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Language Learning Experiences
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Helping young minds meet the world, our high quality courses, connect junior students worldwide.

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Outdoor Education Experiences
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From woods to coast to mountains, Active Learning Centres are dedicated to helping young people develop essential skills and more.

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A leading provider of outdoor education, The Bushcraft Company gives students a real outdoor adventure.

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School Holiday Experiences
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SuperCamps offers a wide range of activity and specialist programmes providing holiday provision and activities catering to all tastes.

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Camp Wilderness provides back to basics overnight camps, helping children to unplug and rewild during the summer holidays.

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School Trips
Our Centres
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Cuffley
Cuffley

Over 100 acres of beautiful woodland wilderness, easily accessible from London.

Based in Hertfordshire, the picturesque woodland setting of Cuffley Active Learning Centre promotes development and growth through engaging outdoor activities.

With the option of staying in our Pod Village or camping in Bell Tents, groups blend into the trees in their own exclusive camp with no crowds or queues.

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Sealyham
Sealyham

A magnificent coastal centre, delivering unique outdoor adventures.

Based in Pembrokeshire, Sealyham Active Learning Centre is an outdoor paradise, encouraging confidence and personal development through a comprehensive range of coastal-based and inland activities.

Premium accommodation, expert staff, and high quality locally sourced food, create remarkable learning experiences.

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The Towers
The Towers

An exceptional mountain-based centre, providing highly tailored learning experiences

Situated in the heart of Snowdonia National Park, The Towers Active Learning Centre delivers an exemplary standard of outdoor activities and instruction.

The outstanding high-quality accommodation provide a modern and comfortable base that teachers and students adore.

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Why Choose Us
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A New Standard for Outdoor Learning

ALC was established with the objective of revolutionising outdoor education.

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Leading Multi-Activity Trips

We ensure that your time with us is maximised to make the most of the activities on offer.

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Tailored Programmes

We create itineraries tailored to your groups needs and objectives

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Focused Learning Outcomes

Discover how we incorporate essential skills, character building and wellbeing into our courses.

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Other Experiences
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ALC International

The home of Adventure English for international students, in partnership with Ardmore Education.

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Corporate / Other

ALC are dedicated to getting your teams into the great outdoors and helping them to develop key skills, character and promote mental wellbeing.

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Camp Wilderness

If you’re looking for a summer holiday adventure for your child at one of our centres, head over to Camp Wilderness.

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DofE Gold Residential

We offer a multi-activity residential course designed specifically for Gold DofE.

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About Us
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About Us

Our overarching goal is to elevate standards of outdoor learning.

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Meet the Team

Meet the people who make Active Learning Centres what they are, from directors through to Activity Leaders.

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Join Us

ALC are always looking for new staff to join the team. Learn more about current opportunities and search current vacancies.

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Blog

Learn more about ALC and the importance of outdoor learning.

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Contact Us
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Character Development 

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Character Development in students at Active Learning Centres 

At Active Learning Centres we see the wonderful opportunity there is for young people (and adults) to grow in confidence, resilience and agency through participation in well-structured outdoor activities.

Students attending a school residential trip or day trip at any Active Learning Centre are encouraged to explore new environments, experience new activities and build new friendships. During their time at our outdoor activity centres, they’ll focus on character building, essential skills and their own wellbeing.

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Character is a complex concept with a number of overlapping facets

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As a school activity centre, we have identified four important aspects where we can support secondary schools and primary schools to develop their young people through outdoor education:

  • The ability to remain motivated by long-term goals; students will learn to see a link between effort in the present and pay-off in the longer-term. They will learn the importance of resilience, overcoming and persevering through, and learning from, setbacks when encountered.
  • The reinforcement of positive moral attributes, sometimes known as ‘virtues’, and including, for example, courage, honesty, kindness, integrity, humility and a sense of justice, alongside others.
  • The acquisition of social confidence and the ability to make points or arguments clearly and constructively. We help school groups to improve their social skills and learn to listen attentively to the views of others, behave with courtesy and good manners and speak persuasively to an audience
  • An appreciation of the importance of long-term commitments which frame the successful and fulfilled life which help individuals to put down deep roots and gives stability and longevity to lifetime endeavours.
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Child Character Development 

The development of a child’s character during their school trip is at the heart of what we do. Research suggests that there are enabling character traits which can improve educational attainment, engagement with school and attendance. A literature review for the Education Endowment Foundation and Cabinet Office found that:

  • High self-efficacy, or self-belief, is associated with better performance, more persistence and greater interest in work
  • Highly motivated children (linked to tenacity) driven internally and not by extrinsic rewards show greater levels of persistence and achievement
  • Good self-control (or self-regulation, the ability to delay gratification) is associated with greater attainment levels
  • Having good coping skills (part of being able to bounce back) is associated with greater well-being.
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A force for positive change

Through our dedicated facilitation of outdoor adventure activities the staff at Active Learning Centres believe we can be a force for positive change in young people. Through positive role-modelling, taking the time to engage and understand visiting students we can give them the confidence to take on the new challenges and equip them to be able to transfer key skills to new situations, both inside and outside schools.

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Additional Resources

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Offering your students the opportunity to get outdoors and take part in an adventure trip like the ones available at Active Learning Centres provides opportunities and benefits/impacts that cannot be achieved in any other educational context or setting, as found by Learning Away. If you’re looking for additional resources on the impact of outdoor learning and character growth, we’ve shared a few resources here.

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