Outdoor learning can be seen as a panacea to many current societal issues. It supports education for
sustainability, it addresses concerns over children’s mental and physical well-being and it offers an
alternative to technology overload (Beames, Higgins & Nicol 2012). Furthermore, it can support the
curriculum across early years and primary education (Waite, 2017). It aligns with the Better
Outcomes, Brighter Futures Policy Framework for Children and Young People (DCYA, 2014). This
paper describes a model of CPD which afforded initial teacher education (ITE) students to develop
their own expertise in facilitating primary children learning outside the classroom through a mix of
workshops, school-based learning and reflective tutorials. Following the workshops, the ITE students
planned in small groups, with the support of an outdoor learning expert, four outdoor sessions to be
delivered to 2nd class children in a local primary school. The ITE students completed questionnaires
before starting the CPD, after the workshops and then again after the school based sessions and
reflective tutorials. The questionnaires showed that the students’ confidence and competence in
supporting learning outside the classroom has increased and they were much more positive about
teaching outside the classroom. The model of CPD will be critiqued and lessons shared for future
CPD. While the ITE students were given free choice over curriculum areas to be taught, science with a
strong environmental focus, as well as art, geography and PE were seen to be easily achieved and
integrated outside the classroom.