Adventure Learning for Primary Schools
Get in Touch Widehorizons Central Office 77 Bexley Road London SE9 2PE
enquiries@widehorizons.org.uk 0845 600 65 67 * www.widehorizons.org.uk *Charged at local rate
Contents Why Adventure?
04
Why Widehorizons?
05
Our Courses and the Primary School Curriculum
06
Activities for Primary Schools
08
Example Itineraries
09
Working with You
10
Our Centres
11
Welcome to Widehorizons Adventure means different things to different people. For some, it’s an adrenaline fuelled thrill of a lifetime, for others it’s simply a case of trying something different. Both examples can have a similar impact and both can be used as a vehicle for learning. At Widehorizons we listen to teachers really carefully to understand what an adventure might mean for them and their class. We are not prescriptive about what an adventure might be, but understand the value of the range of adventures that we can provide and importantly the impact of that adventure on children and what they learn. This brochure shows you how we link adventure to learning and where we do it. That learning can be curriculum based or can be based on personal development depending on the needs of the group and the desired outcomes. Either way we combine experience and skill to deliver courses specifically for school groups, inspiring children to learn and inspiring adults to teach. We have a unique team delivering our work, a combination of outdoor instructors and teachers, who all passionately believe in the power of Adventure Learning. We also fundamentally believe that every child should have the opportunity to experience what we do, so please remember – if your decision to use the outdoors or not is governed by the cost please speak to us first to investigate the opportunities that we might be able to provide for support. I look forward to seeing you at one of our centres in the near future.
Alex Brooks-Johnson Chief Executive
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Why Adventure? Adventure is in our hearts, our history and our heritage. You could argue that it’s the adventurous spirit in mankind that drives progress, understanding and learning. Our ancestors learnt that the earth was round by sailing towards what they thought was the edge of the world! That certainly takes an adventurous spirit. Direct experiences are the most memorable and powerful learning tools – seeing, touching and experiencing something first-hand is the best way to learn. Make it adventurous, child-centred and fun and it is impossible to forget. Learning through adventure is a powerful personal development experience and helps promote and develop: l
Creativity
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elf-confidence, self-esteem S and motivation
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eamwork and communication T skills
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Leadership and responsibility
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Decision making skills
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Independence
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positive attitude to A approaching new challenges
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n open mind and the ability A to spot and utilise new opportunities
This is an exceptionally well run centre with committed staff and a great deal of high quality, enjoyable learning which provides memorable moments for so many young people and adults. Tony Thomas Chair of the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, Nov 2011
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At Widehorizons, we believe that that an adventure consists of four main components: l
A Challenge
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Something New
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Learning
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Enjoyment
We make sure that every course, every class and every activity includes all of these elements. The benefits of learning using adventure are far reaching and longlasting. Our experienced tutors are highly skilled at interpreting your objectives and linking adventure to the curriculum. They understand the learning outcomes for our sessions and can tailor your visit to suit you and your pupils’ objectives and needs. We are expert in working with all children and young people including Special Educational Needs (SEN) groups, high achieving groups and those with additional emotional and behavioural requirements. We are confident that you will see the impact on your pupils during and after your experience with Widehorizons. You’ll see increased confidence, self-esteem and co-operative behaviour. You’ll hear more developed vocabularies, more creative expression and positivity from your pupils; all combined with a new understanding of curriculum based subjects. They’ll have made some new friends, seen their teachers in a new light and picked up new curriculum knowledge in an experience they are unlikely to forget.
Why Widehorizons? Our dedicated staff team is a unique blend of experienced, qualified teachers and outdoor instructors. This means that our activities are adventurous, educational and can be designed to meet different learning objectives. With over 32,000 children and young people visiting our centres every year, we’ve learnt a great deal about what works, what doesn’t work and how adventure can be used most effectively to learn – all while being safe and fun.
Before, During and After Visit Support It’s not just about a one-off experience. We invite you to a preliminary site visit to discuss your objectives, our Outreach Team can come and develop some preparatory sessions with your class or group and with our support we hope that adventure becomes part of your long-term teaching plans.
