Kingsbury Water Park and Ryton Pools Country Park, have once again been awarded Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) quality badges.
Two of Warwickshire’s country parks are still ‘top of the class’ for educational visits after they have once again been awarded Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) quality badges.
The LOtC quality badge recognises both the quality of the learning outside the classroom, and also the safety of the setting.
Kingsbury Water Park, Sutton Coldfield and Ryton Pools Country Park, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, first received the awards for excellence in outdoor education in 2011, but have continued to demonstrate that they meet the standards, as awards are assessed every two years.
The LOtC Quality Badge was launched in 2009 as part of the Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto, a national initiative to ensure young people are given more opportunities for varied outdoor experiences as part of the curriculum.
The award is given after a rigorous assessment process to ensure six quality indicators have been met:
- A process is in place to assist visitors to plan their learning experience effectively.
- Accurate information is provided about the activities on offer.
- Activities, experiences or resources are provided which meet learner needs.
- The experience is reviewed and feedback is acted upon.
- The needs of visitors are met.
- Robust safety management process are in place to manage risk effectively.
Cllr Heather Timms, WCC’s portfolio holder for Environment and Heritage and Culture said:
“Educational trips are among the most memorable experiences in a child’s school life and there is a wealth of evidence to support the benefits of learning outside the classroom. We are passionate about developing young people and bringing adventure into learning in the outdoors to transform and inspire lives. We are delighted our hard work has been acknowledged with these awards and we are looking forward to welcoming more schools back to visit us.”
Many of the activities offered at Kingsbury and Ryton Parks not only support the curriculum, but also teach important lessons such as leadership skills, environmental awareness, personal responsibility and teamwork.
The Department for Education guidance on Health and Safety during educational visits recommends that schools look for the LOtC Quality Badge when choosing external providers of educational visits. Almost 1,000 organisations have already been awarded the LOtC Quality Badge including museums, adventure and field study centres, places of worship, art galleries, visitor attractions and farms.
To find out more about WCC’s country parks, or to enquire about organising a visit please visit:
https://countryparks.warwickshire.gov.uk/countryparkseducation
To find out more about Learning Outside The Classroom award scheme visit http://lotcqualitybadge.org.uk/