We are proud of the range of activities we have and our flexible approach to programming but we realise that it can be challenging to choose. The information below along with support from our experienced programme co-ordinators will help you to get the best programme for your group.
A typical session?
Outdoor education involves many variables, including groups’ prior experiences, future plans and of course the weather. One of the great things about coming to here is that we have the facilities, staff expertise & experience and open approach to outdoor adventures, that mean we can adapt what we do for each group.
Some activities fit neatly into a single session of around 3 hours – although these may be combined with some icebreakers & warm up activities prior to starting the main headline activity which will be followed by an interactive review led by your instructor.
Other activities need a whole day – such as adventure walks – while some combine really well with others to form a whole day out – such as canoeing and weaselling.
Other activities can be undertaken in sessions or alternatively in short bursts throughout the week. If the group has got plenty of energy and it helps to meet your aims then why not do a quick problem solving task, set an orienteering challenge or go for a walk around our fantastic site or local area.
Accompanying staff/leaders/responsible adults
To enhance the experience, help ensure safety and and enable any learning to be taken back into school/everyday life we ask that a responsible adult accompanies each activity group. Additional accompanying adults may be possible but we have certain limits, including maximum participant numbers and only having 14 passenger seats in our minibuses.
On some activities, such as bike rides, caving, canoeing and local walks, the accompanying adults obviously do the activity with the group and are in effect participants. On other activities, such as high ropes, abseiling and the Thornbridge Challenge, accompanying adults generally spectate, help to supervise the group and encourage, although they can sometimes have a go if they wish and time allows.
During the activity the key role of the accompanying adult is to manage the behaviour and welfare of the group to enable the instructor to focus on managing safety and the quality of the group’s experience.
If you have any questions regarding accompanying staff members/leaders/responsible please ask when booking activities or at your programme meeting.
Group sizes
To ensure the quality of our outdoor education programmes, whilst maintaining participants’ safety, we have a maximum group size of 12 participants, less if the group has additional needs in terms of physical mobility and special educational needs.
If you have any questions regarding group sizes please ask when booking activities or at your programme meeting.
Minimum ages
Our activities can be adapted by our skilled and experienced instructors to meet the requirements of different age groups. Many activities can be tailored to be achievable for young people, but also additional challenges incorporated (if needed!) for older groups up to adults.
The minimum ages are a guide based on the whole group being the same age and a member of visiting staff/leader accompanying them. If you have a very small group, or wide age range so that the older can help the younger group members, then there can be flexibility around the minimum age.
If you have any questions regarding minimum ages please ask when booking activities or at your programme meeting.
Activities available
All of our activities can be led by one of our team of qualified instructors, but a number of activities are suitable to be led by visiting staff/leaders. Some activities – currently the low ropes course and biking – require visiting staff/leaders to attend an induction course prior to visiting staff/leaders using them. We have also created a booklet you can download which has details of what to wear for each activity.
Activity ratings
We give each activity a rating of 1 star (low) to 4 stars (high) for the following categories to help you choose the best activities to meet your aims:
- Team working
- Personal challenge
- Skills
- Physical activity
- Knowledge
- Accessibility
