Visit to Kilve Court

 



 

Today I took the Level e Outdoor Education students from Bridgwater College to Kilve Court Outdoor Education Centre. Kilve Court is a local education authority centre owned by Somerset County Council. The visit formed part of their equipment and facilities in outdoor adventure module.

 

The day started with a tea and coffee on arrival followed by a tour of the centre. The rest of the morning was spent looking at the way Kilve Court check, monitor, maintain and replace their equipment. This is an integral part of the module and we have been to various centres to see the different methods used.

 

After lunch We took the opportunity to take part in a bush craft and environmental art session. During this session the students had the opportunity to make campfires, lighting them with fire steels, Build shelters and create some art using the natural surroundings.

 

Thanks to Dave and his team for a good day.



Mountain Biking on the Quantock Hills

 

 

 

 

Back out on the Quantock hills today with the Level 3 Outdoor Education students for a spot of mountain biking. As we have 16 students I took 8 for the morning session and 8 for the afternoon session. Both groups covered the same loop from Crowcombe Park Gate via Triscombe stone and Great Wood.

 

The basis of the day being to look at various leadership techniques, appropriate use of the equipment and to enjoy a ride in a beautiful setting. The sun was shining and the trails dusty. 

Level 2 Public Services - Navigation Skills

 

 

 

Gail and I were out on the Quantock hills today with Level 2 Public Services students remotely supervising them walking a route to test their navigation skills.

 

The two groups were set an 8km loop starting from Dead Woman's Ditch. One going clockwise and the other anti-clockwise. All the students did really well and supported each other. Gail and I moved swiftly across the ground to spot check groups on route and also observe from a distance.

Somerset Secondary Schools PE Conference

 

 

Today I travelled over to Westfield School in Yeovil to deliver an Outdoor Education workshop for the Somerset Schools PE Conference.

 

The day was organised by Dave Bullock from Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership (SASP) and covered a range of different sports and topics for teachers to book onto.

 

My Outdoor Education workshop had 16 booked on which was a good number. We looked at ways to embed and improve outdoor education into the secondary schools PE curriculum. This mainly revolved around structured team development activities, orienteering and shelter building. We also covered the cross curricular areas that Ofsted are looking for in all lessons and how to include them.

 

It was a cold wet day but all the candidates enjoyed the sessions and went away with plans to get it up and running in their schools.  

Audax Uk Dunkery Dash

 

 

Today I took part in the Audax UK Dunkery Dash road cycling event with Dave and Dom from Bridgwater College.

 

The 64 mile route started in North Petherton and went via the Quantock Hills and Exmoor before returning to North Petherton. 1750 metres of climbing in total with the three main climbs being Enmore Hill, Elworthy Hill and Cothelstone Hill.

 

It was really good to get out on the road bike again and this time with a few others to make for a more social affair but the persistent light rain, head winds and road grime made it pretty interesting to say the least.

 

Really happy with a time of 5 hours averaging 14.68 mph including a good tea and cake stop at the top of Dunkery Beacon. 

 

My next planned road cycling event will be the Somerset 100, a one hundred mile route taking in the Somerset Levels and the Mendip Hills in May. 

Remotely Supervising Public Services Students on the Quantock Hills

 

 

On Monday, Thursday and Friday of Last week I was back out on the Quantock Hills AONB with Gail and Dave from Bridgwater college. We were remotely supervising the Level 3 Public Services students during their last practical training session before their assessed expedition next month.

 

The students were tasked to walk a 12km route in small groups without the support of their tutors. We spot checked them at various points to assess their progress and question them on where they had been.

 

The weather was stunning for early March and we managed to get a couple of trail runs in as a way of moving quickly between the groups. Heading out cross country resulted in seeing a 20 strong heard of Red Deer in Slaughterhouse Combe.

 

Once we were happy with the students progress we found time to pop into the Combe House Hotel for a nice brew while waiting for the students to finish their routes.

Clear and Chilly day on the Mendip Hills AONB

 

 

Today I was out on the Mendip Hills with the other half of the Level 3 Outdoor Education students from Bridgwater College. Todays session was a mirror image from last Tuesday's session with the first half. The weather was also similar to last week with blue skies but a chilly north westerly wind.

 

During the 12 kilometre route the students took it in turns to lead a leg consolidating the basic navigation skills from previous weeks. These include: Collecting and Catching Features, Timing, distance, contour interpretation and map to ground recognition. We also spent time looking at more advanced techniques and terminology such as hand railing, aiming off and attack points.

 

Due to recent heavy rain it was hard going in places but all the students coped really well and are now really starting to understand the importance of appropriate clothing and footwear to enjoy the activity.

 

It was great to have Ruth from the college come along for the day to observe my practical teaching to not only give me feedback but to also reflect on her own teaching practices. She's not as old as the photo implies!!