Secondary Residentials

Catch up weekends from £60*

An opportunity for subject leaders to deliver key sessions for students focused on curriculum areas, whilst

our instructors will provide break out activities to help these weekends to run effectively. Whether it is a

Maths and English focus or a weekend giving art pupils the opportunity to complete coursework, we work

with you to design an effective programme.

Geography and Biology Fieldwork from £89* B

Our two-night fieldwork focused residentials are designed to inspire students, engaging them with Biology

and Geography. We have a range of modules that link to the KS3 National Curriculum and GCSE

specifications, utilising the special environments and protected landscapes around our Somerset centres.

Residential & Outdoor Learning: The Evidence Base

When planned and implemented well, learning outside the classroom contributed significantly to raising standards and improving pupils’ personal, social and emotional development.” Ofsted (2008)

Health and Wellbeing: The benefits of exposure to the outdoors and nature have been researched extensively over the last 20 years. The recently Published Natural Connections Report (2016) collected datum from 125 schools across the South West and evidenced that after outdoor experiences young people were happier, healthier and more motivated to learn. There is significant research, as summarised by the National Foundation for Educational Research (2004) that Outdoor adventure programmes in particular impact positively on young people’s independence, confidence, self-esteem, coping strategies and interpersonal and social skills (communication and teamwork).

The benefits of residentials: over 5 years of research the Learning Away Project

collected and collated evidence from 60 schools across the UK into the impact of

residentials, including improvements in academic achievement, teamwork, coping

with academic transitions (e.g. KS2 to KS3), resilience and wellbeing.

Outdoor Learning and progress through The National Curriculum: The research

base not only shows outdoor and residential learning helps make better learners

but also that it can be a very effective tool to support cognitive learning linked to

the formal curriculum. Further research by National Foundation for Educational

Research (2005) explores this in detail.

01278 741270 www.SSEOutdoors.co.uk

In detail – Catch up weekends

Key Learning Outcomes:

• Providing an opportunity for subject specialist teachers to deliver out of classroom provision

which extends and stretches students and/or targets young people who would benefit from

‘catch up’ sessions.

• Augment the activities led by school staff with breakout activities which focus on active

learning, co-operation and building resilience.

A typical Programme:

Morning (activity 1)

Morning (activity 2)

Afternoon (activity 1)

Afternoon (activity 2)

Evening

Friday Arrive around 5pm

Two-course dinner at 6pm

Orienteering challenge

led by Centre staff

Saturday Curriculum session led by school/

college staff (workrooms provided)

Curriculum session led by school/

college staff (workrooms provided)

Home-cooked

two course meal

Curriculum session led by school/

college staff (workrooms provided)

4.45-6pm Climbing or

Archery led by Centre

staff

Teambuilding Challenge

led by Centre staff

Sunday Curriculum session led by school/

college staff (workrooms provided)

Curriculum session led by school/

college staff (workrooms provided)

High ropes challenge

led by Centre staff

Departure mid-afternoon

Our facilities:

At Kilve Court we have 6 workrooms and breakout spaces available, along with interactive whiteboards, Wi-Fi (for staff) and projectors. Two ‘conference’ spaces can accommodate over 80 students. Across our two adjacent centres at Kilve we can accommodate over 200 students.

At Charterhouse, our smaller Centre in the Mendips close to Bristol, we can accommodate over 50 students. We have a large classroom, and the dining hall is available as an additional teaching space outside of meal times.

Linking the residential learning with progression back at school:

Many schools use these residential experiences to bring together knowledge covered during the

key stage, recapping and cementing learning. Whether it is a GCSE revision and coursework

group or KS3 extension and challenge weekend, we aim to work with teachers to ensure the visit

is a rewarding and effective learning experience.

In detail – Fieldwork Secondary options

Key Learning Outcomes:

• Undertake fieldwork linked to the National Curriculum/GCSE specification.

• Develop practical fieldwork skills and work with others to undertake an investigation.

• Collect data and explore concepts which can be linked to schemes of work at school/college.

A typical KS3 Programme:

Morning fieldwork

Afternoon fieldwork

Evening

Day 1

Arrival and settle in (arriving with a packed lunch)

Rocky-shore ecosystems: focusing on adaptations and

zonation.

Two-course dinner at 6pm

Orienteering and map reading

challenge

Day 2 Science: Pond/stream ecology: focusing on

classification and food webs.

home-cooked

two course meal

Geology and fossils on Jurassic Somerset Coast:

focusing on the rock cycle and the geological timeline

Teambuilding Challenge

Day 3 River Investigation: river landforms and how rivers

change form source to mouth (requires transport)

Depart after lunch

KS3 National Curriculum Links:

Science: Relationships in an ecosystem: The interdependence of organisms in an ecosystem, including food webs. How organisms affect, and are affected by, their environment Earth and atmosphere: The rock cycle, formation of igneous, sedimentary & metamorphic rocks. Experimental skills and investigations: Ask questions and develop a line of enquiry based on observations of the real world, alongside prior knowledge and experience

Geography: Use fieldwork in contrasting locations to collect, analyse and draw conclusions from geographical data. Physical geography: Geological timescales; rocks, hydrology and coasts.

