Schools

For children and young people, time spent in the outdoors plays an important part in supporting and improving mental health, alongside physical, emotional and spiritual development. At Heatree we believe that participating in adventurous outdoor activities is an excellent way to facilitate this and to develop key life skills.

Set amongst the natural beauty of Dartmoor, each activity provides moments to challenge and improve self-confidence, to step out of everyday thought and action pathways and discover a new way to interact with the world. It is an opportunity for young minds to explore their perceived limitations, to develop resilience and build positive relationships with their peers.

All of our activities are designed to help children and young people explore and learn about the Christian faith, develop their personal confidence and wellbeing and to increase their wonder and understanding of our natural world. If these exciting aims align with your school’s educational and learning objectives, please get in touch as we would love to discuss how we can partner with you.

Your Programme

Our Outdoor Education team specialises in creating outdoor activity programmes for schools all year round and in all weathers, and we create a programme tailored to your group’s specific needs and requirements. A typical weekly residential would include 20 hours of formal activity sessions led by our instructors, normally broken down into 2.5 hour sessions. The group ratio for most activities is 1:12 and must include a group leader or teacher.

Some useful things to know:

We can provide a gift shop service selling branded Heatree goods for children (and teachers!) to purchase during their stay (please book this in advance).
Ideal for the evenings, we have resources available for self-led activities, such as campfire, night walks, Heatree hunt detective game.
Groups can use our indoor sports barn which includes a bouldering wall and equipment for unihoc and five-a-side football, (please book this in advance).
Each morning your group meets for a daily briefing from their lead instructor which will include our interactive ‘Thought for the Day’ where your instructor will talk through a short Bible story.

Themes

We offer a choice of three themes which will be the focus of your activity programme; Foundations, Journey and Character. The learning outcomes of these themes are supported by the Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) Syllabus for Devon and facilitate an holistic experience, integrating adventurous activities with different discussion topics and Christian stories. Each theme has a slightly different focus, and all are underpinned by high quality outdoor education instruction and aim to develop elements of individual character education, teamwork and relationships.

Below is an outline of the typical programme content you can expect for each theme.

Foundations

The foundation on which we build our life can help us to feel stable and secure…

This theme develops teamwork and individual self-reliance through adventurous activities, survival skills and exploring how Dartmoor has been used by people for thousands of years.

Particularly suitable for the Autumn term, this theme is about setting up expectations, building relationships and team skills for the year ahead.

Example Discussions

Blueprints: What is the purpose of a blueprint or a plan, and do you have ideas about what you would like to achieve this week? We will be thinking about biblical characters and how God had a plan for them. Who do you trust to help you?

Journey

Life is an exciting journey that each of us is on…

Throughout this theme we will explore the opportunities and challenges of an adventurous residential week. We will work to build confidence and resilience in facing the challenges of life’s journey.

This theme is particularly well suited to year 6 pupils during the summer term, looking to build confidence and a sense of adventure before progressing on to secondary school.

Example Discussions

Bumpy roads: Will your life journey always go smoothly and how will you overcome some of the obstacles that you face? Looking at the life of Jesus and some of the miracles that he performed we will be thinking about how challenges can be overcome.

Character

Developing mental strength, resilience and integrity while celebrating the parts that make us unique…

This theme focuses on individual identity, and the impact that each individual can have on the world around them. We will use adventurous activities to challenge and discover the potential of each student.

This theme is suitable for all year groups and stages of the school year.

Example Discussions

Impact: What impact can we have on the world around us? We will be thinking about biblical characters who had an impact on the people or places around them and finding out that everyone can chose to make a difference.

Accommodation and Facilities

Our three accommodation wings, Heatree, Farmhouse and Stables, offer private accommodation for your school. Our bedrooms are dorm-style bunk bedded rooms with en-suite facilities. School staff are provided with tea and coffee making facilities in their bedrooms (full week bookings only) and centre bedding.

Follow this link to find out more about our accommodation facilities.

Our grounds offer extensive areas for outdoor play including a football pitch, swings, willow structures and woodland to explore (please note that children must be supervised at all times outside of formal activity sessions).

We also offer:

Free on-site parking with turning space for coaches
Free wi-fi
Out of hours duty warden
Internet phones for school staff
Easy access to the moors and local areas of interest

If you have not been to Heatree before we recommend coming for a preview visit where we can show you round and answer any questions. Please speak to us directly to arrange this on 01647 221307 or email bookings@heatree.org

Catering

Our kitchen team provides fresh and wholesome meals, all of which are cooked on site using local produce. We do our very best to accommodate any special dietary requirements or provide alternatives where this is not possible.

If you have specific food allergies or dietary needs that you wish to discuss, please speak to our kitchen team who will be happy to help on 01647 221927.

Tea, coffee, hot chocolate and squash are always readily available throughout your stay in our dining rooms. There are fridges available for storing your own items, or for any medication requiring cool storage.

Follow this link to see our schools menu for 2022-23.

Policies and Risk Assessments

Risk Assessments are carried out at the Centre and are inspected by AALA (Adventure Activities Licensing Authority), ensuring the Centre is carrying out routine assessments and is compliant with Health and Safety regulations.

What do schools need?

A Provider Statement (or questionnaire) requesting information required by group leaders, EVCs and head teachers etc, is required by schools as part of their risk assessment before coming to Heatree Activity Centre.

For schools in the Devon County Council and Torbay Council areas:

Heatree has a Provider Statement (SOE5) which can be accessed via the EVOLVE system – EVOLVE Login (Devon County Council & Torbay Council)

For schools outside of these areas:

Schools can obtain a Provider Statement from their local council and submit it to us for completion. Please find your local council and then email your Provider Statement to: bookings@heatree.org

* Please note that not all Provider Statements cover questions about COVID-19. If you need additional COVID-19 risk assessment information, please let us know.

If you would like to see a copy of our Safeguarding Policy or our COVID-19 Policy please email bookings@heatree.org or phone 01647 221307.