The Outdoor Partnership has worked with Gethin Mon Thomas, to develop a strategic guidance framework:
The Outdoor Partnership – Adventure Learning Framework (TOP-ALF)
The Outdoor Partnership Adventure Learning Framework (TOP‑ALF) is a systems‑change approach that uses schools as community anchors to strengthen connections between education, families, outdoor providers and local organisations. It moves beyond one‑off activities by creating the conditions for outdoor learning to become a normal, accessible part of community life.
Rather than relying on short-term funding or individual champions, it embeds outdoor and adventure learning within existing education and community systems by developing workforce capability, strengthening partnerships and creating shared ownership across schools, outdoor providers, families and communities.
By helping communities identify and use local green, blue and grey spaces, the framework builds children’s confidence to access places that remain available long after programmes end, supporting better wellbeing, stronger connections with nature, increased activity and greater community cohesion.
TOP-ALF has been designed to support learners progress towards realising the four purposes and the development of integral skills. Learners progress through adventure learning reflects progress as described in the five principles of progression.
Adventure learning through outdoor and adventurous activities provides real life experiences where learning can be acquired, refined, and connected.
The intention of the framework is to support schools in their decision making and include adventure learning as an integral part of the school’s curriculum throughout the year.
TOP-ALF is designed to provide learners with an opportunity to experience a variety of outdoor and adventurous activities over an extended period.
Early implementation shows that schools and communities can successfully embed outdoor and adventure learning into curriculum planning, strengthen partnerships with local outdoor providers and increase staff confidence. This gives strong assurance that the framework can be adapted and scaled while keeping its core principles intact.
As TOP‑ALF expands across the UK, the focus is on building local capability, not centralised delivery. We work with regional partners to understand local systems, recognise existing strengths and tailor implementation to different educational, policy and community contexts.
This approach creates a scalable model where leadership, knowledge and ownership stay within communities, enabling resilient systems that sustain outdoor learning and participation long after funding ends.
The framework reduces inequality by addressing real barriers to outdoor participation – including transport, confidence, culture, accessibility and awareness, not just cost. Our pilots in County Durham, Sheffield and Coventry show that working with schools in areas of higher deprivation, through a whole‑system approach, can meaningfully widen access.
Rather than creating separate programmes, TOP‑ALF strengthens local systems. Schools act as community anchors, connecting families, outdoor providers and local partners to activate green, blue and grey spaces that children and families can continue to use independently.
Practitioners receive professional learning to deliver inclusive, trauma‑informed and culturally responsive experiences, building partnerships that last beyond the project. By improving the conditions that shape participation, the framework creates more equitable systems where all young people can benefit from outdoor learning.
As children grow in confidence, they influence their families to become more active, creating wider community benefits that extend far beyond the school.
Built into the framework is an award system that celebrates learners progress in learning within activity areas.
Certification will be awarded at three levels – Bronze, Silver and Gold with each level requiring additional commitment by the learner and school.
