Bishops Wood Field Centre

Field Studies Council School Trips

Why book 'Bishops Wood Field Centre' with Field Studies Council for School Trips and Educational Visits?

-Easily reached from across the West Midlands, Bishops Wood has fantastic outdoor learning spaces in and around the stunning ancient woodland which surrounds the centre.

-Field Studies Council courses are created carefully to link to curriculum requirements. We can work with you to tailor content to fit in with work back in the classroom.

-Our teaching staff are passionate and experienced.

-Different price bands are offered through the year to offer value for money.

- Bishops Wood Field Centre is part of Field Studies Council, an environmental education charity with 80 years’ experience of providing fieldwork and outdoor learning and a network of UK centres offering day and residential fieldwork opportunities.

-Field Studies Council works in many other ways to create a world where everyone feels connected to the environment including through projects working in local communities and lobbying government to include fieldwork in the curriculum.

school trip at Bishops Wood Field Centre

Teacher Checklist

Risk Assessments
Inspection Visits
Free Places for Teachers
Resource Packs
LOtC Quality Badge
Institute of Outdoor Learning

What activities are available during group visits?

Primary: minibeast hunt, pond dipping, eco-activity, bushcraft, orienteering, Romans, Saxons
Secondary/A level: geography independent investigations, urban geography study, biology core practicals

Which Curriculum Subjects do you cater for?

Bushcraft

Identify basic survival needs, explore the woods, build a shelter and forage for wild foods. Follow a woodland trail and search for tracks and signs. A day filled with team building and problem-solving activities.

We offer a range of sessions and courses on bushcraft including den building, fire lighting foraging and more, delivered by fully trained and experienced tutors.

Biology

Plants Animals including humans Living things and habitats Ecology and environment Minibeasts Habitats Underwater Animals and Habitats

Field Studies Council can offer a range of biology courses from fun KS2 to curriculum-based A level trips. KS2 pupils can look at a range of habitats, learning about microhabitats and how they provide the basic needs for living things. Pupils can learn to identify the different structures of plants and name a variety of common animals. Pupils will mini beast hunt and observe them in their microhabitats.

Human Geography

Settlement and land use

We offer a range of sessions and courses covering human geography through fieldwork. Most sessions have short classroom sessions before and after.
Human Geography can be covered through fieldwork in a range of sessions and courses. Depending on the level and course you follow, this may include;
- Discovering the impact of people on the habitat using a range of fieldwork techniques
- Economic Growth and functions
- Regeneration and Placemaking
- Investigate the impact of counter-urbanisation in two contrasting settlements
- A qualitative and a quantitative fieldwork method
- develop an understanding of questions that can be investigated through fieldwork
- data presentation and analysis

Teaching is delivered by fully trained and experienced tutors.

Physical Geography

Rivers Fieldwork

Geography courses cover KS2 to A level groups. KS2 pupils can use maps, stories and games to explore the woods. Discover the plants and animals that live here and design and build dens.
Our geography fieldwork trips and courses are carefully designed to cover all essential content from the curriculum. We ensure the maximum time outdoors possible, allowing students to take advantage of all benefits resulting from outdoor learning.
The geography fieldwork courses are tailored to curriculum requirements for GCSE, A Level, National, Higher, IB and lower secondary specifications and packed with relevant fieldwork content.
A selection of our popular visits to give an idea of what we can offer include:
Carbon Cycle - follow the route of enquiry as they investigate elements of the carbon cycle in a specific environment.
Rivers - constantly changing, water levels rise and fall after rain and with the seasons. Erosion, transportation and deposition can all alter the characteristics of the channel and the regime of the river
Regeneration - a complex process aiming to turn areas into sustainable, desirable and effective spaces for us to use and enjoy.

But we can also create a trip that is totally bespoke to your needs.

Teaching is delivered by fully trained and experienced tutors, to create and deliver geography experiences to suit your requirements. Most sessions have short classroom sessions before and after.

Environmental Geography

Conservation

Environmental geography can be covered through fieldwork in a range of sessions and courses. For KS4 and A level students all courses are linked to the exam board requirements for each subject and the course can be tailored to your specific needs.
Students can cover a range of environmental geography topics looking at different plants and animals.
Dependant on the course you choose, students could have the opportunity to;
- take first hand measurements, make observations of distinctive river land forms found at the fieldwork sites along the river.
- make a comparison of two different areas used to observe the contrasting abundance of plants associated with varying management regimes.
- Investigate how human activity affects biodiversity, local flows, cycles and processes.

