Outdoor Education - Schools

All LA Approvals for Educational Visits must be submitted using 'EVOLVE' - Sheffield's online visit approval system.

The Sheffield EVOLVE website is sheffieldvisits.org.uk (note there is no 'www' at the start of this address).

Next EVC Training Courses which incorporates EVOLVE

EVC/EVC Update	Date	Location	Time
EVC Training	Thurs 19 January 2012	Thornbridge Outdoors	9am - 4pm
EVC Update	Tues 20 March 2012	Bannerdale Centre	9am - 12.30 pm
EVC Training	Tues 24 April 2012	TBC	9am - 12.30pm
EVC Training	Tues 3 July 2012	TBC	1pm - 4pm

For further information and booking forms please click here to visit the EVC courses page.

Please contact Thornbridge Outdoors on 01629 640491 if you require any further assistance.

This area contains advice for staff from Sheffield Schools planning educational visits – whether it is to Thornbridge Outdoors, or any other off-site educational visit. It is intended that the content of this site will develop to include a forum for exchange of ideas and information, as well as providing the most up to date advice for Sheffield Schools.

If you have any comments to make on the materials and information provided please email: edvisits@thornbridgeoutdoors.co.uk

Educational Visits Coordinator (EVC)

Each school has had the opportunity to have an EVC trained. This person has a key role in school supporting staff who are planning visits and helping to ensure that correct procedures are followed.

To find out when the next EVC training course is click here

Developing a School Policy for Learning Outside the Classroom

Policy Guidance July 2009

EVC Newsletter

News and Information for Educational Visits Co-ordinators.

Guidance

The most recent edition of the LA's guidelines for educational visits was sent to all schools, along with an explanatory letter, in January 2005. They are contained on a CD, with a range of supporting documents.

Two documents from the CD are now available on this site. The full Educational Visits Guidelines document and a Summary document which provides an outline of the main processes involved in organising and conducting a visit. Both of these documents are provided here in PDF format, note that the hyperlinks within the documents are inactive in this version. A full version of both documents, with active hyperlinks, is available on the CD.

To view this document you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader which you can download from here.

If you have a booking at Thornbridge Outdoors you can download a PDF version of the joint visit approval and booking form here or a word version here.

Educational Visit Forms

Generic Risk Assessments

April 2008 Generic Risk Assessment Updated

A CD containing all of the Generic risk assessments was sent to each school in November 2003. This material is continuously being added to and updated, and the most recent version is available for downloading here. You may download the entire document or just the single risk assessment relating to an individual activity.

Additional Sources of Advice

The DfES has supported the production of several useful documents – all of which can be downloaded from www.teachernet.gov.uk/visits

These include two documents containing practical advice for group leaders:

1. “Group Safety at Water Margins”
2. “A handbook for Group Leaders”

In addition there are two other documents which may be of use;

1. “Standards for LAs in Overseeing Educational Visits”
2. “Standards for Adventure”

Educational Visits Review

Letter to Primary and Special Schools

School Self Evaluation Checklist