Opening Times

We are open all year, and every weekday and weekend for residential visits, and also for weekday visits.

What makes this a great venue for School group Fun or Educational Visits?

We have a beautiful 14 acre site with varied habitats, and a lovely Victorian house which is warm, attractive and homely. Food is excellent home cooking and plentiful. (Self catering facilities are available) The site is the right size to allow freerange play and yet to be secure. There is garden, mud, trees, woodland,secret places, quiet corners, as well as a playing field. Groups are either free to follow their own programme, and the site is close to coast, heath, fens, dunes and the Broads and the activities relating to those areas, OR we offer a variety ofoutdoor learning programmes and these can be tailor made to the group's needs.

What are the Curriculum Topics or Benefit to the students from a visit?

The outdoor learning we offer relates to Sustainability, Science,Geography, Biology, Food Technology,Art, PSHE, Citizenship, Early Years Foundation.
We aim through their experiences to connect children to the natural world, and to give them a love for as well as knowledge about the world; to stimulate imagination and creativity; and develop an awareness of good relationship.

What are the activities?

We offer Forest school type activity-camp fires, cooking, shelter building- along with reflective and themed activities such as nature walks, environmental art, quiet spots, orienteering and mapping.
There are also team building activities, with negotiation and cooperative play, and sessions on issues such as waste, carbon footprints, energy.
We also offer Earth education programmes such as Earthkeepers(TM) which teach four concepts about how the earth works, in the forest camp setting.
For young children there are a variety of seasonal crafts, and activities which connect the children with the natural world.

What is the age range of the activities?

All ages

Sample programme of the activities:

Bear Hunt is a day programme aimed at younger children, and looks at the needs of all living things. It includes sensory activities in the natural world, a picnic lunch, and the Bear Hunt story followed by a search for the lost bears.story. Earthkeepers is a programme for KS2 . Based around a camp fire with den building and cooking as part of the activity, it also includes four hands-on concept activities about how the earth works Energy flow through food chains, cycling of air, soil and water, interconnection and change over time. the children earn keys to find secret meanings-K for knowledge, E for experience, Y for yourself (lifestyle) S for sharing (what they have learned.

What materials to you provide or suggest groups bring to support the visit?

We provide all of the materials for our activities.

What are the minimum and maximum group sizes and the free Teacher Ratio?

We aim to have a minimum group size of 25 and a maximum of 50 for residential groups.
For day groups a class size is best,though at times we have taken considerably more depending on the time of year and availablity

Do you have or how do you arrange risk assessment?

We have risk assessments for our activities, which we will send on request, and which are also registered with a number of LEAs. We welcome visits for staff to do their own risk assessments.

Do you offer Teacher familiarisation days?

Teachers are more than welcome to arrange to come for a visit.

What facilities are there for school groups for food and drink, shop etc?

We provide space for day groups to eat if required, with drinks available.
we are also a residential centre with full board and self catering facilties.

Is specific clothing required?

We recommend clothing which can get dirty, and warm and wet weather gear with wellington boots

Do you have first aid on site?

We have facilities,and packs are carried by staff with first aid qualifications, though for residential groups it is preferable for a group leader to take responsibility for first aid and medication.

Are there any restrictions on photos, copyright etc?

None