Year 7 Induction

These days were introduced to enable schools and colleges to welcome students into their new schools in a productive and enjoyable way. The course has been devised by Steve Ranger M.A., P.G.C.E. who has undertaken research into the effects of Outdoor Education, and Paul Morley B.Ed. who has researched the value of Outdoor Education in developing self-esteem. This day is used in differing formats for a wide variety of groups, and has been adapted here for Year 7 students (or Year 8 for some Education Authorities with Middle Schools).

Format

The educational aims of the day are achieved by placing the students in an unfamiliar but non-threatening situation with a series of tasks to complete. Students are divided into teams to provide a competitive element, and over the course of the day undertake a series of specifically designed tasks according to the instructions they receive. The most familiar analogy would be ‘management training’ – style courses seen on TV, where the group is expected to cross a stream with limited materials or build an unusual device to certain specifications. Tasks are of course adapted especially for the age group. The day is held in a large wooded area and students take part in tasks such as abseiling, orienteering, high wires or tunnelling, as well as non-physical tasks where communication and teamwork are essential for success.

The exact tasks will differ between groups; however every group is guaranteed to be offered at least one, and probably more, ‘exciting’ activities such as abseiling.

Students are not obliged to take part in an activity if they do not wish to; the course does not need to be physical for every participant and is therefore appropriate for those with disabilities.

After the day’s activities there is a simple review talk to encourage students to reflect on their activities and what they may have learned.

Location and Itinerary

The days are held in Sussex at Blackland Farm near East Grinstead . The start and finish times for the day depend on your requirements, but most days start at around 10am to allow for travel time. The finish time is entirely up to you – you can even tell us on the day according to travel times as we can manage the end of the day accordingly.

Clients and References

We are happy to give you references from Headteachers and Heads of Year 7 & 8 – please call and we will put you in touch with a school in your area, or of a similar type. Further advice is available on the uses of Outdoor Education in schools for students and staff; please call us and we will be pleased to help.

Cost

2022 – Days are £35 plus VAT per student.

(the VAT is usually recoverable by the school).

This includes instruction and all specialist equipment.  Should you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to email info@trekco.com or call the office on 01273 487509.

Availability Of Courses

These days are available throughout the year; however most schools want to run a course in September and October so these months are very busy. Most days are booked a year in advance, but there is usually a date we can agree, so please give us a call. 

Often we have provisional bookings for dates; these are only confirmed when deposits are received, so if you have a specific date we’ll confirm it with a deposit of £500 + vat.

For bookings or enquiries, please email us or call the office on 01273 487509 (see Contacts page).

Please bear in mind that teachers are often hard to get hold of on the telephone, so if you’re teaching every period, leave us an email address or even a home ‘phone – we really won’t pester you with follow up calls or give your details to anyone else.