young people to develop lifelong connections to the natural environment. They build self-esteem, self-reliance, confidence and, most important, resilience. They also help young people to learn leadership skills, the importance of valuing friendship and what it means to be part of a team. Those skills not only enrich our lives as individuals but benefit society and the economy.
The evidence that illustrates the benefits of residential outdoor education, both at home and abroad, is well documented, and it is so compelling that I do not believe that anyone should miss out on such an opportunity. Indeed, listening to young people whose lives have been changed as a result of residential education has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my entire parliamentary career.
I will address the very important question that Willie Rennie asked me in the committee, about why the bill is a priority. First, I believe that, in the post-Covid era, we have to work even harder to build resilience and confidence in our young people, especially those from the most disadvantaged communities. I do not need to recount to members the current problems in our schools that relate to mental health and anxiety, attendance, attainment and the increasing need for provision for additional support needs, as identified by recent statistics. The evidence that has been provided to the Education, Children and Young People Committee was overwhelmingly positive in showing that residential experiences can do so much to help in that regard.