Adventure and Challenge Programme – second trial

This project is no longer recruiting.

What is the Adventure and Challenge Programme?

The Adventure and Challenge programme is an intensive five-day outdoor residential course which aims to develop a range of non-cognitive skills, including self-regulated learning, metacognition, resilience, positive relationships and wellbeing. The application of these skills in the classroom may in turn have a positive impact on academic outcomes.

The programme will be offered to 24 pupils in Year 9 in schools allocated to the intervention groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the intervention group will receive the programme being tested. during the academic year 2026 – 2027. Participating pupils will be those who are underperforming academically, and experiencing challenges related to engagement, attendance, behaviour or emotional wellbeing at school. 

Who is leading this project?

This project is led by The Outward Bound Trust, an organisation that has been delivering residential outdoor activities since 1941 catering for young people in schools or youth groups. Each residential will be led by highly-trained Outward Bound Instructors with extensive experience in adventure learning pedagogies. Instructors will provide challenging activities and support pupils to reflect on how they can transfer the skills they develop to their wider learning and engagement at school.

What will this project look like in your setting?

If allocated to the intervention groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the intervention group will receive the programme being tested. , The Outward Bound Trust (OBT) will work with participating school staff and pupils to deliver a 5‑day residential programme at one of their UK centres (Loch Eil in Scotland, Ullswater and Howtown in England, Aberdyfi and Ogwen in Wales).

The residential experience combines an exciting range of outdoor adventurous activities, such as gorge scrambling, kayaking and hiking, set in inspiring natural environments with the unique opportunity of community living during their stay.

Schools must engage with OBT to help arrange their residential programme and support logical planning. Schools will be required to release pupils to attend all 5‑days of the residential and consider how they will support pupils to catch-up following this.

Two members of staff will need to attend the residential. This provides potential additional benefits for staff to connect with pupils on a new level and experience the unique pedagogy behind adventure learning programmes for themselves. Schools will need to identify a lead contact for planning the residential and also to support pupils with baseline, endline, and follow-up questionnaires. 

As this is a research evaluation, both intervention and control schools will be asked to support the evaluators with pupil assessments, surveys, or interviews. Schools will also be required to identify target pupils and provide pupil information to the evaluation team. Exact evaluation requirements will be set out in the information materials if you express an interest in this project.

Schools assigned to the intervention groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the intervention group will receive the programme being tested. will be asked to contribute towards the programme cost at a heavily discounted rate of £2,920 (an 83% discount) to cover all 24 pupils and two accompanying staff members. Throughout the residential, all necessary equipment will be provided, and a travel bursary of up to £114 per pupil is available.

Schools allocated to the control groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the control group continue with their usual practices and help provide a comparison to measure the intervention’s impact. They are usually offered a monetary compensation as thanks for their contribution. will continue with business as usual and will receive £1,500 for completing all evaluation activities. This can be spent on enrichment activities (other than adventure learning type activities) for the target control groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the control group continue with their usual practices and help provide a comparison to measure the intervention’s impact. They are usually offered a monetary compensation as thanks for their contribution. pupils.

Who can take part?

School criteria:

• State-funded mainstream secondary schools in selected Local Authorities across England
• Have not taken part in an Outward Bound Trust residential in the past two academic years, 24/25 and 25/26. Please note schools taking part in Outward Bound residentials during the academic year 26/27 with a year group other than Year 9 are still welcome to take part in this project
• Have an overall percentage Pupil Premium population of 24% or above
• Not signed up to take part in the Learning Together for Mental Health or Commando Joe’s Inspire to Achieve programmes, which are also recruiting in 2026

Pupil selection criteria:

All schools will be expected to identify the target pupils and provide pupil information to the evaluation team

• Pupils in Year 8 (who will enter Year 9 in the academic year 26/27 when delivery and testing would take place)
• Targeted pupils can’t be due to take part in a PGL Reach programme or Commando Joe’s programme between Year 9 – 11
• Out of the 24 target pupils, at least 35% (min. of 9 pupils) should be eligible for Free School Meals.
• Target pupils must be underperforming academically and meet at least one of the other criteria described below: 
  • Behaviour concerns
  • Attendance/​school engagement risk
  • Wellbeing/social-emotional needs

Please see the School Information Sheet for more detailed eligibility guidance.

Many pupils, particularly those underperforming academically or with additional behavioural, attendance, or wellbeing needs, can benefit from programmes that develop non-cognitive skills such as self-regulationHow children monitor their emotions and thoughts, and adapt their behaviour in different circumstances., resilience, and teamwork. 

Evidence suggests that similar adventure-learning approaches may improve non-cognitive outcomes such as self-efficacy, and self-regulationHow children monitor their emotions and thoughts, and adapt their behaviour in different circumstances.. They may also play an important part in the wider school experience through improved wellbeing and relationships. However, few studies have examined the long-term impact of such approaches on academic attainment. 

A previous EEF trial of The Outward Bound Trust Adventure and Challenge programme showed pupils in the Outward Bound Trust intervention groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the intervention group will receive the programme being tested. made on average one month’s additional progress when comparing Attainment 8 data. However, other aspects of the evaluation were disrupted by school closures due to COVID-19. 

This trial offers a unique opportunity to re-evaluate the programme under more favourable conditions and contribute to the research base on adventure learning and character education.

This project will be evaluated by the University of York through a randomised controlled trialAn RCT is used evaluate an educational programme by assigning settings to one of two groups: the intervention group, who receive the programme or the control group, who continue with business as usual. This ensures that any differences in outcomes can be confidently attributed to the programme, providing a robust estimate of the impact and contributing to the evidence for what works in improving educational outcomes., meaning it will assess the impact of the programme on pupils’ self-regulated learning as the primary outcome. It will also evaluate the impact on metacognition, resilience, pupil-teacher relations, peer-relations, and wellbeing as well as long-term follow-up using Attainment 8 data taken from the National Pupil Database. 

Schools have a 50% chance of being allocated to the intervention groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the intervention group will receive the programme being tested. (receiving Adventure and Challenge residential programme). Schools allocated to the control groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the control group continue with their usual practices and help provide a comparison to measure the intervention’s impact. They are usually offered a monetary compensation as thanks for their contribution. will continue with business as usual but play an important role in still completing the evaluation activities to act as a comparison group. An implementation and process evaluationAn IPE is used to understand how and why an intervention has (or has not) been successful. Data is analysed to explore programme quality, reach, adaptation and differentiation, as well as setting fidelity and responsiveness to the trial design. will be conducted alongside the impact evaluation to explore how schools implement the programme and perceptions of the programme.