Frank Chapman Outdoor Education Centre

Frank Chapman School Trips

Why book 'Frank Chapman Outdoor Education Centre' with Frank Chapman for Residential School Trips and Educational Visits?

Within an hour of the West Midlands conurbation, the Frank Chapman Centre lies in an extensive, secluded oak forest perfect for adventurous and creative outdoor learning.

Friendly centre staff and the option of sole occupancy makes children and visiting colleagues feel at home, and we work closely with you to ensure a real sense of community. The experience integrates and values structured outdoor sessions, the residential setting, and recreational time, which enables a transfer of learning and for relationships to develop.

The wide range of adventurous and environmental options gives terrific opportunity to create a programme specifically suited to the requirements of your pupils.

Frank Chapman Outdoor Education Centre photograph

school trip at Frank Chapman Outdoor Education Centre

school groups Frank Chapman Outdoor Education Centre

Teacher Checklist

Risk Assessments
Inspection Visits
Resource Packs
LOtC Quality Badge
AALA Licence
Institute of Outdoor Learning
AHOEC Gold

What activities are available during group visits?

Outdoor adventurous modules, including high ropes, low ropes, climbing and abseiling, mountain biking, archery, geo-caching, team challenges, expeditioning, bush craft.

Environmental/curriculum modules including sustainability, rivers, landscapes, pond dipping, minibeasts, woodland crafts, earth art, themed learning.

Which Curriculum Subjects do you cater for?

Curriculum topics available: Team building, British Values.

A reflective approach to activity sessions enables young people to become confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. They'll develop relationships, make decisions and take responsibility for their own experience; we'll translate those experiences in to lessons for life.

Curriculum topics available: Climbing, Orienteering, Archery, High Ropes.

All of our activities are physically active and we reflect on the importance of moving more for wellbeing. We can also deliver specific curriculum units, such as GCSE PE or OCR L2 Nationals.

Curriculum topics available: Healthy Living, Mental health and awareness, Teamwork and resilience.

Our programmes develop skills and attributes such as resilience, self-esteem, risk-management, teamworking and critical thinking skills. We apply the "Feelgood 6" ways of wellbeing to help us to lead happier and more successful lives.

We are set in 90 acres of SSSI woodland. The environment and wildlife threads throughout our delivery, and we can also focus on curriculum areas such as animal homes & habitats, classification etc.

Creating fires, building shelters and dens in our ancient oak forest is a memorable experience. We'll link the activities to your chosen aims and outcomes, and draw upon recreations of stone age processes and mastery of the environment!

Imagine your pupils enthused, engaged, and having a memorable experience together! Our sessions help groups to evolve in to a cohesive unit that trust and support one another, and can accomplish tasks. These experiences can bring positive change to the classroom.

What size groups do you cater for?

Up to 60 participants in the main centre;
Up to 40 participants in the glamping pods;
camping field and camp kitchen available.

Do you offer on-site classroom facilities?

There is a lecture room in the main building, and two further classrooms.

Is there first aid on site?

All centre practitioners are first aid trained and qualified.

Do you offer access for visitors with disabilities?

The main centre has a lift and facilities for disabled visitors. An offroad wheelchair is available for access around the grounds.

Do you cater for visitors with Special Educational Needs (SEN)?

Yes, by arrangement with group leaders and within the scope of the centre.

Anything else?

The Frank Chapman Centre is part of a family of 4 residential centres in Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Shropshire and Snowdonia and is part of Sandwell MBCs Education, Employment & Skills Directorate. We work with schools and groups from all over the UK.

Who are Frank Chapman?

The Frank Chapman Centre is proudly part of Sandwell Residential Education Service (SRES). The Frank Chapman team have been delivering adventurous school and group programmes in the Wyre Forest for 90 years.

At SRES we deliver a unique range of transferable learning experiences through outdoor exploration, adventure, and creative arts. Our practitioners are skilled at delivering appropriately challenging, memorable experiences, and addressing a wide range of learning outcomes.

Programmes can be fully integrated with school curriculum and ethos, inclusive, designed to meet students' specific learning needs and planned so that learning is reinforced and embedded back at school.

SRES centres are small but perfectly formed - sole occupancy is available at The Frank Chapman Centre so it truly becomes the participants' home for their visit.

An established tradition of excellent outdoor learning has been recently enhanced with a number of exciting new outdoor activities (such as high ropes and river scrambles), and a range of new accommodation options. These include a refreshed main centre, glamping pods, cottages and camping.

The centre welcomes pupils from all Key Stages, for day visits and residential courses.