Kingswood – Dukeshouse Wood
Photos of Kingswood – Dukeshouse Wood
What will students see and do?
Nestled in private woodland on a beautiful fellside, just outside of the suburbs of Hexham, Dukeshouse Wood is approximately 30 minutes from Newcastle, just an hour from Carlisle, and a short distance from Hadrian’s Wall.
This activity centre provides the perfect setting for nature walks, orienteering and bushcraft activities, and during their stay, students have access to 100 acres of woodland, so there is plenty of exploration and adventure to be had.
Dukeshouse Wood also boasts an 18-acre adventure park with high ropes, zip wire and a 3G swing for some fantastic adrenaline-filled activities. Abseiling is taught at the centre and there is also an activity barn with indoor climbing wall.
How does the trip link to the curriculum?
Kingswood offers a range of educational outdoor adventure programmes that are suitable for all key stages. Integrating a variety of curriculum content within activities and working with teachers to bring subject content to life, Kingswood also supports GCSE and A level field work studies for geography and biology at some centres. (Check which locations by contacting Kingswood directly.)
For key stages 1 and 2, pupils explore and learn about natural landscapes, develop their creative writing and numeracy skills, and improve their verbal reasoning and confidence by taking part in discussions about topics such as conservation and sustainability.
Kingswood has adopted a ‘challenge by choice’ philosophy, incorporating a balance of outdoor adventure experiences matched to the capabilities of the learners.
Activities are designed to be exciting but not too far removed from pupils’ everyday experiences. This is to provide relevance for home and school life, acting as a motivator for personal growth.
Self-reliance, communication skills and teamwork are developed by reflecting upon and sharing information about challenges that require effort and perseverance. This type of strength-based learning allows participants to learn as much from their unsuccessful activities as they do from their successes.
Subjects covered
Teaching resources provided
Kingswood, in partnership with Enrich Education, provide visitors with pre- and post-trip activity packs.
Packs includes a selection of activities that support PE, English, maths, science and geography curricula, taken from the Enrich School Orienteering and Outdoor Learning Digital Hub, which is home to over 200 cross-curricular physical activity plans. Each activity links with one of the six Kingswood curriculum categories (Challenge, Play, Explore, Discover, Social, Reflect). All activities include a teacher’s plan and children’s resource sheets where required.
The packs enable schools to create opportunities to introduce outdoor adventurous activities to children, developing their initial orienteering skills and helping to foster a love for outdoor learning.
In addition to the activity packs, Kingswood offers schools a unique ‘confidence tracker’ tool, created in partnership with insight specialists Spike and with counsel from Dr Alice Jones Bartoli and Professor Justin Dillon, to enable them to evidence and evaluate the success of a trip. This is a fantastic take-home to share with parents or carers after a trip and can also form a wider project on character education or development.
Minimum and maximum group size
The maximum number of students per activity is 15.
Kingswood can usually accommodate smaller groups with complex SEN requirements on request.
Details of risk assessment
Please click here for Dukeshouse Wood’s risk management arrangements.
Don't miss our downloadable A-Z guide on completing a risk assessment
Facilities on-site
- Outdoors: 18-acre adventure park.
- Indoors: activity barn for climbing and problem-solving initiatives.
- Gift shops: selling snacks, drinks and souvenirs.
- Other facilities: diner, indoor classrooms, party-leader lounges.
- Accommodation: en suite dormitories with accompanying rooms for teachers and group leaders.
Opening times
Dukeshouse Wood is open daily, year-round.
Pricing
Prices start from just £86pp for a mid-week residential trip.
Travel arrangements
Kingswood’s partner company, Britannia Coach Services, offers a convenient and competitive travel service that may save you time and money.
Call 01603 309 373 or email bcs@inspiring-learning.com.
Address
Dukeshouse Wood
Fellside
Hexham
Northumberland
NE46 1TP
Book your school trip to Kingswood – Dukeshouse Wood
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