The Hesley Wood Scout Activity Centre, near Chapeltown, Sheffield, has now gained Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) Quality Badge and Adventuremark accreditation.
More information about the centre can be found at www.hesleywood.org. Details of the above accreditations can be found at www.lotcqualitybadge.org.uk and www.adventuremark.co.uk respectively.
A school where a pupil fell from a climbing wall and broke his heel during a PE lesson has been fined reports the BBC.
Manningtree High School in Essex was fined £9,000 after admitting a health and safety breach at Colchester Magistrates’ Court.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the boy, 14, fell more than 4m (13ft) to the ground after being told to let go of the wall by an instructor.
In addition, [the HSE] said the school failed to have an “adequate safety management system” in place for lead climbing and the instructor was “not competent to teach or supervise lead climbing”.
The new round of applications for educational establishments wishing to gain the national LOtC Mark award closes on 1st July 2013.
LOtC Mark is the first national accreditation for schools, nurseries and other educational establishments which recognises and supports the development of learning outside the classroom (LOtC) across all subject areas.
Developing the learning outside the classroom (LOtC) provision in your school grounds, local community or further afield can have an enormous impact on enthusing, engaging and motivating your pupils to learn. Evidence shows that LOtC can raise attainment across all areas of the curriculum and is particularly effective in raising the achievement of groups with individual needs who may not thrive inside the classroom environment.
If you need advice and support on completing your application or are stuck on one particular aspect please email sally.thompson@lotc.org.uk, explaining the support you are looking for, and we will be in touch to arrange an urgent telephone consultation.
If you have yet to register your interest in applying please email awards@lotc.org.uk to receive full guidance on making an application.
The next Educational Visits Co-ordinator (EVC) Training course is being held on Thursday 20 June 2013 at BBIC Wilthorpe, Barnsley. Places still available for those who wish to attend.
All schools and children’s services settings should have an Educational Visits Co-ordinator who has undertaken this one-day training course.
Thursday 20 June 2013 Venue: Barnsley Business & Innovation Centre (BBIC), Wilthorpe Times: 9.15am – 4.00pm Cost: £85 Trainer: David Armstrong
Book a place on this course and find more information here.
Should you require further information about this course, please do not hesitate to contact me on t: 01226 773586 m: 07824 351133 e: davidarmstrong@barnsley.gov.uk.
Recent news from the Wild About Plants Team at Plantlife, the national charity for the conservation of wild plants:
With the warmer weather coming (at last) we hope that you and your pupils are looking forward to the last term of the academic year and will be able to enjoy learning in natural environments.
This newsletter – allows you to explore plant adaptations through seaweeds. Don’t worry we have some classroom experiments that you can do if you are unable to get to the coast – so we hope there is something for everyone.
Bee Scene survey – results are coming in. It is interesting to note that people seem to be finding less plants in flower than we would normally expect for this time of year. Don’t forget you can access all Bee Scene resources as well as news about our Young Science writer competition at www.wildaboutplants.org.uk/beescene.
We’re in the Wild project – Anne Faulkner is now in post and will be working with primary schools across Merseyside and West Lancashire delivering a range of cross curricular outdoor learning opportunities in local green spaces. She will also be running after school clubs and providing activities for youth workers and young people. There will be a number of teacher training events available through the project and Anne will be contributing to our school newsletter with her ideas of how you can make the most of your local green space for learning. Further information will be available on our website shortly – see www.wildaboutplants.org.uk/england/were-in-the-wild/
Teacher training – we are currently developing our successful teacher training days and will have more information on our website shortly. In the mean time if you would like to know more please contact felicity.harris@plantlife.org.uk
Twitter – keep up to date with our latest news by following us on twitter
We really hope that you enjoy your half term break and the rest of the summer term. Our next newsletter due out in the Autumn will take you into woodlands to explore photosynthesis, the water cycle, nutrient cycles and microhabitats. We hope to see you then.
New opportunities at Wentworth Castle Gardens:
We’re all very excited at Wentworth Castle Gardens as at long last the Victorian Conservatory is coming back on site after restoration. The supporting columns are in place and construction of the framework, the glazing and planting will take place over the coming months ready for opening in the autumn of this year.
The restored Conservatory will be a wonderful place to learn about plants grown across the world and the plant hunters who discovered them on hair-raising expeditions to foreign climes. Our new interpretation gallery will reveal the fascinating history of the estate and the people who lived here. We’ll have a dedicated space for education workshops and indoor activities.
To make our new Learning Programme the best it can be, we would like input from you – the education professionals. Come along and see us, at a time to suit you. Learn about our plans and tell us what you’d like to see included in our education offer. We will plan our programme to suit the learning needs of your groups. We’ll even offer you free coffee and cake.
We pride ourselves on our ability to offer bespoke days out and as such can incorporate most areas of the curriculum into a visit here. Within our team we have specialist story telling, creative writing, history and ecological skills which complement the wonderful landscape in which we are situated.
As part of our free outreach programme we can bring along the Wentworth Castle Story to your school and fit it into one of your lessons.
For more information and to let us know you’d like to come along, please contact Hannah Barraclough on 01226 776040 or email hannah.barraclough@wentworthcastle.org
From the Peak District Moors for the Future initiative.
Competition open to any school student from 8 -16 years old.
Write a short story, poem, poster campaign or comic strip about moorland issues.
Win an inspiring 2 day drama workshop with the theatre production company ‘Babbling Vagabonds’, and bring to life your winning entry. Plus, a video for your class and school.
Winners and runners up will receive an invitation to the winners’ celebration event with runners up receiving a achievement certificate.
More information and leaflet: available here.
Closing Date for entries: 17th May 2013.
Contact: t: 01629 816596 or e: moors@peakdistrict.gov.uk
w: www.moorsforthefuture.org.uk/moorlife-learning
Please note the following change of date:
the EVC Training course originally scheduled for Thursday 3 October 2013 will now take place on Wednesday 2 October 2013.
Further details and how to book here.
Kingswood Peak Venture Centre are holding a Junior Bushcraft Weekend on Saturday 9 – Sunday 10 March 2013.
Participation is free of charge and Peak Venture invite teachers and others to bring their partners and children along to join in. The weekend will involve survival skills and Bushcraft activities, so you can get a feel for what Kingswood is all about.
For more details contact: Alicia Dickinson: t: 01246 557972 e: schools@kingswood.co.uk.
The Woodland Trust provides free saplings for schools to plant
Get involved in the Woodland Trust’s Tree Planting Challenge to help plant 3 million trees and achieve the target of 6 million trees for the Jubilee Woods project.
The Woodland Trust can provide packs of 30 saplings for planting in the spring – more information here.
Register on their website and you’ll receive information on when their packs of 105 and 420 trees are available for autumn planting.
