Matilda Miles explains the benefits of the LOtC Quality Badge and how it helps teachers when choosing where to go on visits.
The LOtC Quality Badge is an award for organisations which offer learning outside the classroom opportunities (LOtC) for schools. It is the only national award that assesses both the quality of risk management and education for all types of LOtC providers, including museums and castles, botanical gardens and city farms, theme parks and zoos, field study and adventure centres, and expeditions and study cultural tours abroad.
What are the benefits of booking a visit with a LOtC Quality Badge holder?
For teachers whose time is precious, and resources are limited, we understand that organising educational visits needs to be as straightforward and efficient as possible. The LOtC Quality Badge scheme enables teachers to book visits quickly and in confidence, knowing that the award is endorsed by governments and the Outdoor Education Advisors Panel.
The additional benefits to visiting a LOtC Quality Badge holder include:
Assurance of the quality of the learning offer: we assess the quality of the provider’s learning offer to ensure that activities are delivered through a range of teaching styles and support different areas of the curriculum. An educational visit should add value to your lessons, bringing learning to life by building on what you have taught in class. LOtC Quality Badge holders will also offer pre and post support and communication to ensure you get the most out of your visit and agreed objectives are met.
Assurance of the quality of risk management: being a LOtC Quality Badge holder means the provider has the relevant policies and procedures in place to ensure effective risk management across all elements of health and safety and safeguarding. This gives you peace of mind that your visit will be safe, and the students’ needs will be met.
From small, local providers in town centres, to large, multi-site organisations across the country, there is likely to be a LOtC Quality Badge holder near you.
Endorsed by governments and the OEAP: the Department for Education’s guidance on Health & Safety on Educational Visits recommends that schools look for the LOtC Quality Badge when choosing providers of educational visits. The Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel (OEAP) endorses the LOtC Quality Badge and most Local Authority Outdoor Education Advisers accept it in place of some or all their checks, so it saves you time in reducing paperwork. Senedd Cymru endorse the advice provided by OEAP Cymru which includes using LOtC Quality Badge awarded providers.
Celebrating 15 years of the badge
From small, local providers in town centres, to large, multi-site organisations across the country, there is likely to be a LOtC Quality Badge holder near you. The RSPB was recently awarded the LOtC Quality Badge for 16 of their UK sites, as was BeVenturesome, highlighting their commitment to delivering high quality education programmes.
2023 marked 15 years of the Quality Badge. The success and longevity of the award is a testament to the value it gives both schools organising off-site visits and organisations delivering LOtC experiences. We carried out a review of the award in 2023 to ensure that providers are fully supported to be the best they can be.
The LOtC Quality Badge scheme enables teachers to book visits quickly and in confidence, knowing that the award is endorsed by governments and the Outdoor Education Advisors Panel.
Hereford Cathedral recently went through the process of renewing their LOtC Quality Badge and noticed the difference in the new, more detailed application. The aim of the enhanced process is to better support and protect both providers and schools. It equips the provider with the tools to better engage with, and meet the needs of, schools and it reassures schools that they can expect a high-quality learning experience that has all the correct policies and procedures in place to ensure their visit is safe.
William Talbot-Ponsby, head of schools and family learning at Hereford Cathedral, said: “Going through the process provided a great opportunity for us to re-evaluate our offer and communication with schools.
“We have introduced a number of new workshops, and overhauled the information we provide to schools in advance of and after their visit. Following this, we have had a record-breaking autumn term with more visits than ever before, on a wider range of subjects. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with many schools already planning their next visit!”
You can find out more and discover LOtC Quality Badge holders across the UK by using the searchable map:
Find out more about the Council for Learning Outside the Clasroom (CLOtC) at www.lotc.org.uk.