Fundraising in School As a registered charity and with decades of experience working with primary schools, we can support you and your school in fundraising – ensuring all pupils who want to, can take part and that no one gets left behind.
Bringing Adventure to You We have an Outreach Team which delivers adventure in schools and six of our own centres located in England and Wales, providing inspirational settings for day visits and residential experiences. This unique combination ensures that we can provide your school with adventure that best suits your objectives.
Safety First Finally, our safety record is impeccable. With our vastly experienced staff team and our tried and tested systems and procedures, we maintain a rigorous and thorough approach to health and safety giving you, and the parents of your pupils, true peace of mind.
Preview Weekends Don’t just take our word for it; join us with a friend or colleague for one of our Free Preview Weekends at a Centre of your choice. What’s Included? c Adventure Activity Programme c Full accommodation and board c Teacher networking Call us today on 0845 600 65 67 to find out more.
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Our Courses and the Primary School Curriculum We believe that adventure should be part of every child’s learning and development, and we want to support schools in creating progressive and holistic outdoor learning experiences for their pupils. Through a combination of outreach work in schools, day visits and residential trips we can provide powerful and long lasting adventures for children that will not only develop them as individuals, but also link directly with your school’s curriculum.
Here are some of the ways we link adventure to the Primary Curriculum. Maths – learning a wide range of numeracy skills through direct
‘hands on’ challenges and activities, building real-life understanding and practical maths skills that can be taken back to the classroom.
Literacy – unlock your pupil’s creativity, understanding and
interpretation of language, communication and literacy using the powerful personal experiences of taking part in new activities, seeing new places and learning new skills.
Geography and Science – immerse yourself (sometimes
literally) in your subjects, experiencing first-hand the wonders of the natural world, and find out how things work and why through using real applied experiences and examples.
History – re-live the past for real and how it impacts on the
present day, learning about people, places and events through experiential learning and role play.
Art, Music and Drama – using the power of new experiences,
the outdoors and the natural world to unlock hidden creativity and talent.
Design and Technology – there is nothing like a ‘real-life’
survival situation to help understand the principles of practical design and problem-solving such as designing and building a raft, then using it.
Personal Adventure – using outdoor activities and expeditions to develop self-confidence, teamwork, communication and social skills. Perhaps for the first time, experiencing leadership and responsibility while developing decision-making and self-reliance abilities.
91% of Primary School children found learning in a classroom more engaging after experiencing a residential visit. The Paul Hamlyn Foundation (2013). Learning Away.
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Day Visits
Outreach
Day visits are a great way to introduce your pupils to adventure and outdoor learning, helping to bring alive curriculum subjects, have new experiences and develop new skills.
Whether it’s a corner of a local park, a Widehorizons centre or your playground, our Outreach Team will work with you to make the most of the resources available to you. Our highly experienced team can visit you in school to plan and develop sessions linked specifically to your topic, supporting you with enriching the curriculum.
We offer a wide range of day visit adventures from curriculum-based courses combining science, geography, history, literacy and numeracy with inspirational outdoor adventure and activities, to personal development courses including team-building and high adventure courses to increase confidence and self-esteem, as well as develop group work and communication skills.
Residential Visits Residential visits allow more time to experience the adventure and activities, increasing the options and scope of what can be achieved. Staying away from home for the first time is a memorable experience for children and can teach valuable life skills. We promote a team ethic throughout the stay which introduces concepts of team work, trust and cooperation. A residential experience also provides an ideal opportunity for teachers to better understand their pupil’s learning styles through spending time with them over the course of the week. The combination of activity and informal setting is conducive to building strong bonds between teachers and pupils.
Here’s an example of what we can do; Creative Writing – we can use your local park to bring your favourite children’s story to life! Forest Schools – this child-led activity sees children learning independence and decision making skills. These experiences create further opportunities for learning to be extended back in the classroom.
