Outdoor Learning at Grangemouth High

If we get some mild days then we can still get out on a loch. Loch Chon or Loch Achray and maybe Loch Drunkie (yes that’s a real loch). All these lochs are less than an hour from Grangemouth. Some amazing Autumn colours just now and for the next few weeks, so a treat for the eyes.

#coaching beginners ‘hand shapes on holdz’ at #eicaratho #ratho. #coach is a 14yr old, she has #patience #talent and an understanding of #fundamentals of climbing, especially pelvis position and centre of gravity. Skills built over three years #climbing and #bouldering. #Bouldering games using #munchkins for precise footwork. ‘Shapes of hands’ to show different ways to hold holds.

We were lucky enough to have a cool event at school on Wednesday, info copied below-

Dr Alasdair Allan launches ‘Going Out There: Scottish Framework for Safe Practice in Off-site Visits’
Wednesday 12th June 2013, Grangemouth High School, Falkirk

Read more about the launch event on the Engage for Education blog:

and find out more about the document on our outdoor learning page:

This framework has been developed in partnership by Education Scotland, the Scottish Government, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Scottish Advisory Panel for Outdoor Education (SAPOE) and the Association of Directors of Education, with input from other partners including voluntary organisations and providers. It promotes a sensible and manageable approach to organising and leading educational visits locally, further afield, residentially and internationally. It emphasises an enabling attitude which reduces bureaucracy while ensuring guidance and support is in place for trips to be managed safely. It is expected that ‘Going Out There’ can be adopted as a common framework across Scotland by all those managing or organising visits or providing activities and venues: http://www.goingoutthere.co.uk.

Nigel Marshal, chair of SAPOE commended the enabling approach promoted throughout the guidance: “SAPOE has been involved in supporting Scottish Government and Education Scotland in the provision of Guidance documents for many years. The new Going Out There guidance is one we are particularly proud to be associated with as it is will enable and encourage those working with young people out of doors to access relevant and coherent guidance online in an easy and uncomplicated way”

Commenting on the new Scottish framework, Bruce Robertson, who chaired the Managing Outdoor Learning Safely Group for the Scottish Government said, “The aim of this guidance is to streamline the over bureaucratic health and safety approaches which can sometimes get in the way of outdoor learning in its various facets across Scotland. As chairman of the group which developed the guidance, I would commend it to all users and thank everyone who made this possible.”

Education Scotland is stepping up its commitment to Outdoor Learning through the Development Officer for Outdoor Learning/National Parks seconded to June 2015 working with 12 Senior Education Officers with curriculum and sector area responsibilities who have OL/NPs as part of their core remit. The promotion and raising awareness of this document as well as the strategic direction from Education Scotland and other strategic partners will make the job of managing outdoor learning safely more straightforward for practitioners.
Education Scotland will continue to work closely with the National Network for Outdoor Learning and SAPOE to implement Going Out There. There is an opportunity to strengthen links at local authority level with the work of our area lead officers embedding outdoor learning in practice in existing local authority and cluster Curriculum for Excellence through Outdoor Learning Strategic Plans, and with SAPOE which has a representative in each LA. This document is a valuable resource for our work in teacher education and professional learning as, through Learning for Sustainability, outdoor learning is embedded in all three GTCS refreshed standards.