4.10 Adventurous Activities (Provider-Led)

Overview

Adventurous activities are memorable, exciting, challenging experiences, usually outdoors, that involve a level of managed risk. When thoughtfully planned and well delivered, they can have a lasting impact on young people’s confidence, teamwork and resilience.

These activities are often the highlight of a visit. They promote active engagement, support different learning styles and help participants develop decision-making and risk-awareness skills. Well-chosen adventurous activities are a natural and valuable part of education.

Planning and Approval

If your visit includes adventurous activities, follow your normal visit planning procedures.

Before confirming arrangements, ensure you:

• Gain approval from your Head/Manager
• Seek approval from your Educational Visits Adviser or Employer (where required)
• Obtain informed parental consent, supported by clear and detailed information
• Prepare participants appropriately for the activities involved

If you are unsure at any stage, seek advice early from your Educational Visits Adviser.

Working with External Providers

Where school staff are not delivering the activity, you may use freelance instructors, outdoor centres, or privately owned, charitable or public-sector providers.

As Visit Leader, you remain in overall charge of the visit.

Before booking, make sure the provider:

• Holds the LOtC Quality Badge or has completed a satisfactory Provider Check Form/Statement
• Holds required accreditation (for example, an AALA licence where applicable)
• Has favourable reviews on Kaddi.com
• Has clear health and safety and emergency procedures
• Uses competent, experienced and appropriately vetted staff
• Holds adequate public liability insurance

Agree roles and responsibilities in advance, particularly around supervision and welfare.

Your Role During Activities

The expectation is that you remain in overall charge and that school staff accompany participants wherever possible. Your presence provides reassurance, supports learning, builds rapport, allows you to monitor provision and enables you to assist with individual needs and in emergencies.

For specialist activities, provider staff may act as Activity Leaders. Even then, your oversight remains important.

When Staff Are Not Present

If staff cannot accompany an activity, you must be confident that the provider can manage supervision, welfare and emergencies independently, and that safeguarding arrangements are secure. Those providing consent should be fully informed.

Only in rare and carefully considered circumstances should a visit take place without any school staff present. This requires full confidence in the provider’s competence and clear approval and monitoring through your establishment’s procedures.

Definition of an ‘adventurous activity’

The following activities are typically regarded as ‘adventurous’:

• All activities in ‘open country’ (see relevant section)

• Air activities (excluding commercial flights)

• Abseiling

• All forms of boating (excluding commercial transport)

• Aqua Park (see relevant section)

• Camping

• Canoeing/kayaking/Stand up paddleboarding

• Coasteering/coastal scrambling/sea level traversing

• ‘Extreme’ sports

• High level ropes courses

• Hill walking and Mountaineering

• Horse riding

• Motor sport – all forms including karting

• Off road cycling

• Rafting or improvised rafting

• River/gorge walking or scrambling

• Rock climbing (including indoor climbing walls)

• Sailing/windsurfing/kite surfing

• Swimming (all forms, excluding publicly lifeguarded pools)

• Shooting/archery/paintballing

• Snorkel and aqualung activities

• Snowsports (skiing, snowboarding, and related activities), including artificial slope

• Trampoline/Inflatable, Action Parks and similar (see relevant section)

• Underground exploration (excluding ‘show caves’)

• Use of powered safety/rescue craft

• Water skiing

• Other activities (e.g. initiative exercises) involving skills inherent in any of the above

‘Open country’ is normally defined as land above 300m, or more than 1km from vehicular

access. However, this is an arbitrary boundary and there may be occasions where this

definition is inappropriate. Please contact the Adviser if you think this might

apply. For level of competence required to lead in open country see relevant section

The following activities are not regarded as adventurous, however, these activities must be

supervised by a member of staff who has previous relevant experience and who in the

opinion of the EVC and Headteacher is competent to supervise the activity:

• Walking in parks or on non-remote country paths

• Field studies - unless in the environments stated in ‘open country’

• Swimming in publicly lifeguarded pools

• Theme parks

• Tourist attractions

• Pedal go-karts

• Ice skating (rink)

• Farm visits

• Water-margin activities as defined in relevant section