Transition from KS2 to KS3 Making sure children’s transition from KS2 to KS3 is positive and productive is vital and can be linked to future success. Our transition courses focus on the outcomes that are essential to ensuring that this period in a child’s life is as positive and productive as possible. We use adventure combined review sessions, all designed to develop the key skills and attributes needed at secondary school including; co-operation, responsibility, communication and integration.
Special Educational Needs (SEN) Our team have many years experience of working with groups with a wide range of SEN and that’s not just our tutors and instructors, it’s all our support staff as well. This means that not only will your activities be designed especially for your pupils to get the most out of their time with us, but the overall experience will be positive, accommodating and enjoyable. As with all of our courses, your specific objectives will be the focus of the visit and we can tailor your activities for maximum benefit.
Gifted and Talented/Potential High Achievers Our activities for these pupils are designed to add an additional challenge – stretching minds and abilities. Of course, as with all groups, there will also be an emphasis on having fun. We know from experience that a tailored programme of adventure can have a significant impact on these groups of pupils.
Our residential centres are set up to work specifically with primary schools, ensuring you have facilities that really work for this age group.
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Activities for Primary Schools Widehorizons offers a comprehensive and innovative programme of activities for primary schools designed to bring adventure to any curriculum subject. Whether our Outreach Team is working with you in your school, or you and your class are at one of our six centres, our activities and courses provide: l
O utdoor-based Literacy and Numeracy with direct curricular links for all ages including Reception and Foundation Stage.
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E nvironmental, Science, History and Geography activities focussed on understanding the natural world around us, how it works and how to protect it. These are specifically designed for either KS1 or KS2 pupils.
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Team-Building and Problem-Solving Challenges specially designed for KS1 and KS2 pupils to increase teamwork, cooperation, communication and leadership skills.
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igh Adventure Activities building on those H experienced at KS1 such as Rock Climbing and High Ropes for KS2 pupils to stretch boundaries, increase self-confidence and self-esteem, whilst learning to trust and respect others.
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ushcraft and Survival Skills to build B independence and self-reliance for KS1 and KS2 pupils by practising new skills and learning to survive in the outdoors by building shelters and camps, lighting fires and making tools and crafts.
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Journeys and Expeditions using real-life map reading, navigation and decision-making skills to learn and explore the world with specific courses designed for all age groups.
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Example Itineraries n, full of fu le of a day acked examp a day p n e a id ’s v re e pro s you to tives. H All of our residential centres offer different types of activities, with programme rk with r objec can wo ich suits you ral Kent. and h all types of school groups. We tailor each course to suit the school entres suit to ru c w y in g a e in d at the Our learn Centr the required outcomes but here are two examples of weeks of adventure re and n Kirby Widehorizons adventu orizons Horto Widehorizons Townsend Centre in Dorset on the Jurassic Coast and h Park. National at Wide Ty’n y Berth Centre in Wales on the southern edge of Snowdonia
Residential visits
sits Day vi
angers
River R
own lass sh :15 – C 0 to 11 ter from the d pos asking a wante ent Agency’ to help nm ientists ‘Enviro c s r e er for nte v lu ri o l v a r fo loc ate the investig ion is sess me up rse of th co the cou be asked to ethods will pupils ut the m out o b a s a y with ide ld use to carr going ou they w tigation before . es e them c the inv ti c ra to p nch outside e & Lu m ti Play 12:00 – to 5 ver ● 11:1 to the ri 5 – Go in 0 to 1:4 vestigations ● 12:0 in rtake include to unde ms. This will to a g in small te ture of gettin d and en ee the adv testing the sp as r r, e a e w te tes the riv th f o ture ebra tempera serving invert ob well as ats. ir habit and the ret and – Interp to 2:15 ults, draw ● 2:00 s re e th the discuss ns and discuss n. o tio conclusi the investiga of ome. validity to go h n pari g 0 – Pre .3 2 to ● 2.15
Day
● 10:0
Mon.
Tue.
Morning Arrive at the Centre
Afternoon
Provided by centre
Discover Swanage
On Site
Involves school staff participation in roles of castle inhabitants.