Delivered by expert, passionate tutors at the forefront of fieldwork tuition with a wide range of contrasting locations available.

Fieldstudies

Sampling and Statistics Ecosystems Mapping

We offer a range of sessions and courses covering field studies. For KS4 and A level students we link all of our courses to the exam board requirements for each subject and can tailor the course to your specific needs.
Field studies can be covered through fieldwork in a range of sessions and courses.
This can include:
- Sampling Statistics
- Fieldwork Methodology
- Investigation Introduction
- Ecosystems
- Mapping
- Habitats etc

For KS4 and A level students all of our courses are linked to the exam board requirements for each subject and can be tailored to meet your specific needs.

Prehistory

Stone Age Bronze Age Iron Age

Discover first-hand what it was like to hunt and gather with our activities. Learn the practical skills of the time such as making hurdles and fishing nets. Pupils will look at different types of rocks, tools of the period, how important fire and charcoal were and how fires were lit. Learn the practical skills of the time, build a shelter and produce cave art using natural materials. A very hands on day with team work and problem solving.

Romans

The Roman Army

This interactive fun day will be spent as a Roman. You will build a Roman camp and march like Roman soldiers. On this Romans school trip you will have a go at using gromas to create a straight road. The children will prepare and deliver a roman play for the emperor. Pupils will look at Latin, its importance then and its continuing influence today.

Saxons

Saxon Settlements Arts and Culture

During the day pupils will undertake a number of activities, games and investigations focussing on either the Saxons time. After arriving at our Saxon Hall you will learn skills such as brooch making, spinning wool, hurdle and clay pot making. Inside the Hall you will get a sense of what life was like at this time and discover the importance of fire. The children will make overnight shelters using natural materials. A very active and fun filled day bringing the Saxon and Viking times to life.

Vikings

Invaders and Settlers Mythology and Culture

During the day pupils will undertake a number of activities, games and investigations focussing on Vikings. You will take a journey across the northern seas in our full size Viking long ship. After arriving at our Saxon Hall you will learn skills such as brooch making, spinning wool, hurdle and clay pot making. Inside the Hall you will get a sense of what life was like at this time and discover the importance of fire. The children will make overnight shelters using natural materials. A very active and fun filled day bringing the Saxon and Viking times to life.

Wildlife

Students will look at a variety of plants and common animals using age appropriate classification keys to identify living things we find in our woodland and in our pond habitats.
Discover what animals and plants can be found in the local area. Pupils have the opportunity to identify a range of plants and invertebrates and investigate how they interact with each other.

Understand that plants play an important role in the survival of animals by looking at simple food chains/webs. They will investigate how living things are adapted to the environment they live in and how their habitats help them to survive. Investigate the structure of a plant and discover their roles. Classify a variety of invertebrates using their features and investigate how they are adapted to their habitat.

What size groups do you cater for?

We can cater for groups of any size. Courses do have a minimum charge per group.

Do you offer on-site classroom facilities?

Bishops Wood has several classrooms available.

Is there first aid on site?

All our field teachers are trained in first aid and group management.

Who are Field Studies Council?

Field Studies Council offers fieldwork and outdoor learning for groups of all ages at centres across the UK. Trips use our stunning locations to teach curriculum focused work and inspire everyone about the environment.

There's a range of day courses to immerse your primary school children in the natural world, taking in its sights, sounds and smells. Enjoy a day at Bishops Wood exploring geography, science or history in the outdoors.

For secondary and A level groups Bishops Wood offers curriculum based geography, biology and environmental science day courses. Courses can be tailored to your requirements to ensure you get the most from your visit and trips utilise the local environment to fully engage students.

Bring your subject to life in the outdoor classroom!

Special rates for schools
outside of peak season

Key Stage 3 / S1-S3 residentials from £179 for two nights

Book for a residential between September 2024 and March 2025 for a discount of over 25% on our usual prices*

Lay strong foundations for secondary school success! Our UK centres host exciting, outdoor experiences for Key Stage 3 and S1-S3 students to foster strong bonds with others and personal growth while also covering curriculum content.

- Two-night residential: £179
- Two-night residential including two adventure activities: £199
- Four-night residential including four adventure activities: £349

https://www.field-studies-council.org/key-stage-3