A COUNTRY park has retained its ‘top of the class’ status for educational visits.
Ryton Pools Country Park has once again been awarded a Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) quality badge for excellence in outdoor education. The accolade recognises the quality of learning and the safety of the setting.
The park first received the award in 2011, but has continued to demonstrate that it meets 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 outdoor experiences as part of the curriculum.
The award is given after a rigorous assessment process covering learning experiences, activities, resources, feedback and safety.
Many of the activities at Ryton Pools support the curriculum while teaching leadership skills, environmental awareness, personal responsibility and teamwork.
Coun Heather Timms, Warwickshire County Council’s environment spokeswoman, 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.”
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.
Visit countryparks.warwickshire.gov.uk for more information on Warwickshire County Council’s country parks.
Visit hlotcqualitybadge.org.uk for more information on the Learning Outside The Classroom award scheme.
