Peterborough Community Education Service

Educational opportunities

School visits

Peterborough Community Education Service offers a variety of programmes for school groups of all ages. Education staff help plan visits, offering flexible and creative suggestions to help meet objectives.

Really Wild Days Out

Really Wild Days Out is a suite of education activites delivered by experienced education officers and trained volunteers. There are a wide range of activities including pond dipping and species identifcation.

Really Wild Days Out visits are charged at £4 per child for a full-day, or £2.50 for a half-day. Accompanying adults may attend free of charge and are required at a ratio of 1:5 for KS 1 and 1:8 for KS 2.

We prepare up-to-date risk assessments for each site and activity to help you plan your visit, and ask you to attend a pre-visit orientation session in preparation. Photographic consent is sought for each group on booking.

All programmes on offer are detailed in the Really Wild Days Out brochure and Peterborough School Visits 2006-07.

To arrange a visit or discuss the programmes, please get in touch with Rachel Price, the community wildlife officer.

Wild Schools

Wildlife-rich local green spaces and school grounds are a largely untapped educational resource that is just waiting to be explored. The Wildlife Trust aims to help and encourage teachers and pupils to develop and use these resources that are often right on their doorstep. These areas can be used for a number of educational programmes, after-school clubs, wildlife gardens and more.

There is something to suit all schools with this exciting and varied menu of services that are being offered to both primary and secondary schools within the Peterborough District:

Initial consultation with school staff
School grounds assessment and advice
Forest schools-type programmes
Really Wild Days Out educational programmes on local nature reserves (see above)
A-level visits to Great Fen or Ring Haw
School outreach programmes (e.g. assemblies)
Development of Wildlife Watch/Greenwatch clubs
Post-visit support and advice
Teacher training
Family learning and outdoor play events

The first service chosen from the above menu will be offered free of charge to each school. It is hoped this will create new opportunities for after-school activities by encouraging schools to use the outdoor environment to engage children, young people and families.

This project is run in conjunction with Peterborough City Council to support the Extended Schools agenda as part of the Every Child Matters programme. This project endeavors to increase, improve and promote a range of learning opportunities for children and young people and their families through access to the environment. Above all it is hoped it will show others how to use the environment to enhance children’s and young people’s lives whilst encouraging a message of the importance of wildlife and its conservation.

Teacher training opportunities

Many teachers are interested in teaching their students in an outside environment. The Wildlife Trust education staff are experienced field teachers who are eager to pass along their skills in leading outdoor education for people of all ages. Advice, training and support are provided to teachers through one-to-one meetings, orientation sessions and workshops. Schools and community groups are encouraged to use Wildlife Trust sites and other green spaces for 'real world' learning, and Trust education staff can help build the skills and confidence to do so. For more information, please get in touch with Rachel Price.