Gwent Outdoor Education Service is a joint service supported by Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen.
The service has existed since the early 1970’s. The service operates three residential centres at Hilston Park, Gilwern and Talybont. The service offers a broad range of ‘doorstep’ activities in the SE Wales area. Most courses are residential of 3 to 5 days duration. Annually we deliver around 17,000 user days both residentially and as single day visits.
The service holds two licenses from the Adventure Activities Licensing Service (AALS) to provide ‘Adventure Pursuits’ for young people.
Who can use the service?
Although catering mainly for young people, the Service also offers opportunities and training for teachers and other adults in a variety of locations. These courses link directly to the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) Guidance for Educational Visits launched in October 2008. The Guidance states that every school should have a named EVC and all leaders of educational visits should have appropriate training.
We can offer pupils a range of experiences of outdoor and environmental activities of increasing challenge throughout their school career, covering a spread of National Curriculum, A level /GCSE courses and personal and social development.
In addition to being located close to rivers, caves and mountains, the centres have many on site facilities including good standard accommodation, high ropes courses, indoor climbing and traversing wall, forest schools site, camping facilities, problem solving challenges and orienteering courses.
Course fees for young people from the four owning authorities are substantially subsidised providing excellent ‘value for money’. (Pupils entitled to Free School Meals are subsidised at a greater rate)
Our centres take a flexible and innovative approach to meeting your objectives so please contact them to discuss your needs. info@gwentoutdoorcentres.org.uk
We are also able to deliver a broad range of staff development courses:
- Outdoor Education Advisors’ Panel accredited courses. Specifically- Educational Visit Coordinator (EVC), Visit Leader (VL) and Outdoor Learning Cards (OLC) training
- British Orienteering accredited Teaching Orienteering Parts 1 and 2
- National Governing Body Awards in canoeing, kayaking, climbing, caving, hill walking, mountaineering and navigation
- National Navigation Award Scheme
- Mountain Bike Instructor Award Scheme (MIAS)
- Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Minibus driver training (MIDAS)
- Bespoke services such as all school staff development, specific curriculum linked training, school site mapping, hosting ‘away days’