Weds.
Thurs.
Peveril Rock Pooling A visit to Peveril Point to investigate the plants and animals found on the rocky shore. The focus is on
Durlston Country Park Hands - on practical activities to connect with the natural world and to further understand habitats, life processes, adaptations, food chains and more. Visit woodland, cliff and downland habitats.
nding
and hidden letters. These letters form words associated with their visit to Swanage.
set s are ll team g maps, ! Sma in re s u tu n e serv s and adve Kirby ’ Nature Re mwork skill y orton s a real H ing te Wood of Da y ting a rningham for develop r n a a w Summ for those of yirowu ay aroundnFgae is fantaswticay out? y e ir alle stic da ding th nd the his ch A fanta llenge of fin uctions. T the class fi a ill str the ch ses and in g skills. W s in a p links comp hical map QCA p NC / geogra 2b, 2c eog – KS2 G 1c NC – tives c 11b, 1 , a je 1 b 1 f l PE - 5 ing O phica 0 eogra Learn 20 & 3 how g learn unicated. E Unit tivities ill w n nd us ac A–P m re a C ro m ild is o Q tu h c n p C ma n is dve o a is ti t r, a y. a o e wh ak inform Outdo ill learn ding using ren w lu l Child is used inc d and to rea ol trails. w o h how it b ill learn ps and sym ren w a ass is l Child different m comp hat a w follow rn lea ill w ren d. tten l Child w it is use se wri o w to u for and h g arn ho will le ding lookin n re l Child tions inclu c instru rks. a landm
ry
abula
oc Key V
On Site
Orienteering
Key 2 Stage
efi Rout
On Site
Option to visit Durlston Castle by arrangement.
Fri.
l Map pass l Com s uction l Instr
Off Site
Activities combining teamwork and personal physical challenge on a range of low level apparatus including ropes, tyres and bridges.
Smuggling Talk A magical on-site evening talk in our own quarry. Hear out how smuggling was organised and carried out.
Smuggling Talk A magical on-site evening talk in our own quarry. Hear smugglers’ smuggling was organised and carried out.
Mond
ay
am journe y to W pm ales arrive, Postcards Home Land Yachts settle eve in, cou & Crabbing Nigh A team challenge to design, rse aim t Walk build, test and evaluate a s, equ – an in ipmen land yacht that will transport troduc t tory hig a test pilot for 3 metres. introdu h impa ce the ct ses workin conce sion pts of g. indepe ndenc Disco Beach Technology Tuesd e & te ay am Structured sand castle design and construction am linked with Corfe Castle. Fores tO workin rienteerin g – rem g o experi in pairs or s ence, mall te tely supervis pm develo am ed Gorge p in g the c s, building o , children Scram n oncep challe b le t of ind prior nge by Depart the Centre eve epend choice team g ence. , peer ames/p s upport roblem ing & Wedn solvin le a d esday e g – tea rship cher le d am Hill W alk – ½ of the group day route a pprop (and s natura riate to taff le the ne leaders nvironmen ). An appre ed t, moti c hip pm vation iation of the s Slate , determ Mine ination Explo appro , and ra pri ti Perso ate to the n on – a trip in nal ch eeds a a slate eve alleng n d m a in Swimm b e, lead ili e ing – te ership ties of the g , histo acher Thurs ry and roup. led culture day am Rock Cli Respo mbing – re nsibility a pm , Com ching new h Open munic Canoe ation, eights! ing – Trust & s kills, g eve Achiev ames ement Talent or a jo Conte urney st – te acher Friday led am
Cours e achiev Review – h igh ements depart lighting suc cess a for ho nd me
est bol l Sym ast / W uth / E h / So l Nort l Stile
to: r them day. ficial fo in this e part uld be bene k ta ren to isit, it wo L v r child tial fo uring their usly Prior essen d previo ing is ’s learning asses rn a le comp or ren & ild s h p c No pri ise g ma
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A navigation through the town to the beach to discover what delights Swanage has to offer
Team Challenge & Low Ropes
Corfe Castle
A decision making exercise which cast the pupils in the role of spies planning an attack on the castle. Pupils use information gained from a walk around the castle to plan their way into the Castle to capture the Baron.