A typical Geography GCSE Programme:

Morning fieldwork

Afternoon fieldwork

Evening

Day 1

Arrival and settle in (arriving with a packed lunch)

Human Geography Issues in a rural environment:

investigating how the village of Kilve and the Quantock AONB is changing

Two-course dinner at 6pm

Night walk and field sketching workshop

Day 2

Full day of Physical Geography fieldwork

A Coastal Investigation or River Investigation (covering Specification content and preparing students for fieldwork exam questions)

Map and compass skills

Day 3

Either an Urban investigation in Minehead or a morning of

Adventurous Activities such as Climbing and Mountain Biking.

Depart after lunch

An overview of the fieldwork modules we offer:

Science: Pond/stream ecology. Classification and food webs. (CH) (KC) Students collect data on the number of invertebrates in a freshwater habitat, classifying them to family level utilising a dichotomous key. The session includes activities to introduce the concept of food chains and food webs, including the theory of energy loss with each trophic level, and utilising data students have collected to create pyramids of numbers and biomass. (half day)

Science: Rocky shore ecology. Adaptations and zonation at the shoreline. (KC) Student collect information about the algae and animals living on the rocky shore and consider the special adaptations which allow them to survive in different locations on the shoreline. (half day, but can be extended to a full day for GCSE students)

Geography: Coastal processes and defences. (KC) Students will map the coastal defences in Minehead and investigate the process of longshore drift on the Somerset coast. Students will assess the advantages, disadvantages and cost effectiveness of defences. We also measure beach profiles to look for evidence of longshore drift. The data collected can then be inputted in an Excel spreadsheet (which we provide) to present cross sectional beach profiles, geolocating the data. (full day) (transport required)

Geography: Rivers. Focusing on changes in the long profile of the River Holford. (KC) Following the river as it moves form its source in the Quantock Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, toward the sea. Students will observe a range of river landforms, as well as measuring river variables, such as width, depth, velocity and bedload. Data can then be inputted into an Excel spreadsheet (which we provide) to present river variable data and geolocating the data. (full day) (transport required)

Geography: Map reading and compass skills. (CH) (KC) Utilising OS maps and orienteering maps to develop map reading and navigation skills, including using a key and picking out features from the landscape. Followed by a further practical challenge where students use a compass to take bearings and complete our compass course. (1/2 day or part of the session can be delivered during an evening session) Geography Urban and Rural Human environments (CH) (KC) Undertake a human geography investigation in the village of Cheddar or Kilve. Consider the impact of rural change and tourism on an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and how these impacts can be managed in a protected landscape. (half day) During the Taunton urban investigation students collect a variety of fieldwork data around the town centre, consider how the town is changing and how this can be better managed. (half day) (transport required). Science and geography: Limestone landscapes (CH) Students will explore a limestone landscape, identifying typical limestone features around Cheddar Gorge and gaining an understanding of how limestone has been chemically weathered by water. We will also consider the environment in which limestone was created. Science and geography: Geology and fossils on Jurassic Somerset Coast (KC) Students will explore the coastline, identifying different sedimentary rocks, and identifying fossils; linking geological structures to the Rock Cycle and a UK geological timeline. (half day).

A blended programme, combining Adventurous Activities:

Many of the schools and colleges we work with want to combine a Fieldwork programme with

Adventurous Activities. The most popular Adventurous Activities we offer include:

• Climbing • Mountain biking (at Kilve) • Caving (at Charterhouse)

• Abseiling • High Ropes Course (at Kilve) • Archery

• Bushcraft • Teambuilding • Hill walks

What is included in the price and how to book:

- Activities from the evening of the day of your arrival to a final morning of activities on

the day of departure. This includes evening activities. Sessions start at 9.30am, meaning

students are kept active and engaged throughout their stay. (For catch up weekends we

provide later afternoon and evening activities as outlined in the programme above).

- Meals from the evening of on the day of arrival until lunch on the final day. Dinner is a

two-course meal, with a range of options and dietary requirements are catered for. We

provide afternoon cake and fruit, and a cooked breakfast.

- Accommodation for the duration of your course. Rooms will be available from 5pm on the

day of arrival and we ask people to depart rooms on the final day at breakfast time.

Transport is not included in our standard course prices, but we can provide this service, and are

happy to provide quotes during the booking process.

*These special prices are only valid from 18th November 2019 – 28th February 2020. The

special price is available for groups of 24 children and above.

How to book

Contact us via SSEOutdoors@somerset.gov.uk or 01278 741270 to discuss possible dates

and confirm costs.

We will then send you our booking conditions and a booking form. Once we receive the

completed form and booking deposit we can confirm the booking.

About us and our centres

Somerset Outdoor and Residential Learning Service (SORLS) is part of Somerset County Council

and runs 4 centres located in the Quantocks and Mendip Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

We work with over 14,000 young people a year across Charterhouse, The Outdoor Centre, Kilve

Court and Greatwood. Find out more at www.SSEOutdoors.co.uk