Visit Leader Training & Visit Coordinator Training 2018

Book soon to grab a place on these CLPL courses

Are you planning and leading school visits? coordinating visits within your school.  Then these courses are for you. Places are going fast for the next 2 training events after the Easter Break 2018. You can book on learnPro and see more details here.

Visit Leader Training  – 27th April 2018  (Hurry only 1 space left)  – This course is aimed at teachers and educational staff and is a requirement for those who are involved in leading and the planning of off site visits

Visit Coordinator Training – 4th May 2018  – Training for each designated offsite trip coordinator  for every educational establishment. This is aimed at those in schools who authorise and approve visits.

These courses are developed nationally by the Scottish Advisory Panel for Outdoor Education and the Outdoor Education Advisors Panel and cover sessions on all the elements and requirements for leading Midlothian Educational visits.

 

NEW – First Aid Training 2018

You can new now view the First Aid training course dates for 2018 run by the Outdoor Learning Service at our website. Training dates have been spread across the year (including some INSET day scheduled  courses) to allow our schools and staff to access more easily throughout 2018

To view and book any of these courses see the links below – or access through the CLPL dropdown menu.

View/Book First Aid Training (click for link)

All courses are SQA accredited and cover the recently updated SQCF units for First aid

Emergency First Aid (6 hours) HV82 04 Level 6 – Emergency First Aid in the Workplace

First Aid at Work (18 hours) HV82 04 Level 6 &  HV83 04 Level 6 – Recognition and Management of Illness in the Workplace

First Aid at work Requalification (12 hours) HV82 04 Level 6 &  HV83 04 Level 6 – Recognition and Management of Illness in the Workplace

We look forward to working with you all in 2018. Please contact us if you have any enquiries regarding these courses outdoorlearning@midlothian.gov.uk

 

How good are our visits and residentials?

With the implementation of the new online Midvisits/EVOLVE system offsite visits planning, monitoring and approvals numbers are more visible, trackable to learning aims and outcomes & increasing. The latest approved visit numbers using the new system can be seen in graph above for the 2015-16 school period*

It’s amazing to see so many trips taking place and using new system from our Schools in Midlothian and establishments but how good are they? – using the new Midvisits/Evolver’s system to track and monitor learning outcomes to visits can be used to make sure you plan brilliant visits and maximise the impacts and benefits that visits and residential can bring including;

  • Intensity of experience
  • A new context for relationships
  • Different and varied opportunities to experience success
  • New ways of learning

(Brilliant residentials and their impact on children young people and schools, making the case for high quality residential learning – 2015 Paul Hamlyn Foundation)

It’s understood that visits and residential experiences can have an impact on attainment but as visit leaders often more awareness is needed in making clear links on “resilience, confidence, and grit” and the current focus nationally on character education.

Latest training opportunities – click on hyperlinks below for more information;

john-muir-trust-Learning Away: Making the case for high-quality residential learning

Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, 4-6pm, Monday 21st March

Chris Loynes: Educational advisor on the Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Learning Away Initiative

The  free evening talk is hosted by John Muir Trust & Education Scotland. – click on the link above to book a place

shetlers jpeg

 

Training is also available locally with the outdoor learning service to support and promote these links including some new courses for those leading visits from Midlothian establishments to help you plan effective, safe and relevant visits e.g.

Visit Leader Training – for those planning leading and evaluating visits

Visit Coordinator Training – for those approving and coordinating visits within establishments

Midvisits – getting the most out of the EVOLVE/ Midvisits system – workshops using and discovering additional features within Midvisits.

HGIOS4: How good is our outdoor learning?

Outdoor Learning = an approach to learning embedded in the curriculum (HGIOS4)Virtuos Cycle of Improvement

We are delighted to see the new version of HGIOS4. It mentions Outdoor Learning many times across the cycle of improvement in the new publication emphasising the impact and importance of Outdoor Learning in supporting the following areas;

  • 1.2 Leadership of Learning- impact of career-long professional learning“We support staff to access high-quality professional learning linked to cross-cutting themes such as sustainable development education, global citizenship, outdoor learning and international education”
  • 2.2 Curriculum – Learning pathways ” We ensure children and young people have access to high-quality learning in all curriculum areas and through outdoor learning”. Features of highly effective practice  – “Outdoor learning is a regular, progressive curriculum led experience for all learners.”

  • 3.1  Ensuring Wellbeing, Equality and Inclusion“Staff take account of research linking benefits of outdoor learning and green space with wellbeing”

  •  3.2 Raising the attainment and Achievement – Challenge Questions – “What progress and achievement do children and young people gain from our outdoor learning experiences?”

The report also highlights the importance of Outdoor Learning to Support learning for Sustainability ; “… enabling learners, educators, schools and their wider communities to build a socially-just, sustainable and equitable society. An effective whole school and community approach to LfS weaves together global citizenship, sustainable development education, outdoor learning and children’s rights to create coherent, rewarding and transformative learning experiences”

To discuss further development of your school’s outdoor learning get in touch with your Outdoor Learning service contact, so we can work together to support you and achieve the goal of  “outdoor learning as a regular, progressive curriculum led experience for all learners.”

 

Midvisits Update

evolve workings
Midvisits is an easy to use intuative system – But training sessions will help you get to grips with the nuts and bolts of EVOLVE and the helpful reporting tools

Over the last few months Midlothian schools who attended our launch of the new Midvisits/EVOLVE planning and approval system have been moving their visit and excursion planning and visit approvals to the new system that also replaces the current EV1 form.

Many of our schools are now using as a record for all their offsite visits including those that require local approval and LA approval – The system provides an excellent one stop place for planning, approving and evaluation of the learning outcomes associated with your educational visits.

 

 

 

  • August – All remaining schools to join new Midvisits system
  • August – December – Transition period Midvisits
  • December 2015 – End of old EV1 system
IMAG2617
Excursion Approvals are moving to a new home – http://midvisits.org.uk

All schools will be fully on the system for Dec 2015 – the old EV1 system will be retired! In August schools that are currently not on the system will be contacted to arrange access to Midvisits/EVOLVE (many additional schools have already been in touch to join since the launch)

The system is simple and effective to use , however a series of training sessions letting you get the best out of the Midvisits system have now been arranged to help with the transition. The details are available at the link below;

MIDVISITS Training Sessions

These sessions complement our fully certified OEAP/SAPOE Visit leader Training and Visit Coordinator Training courses and will also allow current users to raise questions and give feedback.

Thanks to all the schools so far who have been using the system so successfully.

More Information – Questions?  contact Bill Stephen William.Stephen@midlothian.gov.uk