Farming & countryside Sector assessed by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC)

Activities that take place on a farm or horticultural premises, and where livestock, soil or horticultural inputs, products or equipment may be handled (excluding small horticultural sites such as allotments and community gardens; and petting areas in a non-farm environment).

For the purposes of the LOtC Quality Badge it is the active involvement of children in farming practices or the handling of livestock or soil in a farming environment that determine whether a provider should be assessed via the Route 2 process.

CLOtC manages the administration and assessment of applications for the Farming & Countryside Sector.

In order to register your interest, please complete the Route 2 registration form. CLOtC will then send you the relevant forms and guidance.

More details on the application procedures, as well as the Self Evaluation Form, Application Guidance and Code of Practice Declaration are available here.

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Adventurous activities assessed by Adventure Activities Industry Advisory Committee (AAIAC)

1. In terms of its role as the awarding body for Adventurous Activities, AAIAC sees the extent of its scope as the assessment and accreditation of providers of:

• Adventurous activities that are delivered by a provider’s staff or sub-contractors using qualifications, training and procedures that meet industry standards accepted in the UK.
• Locations that can be directly inspected by the inspectors of AAIAC or an approved scheme, including overseas centres where practicable.

2.  AAIAC’s scope does not extend to activities overseas which operate to different standards and / or are impracticable to inspect. AAIAC understands that there is guidance on using sub-contracted activities overseas in the EPA standards.

In order to register your interest, please complete the Route 2 registration form. The Awarding Body will then send you the relevant forms and guidance.

For more information please contact Activity Adventure Associates:

info@adventureactivityassociates.co.uk or 01479 811448

www.adventurelotc.com

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Overseas Expeditions assessed by Expedition Providers’ Association (EPA)

The EPA Code of Practice defines an expedition as:

  “Overseas travel that involves a deliberate element of risk, challenge or adventure and requires specialist skills for its safe management”. 

These can range from a 1-4 weeks in duration and include in their programme:

Treks in remote regions in challenging terrain

Ascents of mountains

Journeys by foot, horse, kayak, bike, camel, raft 

Cultural projects often with remote village communities

Other cultural or adventure activities

Most EPA programmes are at the lower challenge end of this range, and only differ from  a more traditional school trip in that they specifically include an element of risk such as a project, or an activity provided by a third party provider, such as white water rafting. 

Expeditions will have a UK leader who will have overall responsibility for the management of all activities that form part of an expedition programme even if the activity is being delivered by a third party provider 

Expedition Leaders are required to have the experience and knowledge to manage all aspects of an expedition programme.

In order to register your interest, please complete the Route 2 registration form. The Awarding Body will then send you the relevant forms and guidance.

For more information please contact EPA:

membership@expeditionprovidersassociation.co.uk or 01483 810785

http://expeditionprovidersassociation.co.uk/

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Natural Environment Sector managed by CLOtC

The Natural Environment Sector sees its scope within the LOtC Quality Badge as being providers of fieldwork and other hands on field study activities.  As with other sectors, some fieldwork doesn't require any specialist risk management and so can legitimately be assessed through Route 1. The characteristics of fieldwork and other hands on field study activities which would require assessment through route 2 are where the learners would take part in one or more of the following activities:

• Entering water to collect measurements, samples etc.
• Entering the intertidal zone e.g. shore ecology, beach profiling
• Working in remote areas or areas with difficult access e.g. upland areas, coastline or forests without vehicle access
• Working outdoors away from direct supervision e.g. small project groups working with remote supervision in the natural or built environment
• Using equipment or tools in the course of the activity which would themselves require a risk assessment e.g. bushcraft activities as undertaken as part of a Forest Schools programme
• Undertaking a study with a high reliance on dynamic risk assessment

The studies could be taking place outdoors in a wide variety of environments – the common theme is the high priority given to the learning outcomes with the activity or process being devised specifically to achieve the identified learning outcome.

In order to begin the Route 2 application process, please complete the Route 2 registration form. CLOtC will then send you the relevant forms and guidance.

If you consider that a Route 1 application would be more appropriate for your provision, please go the Route 1 information page.

Detailed information on Natural Environment Sector application procedures

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Study, Sports & Cultural Tours administered by School Travel Forum (STF)

The STF Safety Management System (SMS) is designed to improve the quality of learning and safety of school and college tours to hotels or hostels, usually undertaken for cultural, study or sporting objectives, including ski trips and exchange visits.

The STF’s Code of Practice sets operating standards based on UK tour operators whose travel related business is to promote and sell inclusive school or college tours as packages, as defined by the Package Holiday Regulations 1992.

The integral Safety Management System covers the provision of accommodation, transport, sports, snowsports, activities and other excursions that form the package.  In addition, it specifies requirements for emergency support, client information, training, accident monitoring and process reviews.

Note:
Within its Adventurous Activities Annex, the STF covers the provision of adventurous activity excursions in packages which are supplied by third parties.  For the avoidance of doubt and by reason of the fact that the following types of activities are covered by other awarding bodies, including those of the AAIAC and the EPA, the STF does not cover:

• Where the majority of a tour is composed of elements with a more specific "Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge" sector awarding body.
• Where the provision of adventurous activities, in the UK or overseas, is by the member’s own staff.
• Where there is an expedition element which is defined as involving a deliberate and significant element of challenge, requiring pre-tour participant evaluation, specialist technical skills in the leader and preparatory activities in the UK consistent with sections 8, 9 and 10 of the Expedition Providers’ Association Code of Practice for the Provision of Overseas Expeditions (2.3) for its safe management.

Contact STF: info@schooltravelforum.com or 01989 764242

www.schooltravelforum.com

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