Walton Firs Activity Centre

School Trips

Why book Walton Firs Activity Centre for Residential School Trips and Educational Visits?

Walton Firs Activity Centre is, first and foremost, a provider of educational services that enable young people to develop the competencies and confidence required to become happy and engaged young citizens. However, we recognise that learning must also be fun and participative for it to have long-term positive impact on your young people, and so we seek to deliver interactive and engaging outdoor experiences that will have a lasting positive impact on everyone who participates in our programmes. Our outdoor activities offer personal challenge and managed risk, that enable the development of personal confidence, team-work and communication skills, and enhanced problem-solving abilities. We recognise that our specialist outdoor education programmes should enhance school and youth work curriculums, and our team are happy to design learning activities that will complement your young people’s classroom-based learning.

school trip at Walton Firs Activity Centre

school groups Walton Firs Activity Centre

Teacher Checklist

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

What activities are available during group visits?

Our team of specialist outdoor education programme designers and activity instructors will be happy to discuss, design and deliver bespoke activity programmes that respond effectively to your young people's learning, support, and inclusion needs.

Which Curriculum Subjects do you cater for?

Bushcraft

Walton Firs Activity Centre offers a growing curriculum of bushcraft-based activities, from taster sessions for the inexperienced, through to specialist weekend survival experiences! Please contact us for more information, or visit our website.

Physical Education topics: Climbing, Orienteering, Archery, High Ropes.

SEN

What size groups do you cater for?

We can accommodate:
Up to groups of 30 participants in each of our three camping pod villages - or 90 participants if you want to book all three together;
Up to 62 participants within our two dormitory accommodation buildings, which sleep up to 6 participants in bunk-bed rooms;
Up to 30 participants using roll-mat on the floor of our training hut;
Up to 1,500 participants in our managed campsites.
- Up to 500 non-residential 'day-stay' visitors.

Do you offer on-site classroom facilities?

We have a number of indoor facilities that can be used as indoor classrooms, and our outdoor chapel and education barn can be used as an outdoor classrooms during good weather. We will be opening a new indoor training facility in May 2023!

Is there first aid on site?

Our staff have current First Aid qualifications.

Do you offer access for visitors with disabilities?

Yes - we are committed to the inclusion of participants who have additional support and inclusion needs. Our team of specialist outdoor education programme designers and activity instructors will be happy to discuss, design and deliver bespoke activity programmes that respond effectively to your young people's inclusion requirements.

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

Anything else?

We actively encourage visits from schools and youth groups to see our facilities and meet our team, before they book our services. If you would like to view the range of accommodation and activity options that we can offer, please feel free to contact us to arrange your visit.

Who are Walton Firs Activity Centre?

Walton Firs Activity Centre is an independent outdoor education centre with charitable status, that enables 20,000 young people to learn, develop and enjoy in the natural environment each year. Our status as a leading provider of outdoor learning activities was recently confirmed through our receipt of The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service!

We manage a secure and well-maintained 36-acre site that offers a mixture of outdoor settings, from dense woodlands to managed camping sites. We offer the perfect location for residential groups who are looking for an adventurous experience without having to travel too far from home. Our location in central Surrey means that we are less than ninety minutes away from any location in London and the home counties, so your budget can be used to purchase outdoor activities instead of fuel!

We can design and deliver a range of bespoke residential activity programmes that respond effectively to your young people’s abilities and needs, and maximise your funding. We can offer your group residential accommodation using our dormitory buildings, in our many campsites, or using our new camping pods that provide underfloor heating! We offer modern shower and toilet facilities, with separate provision for girls, boys and teaching staff, and DDA-compliant facilities for group members who have additional access requirements.

Your group can self-cater during your stay, or our fantastic catering provider can provide you with vegetarian, Halal, Kosher, or specialist dietary options. Your group can choose from over twenty five outdoor activity programmes, including instructed activities such as crate stacking, low ropes, caving, high ropes, archery and bushcraft, and self-led activities including an adventure course, orienteering, GPS navigation, and a tree trail. If your group is looking to offer off-site experiences as a part of your programme, we are a thirty minute train ride into central London’s theatres and museums, and within close commuting distance of Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures, and Brooklands Museum.

Our team of DBS-certificated and NGB-accredited activity instructors are specialists in engaging young people from primary, secondary, and SEND schools in outdoor adventure, and offer a person-centred approach that enables each participant to achieve to the best of their ability. We recognise that we may be providing young people with their first experience of outdoor learning, and always seek to make it a never-to-be-forgotten experience!

So, if you are seeking a local venue for your next residential programme, and are seeking a best-value and high-impact experience for your young people, let Walton Firs Activity Centre design and deliver a fantastic outdoor education programme for your school or youth group!