Evening
Lunch
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Working with You Our team is always on hand to answer your questions about Widehorizons, what we can do and how it benefits your school. If you need some ideas or want to find out how best to integrate adventure into your schedule and curriculum, we’d be only too pleased to go through that with you.
Consultation
Next, we’ll invite you to visit the site to meet the teaching staff and talk in-depth about the activities and the outcomes that you expect. At this stage you’ll have a thorough understanding of the adventure ahead for you and your class, so you can pass that on to parents.
Site Visit
Your Widehorizons Visit!
Evaluation
Follow up
Contact us today
Now comes the fun part, bringing your bespoke programme of adventure to life at one of our seven beautiful Adventure Centres.
After you and your group have been, we’ll ask what you thought of it so that we can continue to improve our work with primary schools.
Call us on 0845 600 65 67 to get the ball rolling.
The adventure doesn’t end there. Our Outreach Team can visit you again, running sessions and activities that will truly embed the learning from your visit, consolidate your class’s experiences and increasing the chances of your visit making a life-changing impact on your children and their learning.
Contact us to find out how we can work with you enquiries@widehorizons.org.uk or 0845 600 65 67
I can honestly say one of the best class trips I have done in a long time. I was highly impressed with the centre and the children loved it! Helena Meagher, Millennium Primary School, April 2012
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If you would like our team to speak to parents about adventure or arrange a visit for them to see where their child will be visiting, we’d be only too happy to help.
Our Centres Widehorizons operates seven centres, each with their unique character but all providing high quality adventures for children in our unmistakable Widehorizons style. All of our centres cater for Primary Schools. We’ve perfected a programme of delivery and innovation over decades of working with Primary Schools and we are sure you won’t be disappointed.
Where our centres are Widehorizons Bryntysilio Centre (Llangollen, Wales)
Widehorizons Environment Centre (Eltham, London)
Residential centre located near Llangollen. Set in its own beautiful grounds, this centre provides a broad adventurous programme including activities such as mountaineering, canoeing and mountain biking.
Day centre located in south-east London. This centre is in a unique nine-acre wildlife site and is specifically designed for educational use. It contains many exciting outdoor education resources.
Pupil Capacity in House: 60 Camping: 40
Pupil Capacity: 90
Widehorizons Ty’n y Berth Centre (Corris, Wales)
Widehorizons Horton Kirby Centre (Kent)
Residential centre located on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park. Courses at this centre include adventurous activities such as caving, climbing and gorge walking.
Day centre located in Kent surrounded by farmland, woods and villages and is close to the River Darent and a Country Park. All of these provide wonderful opportunities for learning and discovery. Pupil Capacity: 96
Pupil Capacity: 40
Widehorizons Bryn Coedwig Centre (Corris, Wales) Residential centre nestled in the historic village of Aberllefenni, on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park. Surrounded by areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty this site is an ideal location from which to explore the surrounding mountains and countryside. Pupil Capacity: 30
Widehorizons Townsend Centre (Swanage, Dorset) Residential centre located on the World Heritage Jurassic Coast in Swanage, Dorset. This centre provides a broad range of activities with a strong focus on using the local area as much as possible in its courses.
Widehorizons Margaret McMillan House (Wrotham, Kent) Residential centre located in rural Kent on the North Downs and conveniently near to London. Margaret McMillan has 26 acres which includes ropes courses, obstacle courses and initiative exercises. Pupil Capacity in House: 136 Camping: 36
Pupil Capacity: 101 Widehorizons 11
Widehorizons
77 Bexley Road, London SE9 2PE
0845 600 65 67 enquiries@widehorizons.org.uk www.widehorizons.org.uk Widehorizons is proud to be working in partnership with L&Q on the production of this brochure.
Widehorizons is a registered charity number 1105847