35 years of Learning through Landscapes: Why the benefits of outdoor learning and play are more important than ever

Since 1990, millions of children and young people have benefitted from our efforts to make outdoor learning and play part of every school day. In this special anniversary post, we look back on what Learning through Landscapes has already achieved — and look forward to where we’re going next.

This spring, we’re excited to celebrate two huge milestones — 35 years of Learning through Landscapes (LtL) and 30 years of Grounds for Learning. That’s three and half decades working with schools and early years settings, supporting them to make the most of their outdoor spaces and helping more children to enjoy the benefits of learning and playing outdoors.

For 35 years, we’ve been at the forefront of this work, using our unrivalled knowledge and expertise to enrich the curriculum, foster a deeper connection to nature, and promote good health and wellbeing for all learners. With each year that passes, the benefits of outdoor learning and play become increasingly clear — and important. That’s why, over the coming weeks, we’ll explore how the charity continues to grow and evolve, adapting to the demands of our changing world to deliver those benefits where they’re needed most.

But first, let’s take a moment to reflect on how far we’ve already come. Our anniversary marks the perfect opportunity to look back on what Learning through Landscapes has achieved over 35 years, starting with where it all began.

How Learning through Landscapes began

The charity found its beginnings in 1990 with the publication of ‘The Final Report’. This report was the culmination of three years’ research into the design, use, and management of school grounds in England and Wales, and the Learning through Landscapes Trust was set up to implement its recommendations. Five years later, in 1995, NatureScot supported the founding of Grounds for Learning (now known as LtL Scotland), a grassroots project created by and for teachers and parents in Scotland looking to develop better spaces for outdoor learning and play.

The world has changed a great deal in the time the charity has been active. Every year, we see more evidence of the impacts of climate change and rising rates of mental health problems globally. However, despite the fact that outdoor learning and play offer numerous benefits for pupils’ development, wellbeing, and understanding of the natural world, children are spending less time outdoors than ever before.

For many children and young people, the majority of their time spent outdoors takes place in the school grounds — which is how we know that, 35 years later, Learning through Landscapes’ work is now more important than ever.

What Learning through Landscapes has achieved over 35 years

Since 1990, we’ve worked tirelessly to support schools and early years settings by:

• providing resources, training, and funding to develop educators’ skills and confidence in the outdoor classroom;
• championing the importance of stimulating, future-proof environments for outdoor learning and play; and
• nurturing nature connection by providing children and young people with valuable outdoor experiences.

After three and half decades, one thing remains the same: our mission to ensure that every child can enjoy the benefits of learning and playing outdoors. However, in our rapidly changing world, new priorities are constantly pushing their way to the forefront, and Learning through Landscapes continues to adapt to suit the changing needs of children, young people, and educators everywhere. Before we look forward to the future, let’s take a moment to celebrate what we’ve already accomplished over 35 years of Learning through Landscapes.

1990 – Learning through Landscapes was founded to implement the recommendations of ‘The Final Report’.

1995 – Supported by NatureScot, Grounds for Learning opened its offices in Scotland, going on to become LtL Scotland in 2019.

2002 –  The Scottish School Grounds Research project commenced, leading to the School Grounds Literature Review and subsequent Scottish School Ground Survey in 2005, which helped to shape existing policy around outdoor learning and play in Scotland.

2004 – The start of the ‘Supergrounds’ programme with funding from the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which was a school grounds development programme for schools across the UK for six years.

2010 – LtL hosted the first conference for what would go on to become the International School Grounds Alliance in 2011, becoming a founding member of the network for improving the way school grounds are designed, managed, resourced and used around the world.

2013 – As a result of our groundbreaking work on play, the Scottish Government commissioned the Good School Playground Guide. A growing recognition for the importance of outdoor play also led us to launch our Playtime Revolution training course. Aimed at raising staff confidence and creating better breaktimes, it is still one of our most popular outdoor learning and play training courses.

2015 – Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we launched the award-winning Polli:Nation project, engaging 250 schools with learning about the importance of pollinators and transforming vast areas of school grounds into pollinator-friendly habitats.

2017 – Supported by the People’s Postcode Lottery, we launched the very first phase of our Local School Nature Grants programme. In 2026, we will be celebrating 10 phases of delivery, having supported over 10% of Great British schools through the programme to date.

2020 – Funded by an emergency grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we launched the My School, My Planet project in response to the coronavirus crisis. The project sought to improve the outcomes of children and young people with the least access to nature, supporting their wellbeing, helping them to re-engage with their learning, and connecting them with their cultural and natural heritage.

2021 – As part of the Scottish Government’s post-pandemic social recovery agenda, we delivered Better Breaktimes, Better Transitions in partnership with Play Scotland, with a key focus on promoting the wellbeing of children and young people in secondary schools.

2022 – In the wake of the pandemic, as teachers recognised the importance of time spent outdoors but needed step-by-step advice on how to bring this together with the curriculum, LtL published Teaching the Primary Curriculum Outdoors. In the first week of publication, the book reached number one on three separate Amazon bestseller charts.

2023 – LtL became the new guardians of Outdoor Classroom Day, the global campaign to celebrate outdoor learning and play. To date, over 12 million children around the world have taken part, equating to over 40 million extra hours spent outdoors during the school day.

2024 – In response to requests for more support delivering climate change education, LtL launched the Climate School 180 project, reflecting the need to adapt to suit the changing needs of children, young people, and educators in our changing world.

Where Learning through Landscapes is going next

In the coming weeks, we’ll take a closer look at the work we’re doing to ensure that learning and playing outdoors become an integral part of every school day. Over the course of three special posts, we’ll shine a spotlight on the key benefits of outdoor learning and play, focusing on curriculum, wellbeing, and nature connection specifically. Not only will we highlight the meaningful impacts the charity has already made across these three key areas, but we’ll also look forward to an uncertain future to explore why this work is now more important than ever.

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