Alternative Provision Programme at Robertsbridge C.C.

The Peak Adventure is an outdoor based education programme with mental health and wellbeing at its core. Participants will embark on a journey to construct a meaning of the term ‘Adventure’ and explore what having an adventurous mindset looks like.

Participants will spend three days a week (Wednesday – Friday) as part of the programme over a five-week period with Monday and Tuesday spent in school as normal days.

THE PROVISION

  • This programme will promote and explore the idea of being adventurous. Having an adventurous mind-set enables creative solutions to be formulated from any problems we might face.

    This in turn builds upon resilience, self-efficacy, problem-solving, communication, relationship building, aspiration and supports positive mental health.

    Young people will create their own learning journey through their involvement within the John Muir Award. There is no prescription of what or how they must complete the outcomes.

    The sessions will ask the question of how and what they might like to discover, explore, conserve and share.

    Activities will be crafted with young people so that they find their own solutions, ask for support when they require, collaborate with others and discuss and explore new ways of thinking about solutions.

    This will support an expansive, creative and open mindset, helping participants to realise that there are several ways of considering the issues they raise and that knowledge is created together.

    By working in partnership with their school our aim is to have a positive impact on the participants opinion of the institutions they are part of and how they can support and nurture their development.

    We aim to improve the health, wellbeing and self-esteem of participants through environmental enhancement and conservation activities. We will help to foster a sense of belonging and achievement through increased social contact and contact with nature, ensuring there are opportunities for young people to feel they are part of something and can make a positive difference.

    We would then link the above in a reintegration plan to help participants have a better chance of success when they return to the school setting.

  • Aged 11 – 14 years (Years 7 – 9 dependent on cohort/term).

    Has an up-to-date APDR document (with previous support/interventions/strategies outlined). At risk of permanent exclusion.

    History of low attendance and/or persistent absence.

    Uses abusive language regularly.

    History of fixed term suspensions.

    Disengaged with the education system.

    Regularly disruptive behaviour and struggles to work in large classes.

    Fears failure.

    Low level of resilience.

    Lacks self-confidence.

    Displays risk taking behaviours beyond appropriate boundaries.

    Finds it difficult to form positive relationships with peers and/or adults.

The programme uses the FOUR elements of the John Muir Award – Discover, Explore, Conserve and Share – as sub-sections in which the activities and learning will take place. This helps to build not only a successful award scheme but also a well-rounded understanding of what impact having an adventurous mindset has on the environment, the community and ourselves.

Each participant on the programme will get a unique login to our digital Peak Adventure App which works as a self-assessment tool. This will enable each participant to log all the activities and experiences they have had into the different areas of the programme creating their own unique digital adventure journey.

Because this programme invites participants to Discover, Explore, Conserve and Share wild spaces they will also come away with the nationally recognised John Muir Award