A child who feels capable and settled engages more fully
We start from wellbeing, and that engagement is what leads to lasting achievement. Outdoor Education is one of the clearest places to see this at Kingsley.
A pupil who has read a route across the moor in poor weather, or talked a younger teammate through a climb, comes back to the classroom steadier and more sure of themselves. Every pupil takes part, at every level, whatever their starting point.
Activities that make the most of the coast and moorland around us
Each activity is chosen for what it builds in a young person, from water confidence to the quiet patience of a long walk carrying everything you need.
Surfing, paddleboarding and kayaking on the North Devon coast
Climbing and bouldering on local crags
Mountain biking on moor and woodland trails
Forest School, bushcraft and navigation
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, and expeditions such as Ten Tors
The strands of the programme
Surfing has its own set of pages, and the environmental work runs through the Earth Centre and the Biosphere.
Surfing at Kingsley
The first and only Surfing England Surf School of Excellence, and the only UK school with a Surf Academy in the curriculum.
The UNESCO Biosphere
Learning inside the UK’s first UNESCO biosphere reserve, with our own Ecology Zone.
The Earth Centre
Sustainability taught by living it: market gardens, rewilding and biodiversity surveys.
Outdoor Education Pathway
How the pathway is structured year by year, and the qualifications it leads to.
A long-held Kingsley tradition
Every pupil begins the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Year 9 at Bronze, and can go on to Silver and Gold.
Pupils in Years 8 to 13 take on the region’s toughest challenges, from Ten Tors to the Exmoor and Jubilee Challenges, covering anywhere from 16 to 55 miles across Dartmoor and Exmoor.
The setting is part of the teaching
Kingsley sits five minutes from the North Devon coast, within the UNESCO North Devon Biosphere and beside the North Devon World Surfing Reserve.
Our own 24 acres of fields and woodland, with active rewilding, give pupils room to explore on site, while the south-west coast path, Dartmoor, the Quantocks and the Mendips are all within easy reach.
Half-term blocks, and real depth over time
Sessions are timetabled for every pupil as part of the Expansive Curriculum, so pupils try up to six activities across the year.
Try something new
A pupil meets two activities in the autumn, usually including time on the water while the sea is still warm.
Inland through the winter
Climbing, bouldering, mountain biking and Forest School carry the colder terms, with navigation taught on the moor.
Back to the coast
Surfing, paddleboarding and kayaking return, alongside expedition training for those preparing for Ten Tors.
Depth, not a taster
Because blocks repeat, a pupil who takes to something can keep returning to it and progress properly.
Learning the natural world by spending time in it
The coast and countryside on our doorstep are also where pupils learn about the natural world. Through the Earth Centre and our place within the UNESCO North Devon Biosphere, they study sustainability and ecology outdoors, from beach cleans to biodiversity surveys on our own grounds.
Where Outdoor Education actually happens
Frequently asked questions
What outdoor activities does Kingsley offer?
Surfing, paddleboarding and kayaking on the coast; climbing, bouldering and mountain biking inland; Forest School and bushcraft; the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award; and expeditions such as Ten Tors.
Is Outdoor Education part of the curriculum or an optional extra?
It is part of the curriculum. Sessions are timetabled for every pupil as part of the Expansive Curriculum, in half-term blocks across the year, so no one has to opt in to take part.
Do all pupils do the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Ten Tors?
Every pupil begins the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at Bronze in Year 9, and can carry on to Silver and Gold. Ten Tors and the Exmoor and Jubilee Challenges are open to pupils in Years 8 to 13 who want to take them on.
Northdown Road, Bideford