Sunrise Bushcraft has developed the Sunrise Outdoor Academy to deliver all of our outdoor accredited programmes.
The Sunrise Outdoor Academy has grown from the Nature and Outdoor based learning programmes and qualifications offered by our parent company Sunrise Bushcraft Ltd.
Over the last 3 years our education programme has grown to such an extent that we are now delighted to be able to offer a range of education and qualification based programmes for children and young adults from the age of 5 – 25 yrs old and beyond.
Located on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire we have access to over 1000 acres of woodland where we are able to run our programmes from.
Our Director of Education Amanda White is a qualified teacher and Forest School Instructor and holds numerous qualifications in her specialist fields. Amanda is currently completing her DofE assessor’s qualification to add to her existing skills. Amanda’s job is to oversee the programmes we offer and through both internal and external verification ensure that all our programmes are run within the strict guidelines and standards set out by the governing bodies. Amanda also likes nothing better than being on site teaching and leading groups, especially her Forest School classes.
James White is our course director and overseas all the teaching on the ground. James’s qualifications in the outdoor industry run from Level 3 bushcraft instructor awards and mountain leader training to remote first aid and canoeing. James’s passion is cooking, since he was a regional finalist on Masterchef all students are guaranteed to eat well and pick up useful tips on “backwoods cooking”
James is backed up with a core team of instructors whose qualifications and experience range from youth officers for the wildlife trust to working with youth at risk. All possess impressive qualifications in their fields and are hands on in ensuring the standards of all courses are kept at their peak.
We work closely with both National and Local government and charities to provide a series of programmes for a range of clients from young offenders and young people at risk through to adults with mental health problems and learning difficulties and disabled children. Alongside these programmes we work with schools and colleges across the south east providing a wide range of courses and education programmes.
OUR VISION
“To become recognised as the leading provider of affordable outdoors and nature based learning programmes delivered to the widest range of students regardless of ability or history and to reconnect our students with the world around them whilst promoting respect, confidence, learning, environmental awareness and self esteem in all our students.”
SUBJECTS WE COVER
We use a range of subjects as a medium for teaching on our courses. All our classes are designed to fulfil criteria for the modules being undertaken and all can be linked back to the national curriculum to fulfil various subject matters. We adopt a very “hands on” approach to learning and actively encourage all our students to practice and demonstrate all the activities they undertake our number one rule is that every student achieves the task they set out to do regardless of time. Below is a selection of activities we undertake:
6 METHODS OF MAKING FIRE INCLUDING FIRE BY FRICTION
SAFE USE OF CUTTING TOOLS AND THE LAW
NATURAL AND MANMADE SHELTER SYSTEMS
FINDING AND MAKING SAFE WATER AND ITS IMPORTANCE
WILD FOOD FORAGING
MEDICINAL USES OF PLANTS AD TREES
MAKING NATURAL MEDICINES
ANIMAL TRACKS AND SIGN
NATURAL CRAFT WORK AND CORDAGE
GREEN WOODWORKING
COPPICING AND WOODLAND MANAGEMENT
IMEDIATE CARE FIRST AID
NAVIGATION
WILD COOKING AND FOOD PREPARATION
BOW MAKING
GAME PREPARATION INCLUDING THE WHOLE OF THE DEER
FLINT KNAPPING
ARCHERY
CANOEING AND KAYAKING (HELD OFFSITE BY PARTNER ORGANISATION)
AWARDS WE OFFER
At Sunrise Academy we offer a range of courses from several awarding bodies.
ASDAN
ASDAN is a charitable social enterprise with awarding body status, providing courses to more than 6,000 schools, colleges, training providers and youth centres across the UK and beyond. ASDAN's Award programmes and Qualifications offer flexible ways to accredit personal and social education, skills development and enrichment activities, mainly for the 11-25 age groups.
ASDAN is approved as an Awarding Organisationfor qualifications within the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), and the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF), regulated by Ofqual. ASDAN is also approved by the regional regulators: DCELLS (Wales) and CCEA (Northern Ireland).
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) also recognises the value of ASDAN programmes in developing and providing evidence for the Scottish "Core Skills" (particularly Working with Others), and a number of qualifications are listed in the Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework (SCQF).
ASDAN programmes and qualifications are also recognised by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and their counterparts in Wales and Northern Ireland. When ASDAN qualifications were given formal GCSE equivalence and included in league tables from September 2004, inevitably this gave ASDAN a heightened status and credibility in the world of education.
Key Facts:
· More than 6,000 registered centres
· Approved by the DCSF (under Sections 96 and 97 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000)
· Approved by QCDA, DCELLS, CCEA and SQA
· Highlighted in the Tomlinson Report (October 2004)
· Recognised by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) in relation to HE Entry
· Member of Expert Group, 14-16 Engagement
· Referred to in the 14-19 White Paper (Para 9.24)
· Highlighted in the recent Nuffield Review as exemplary contemporary practice
· All ASDAN qualifications are approved by QCDA and point-scored as half (Award) or full (Certificate) GCSE/AS Level equivalents. As a guide, 25 points (Level 1) equates to GSCE grade E/F and 46 points (Level 2) equates to GCSE grade B.
NOCN
The National Open College Network (NOCN) is a leading UK awarding organisation, offering high quality, flexible, credit-based qualifications and is accredited by the Regulatory Authorities in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
They work in partnership and through licensing arrangements with Open College Networks (OCN's) in each of the English regions and in Northern Ireland. They also work in partnership with Agored Cymru for the delivery of their qualifications in Wales. There are more than 2500 centres nationally offering NOCN qualifications and /or OCN accredited provision. There are currently over 100 qualifications on both the National Qualification Framework (NQF) and the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF). They are made up of more than 1,000 units from a wide range of subjects, including health and social care, crafts, creative arts and design, foundations for learning and life and preparation for work. We offer different types of qualifications in vocationally related subjects, skills for life and at entry level.
NOCN qualifications and OCN accredited provision, are delivered through further education and sixth form colleges, universities and higher education institutions, trade unions, TUC education, employers, local education authorities and training organisations, adult and community education centres, and voluntary and community organisations. The Sunrise Academy is proud to be associated with the NOCN as a provider.
JOHN MUIR AWARD FOR CONSERVATION
The John Muir Award is an environmental award that encourages people of all backgrounds to connect, enjoy and care for wild places through a structured yet adaptable scheme. The Award is not competitive but should challenge each participant. Taking part will develop an understanding of, and responsibility for, a chosen wild place or places. For some this will offer an opportunity to explore values and spirituality.
It was launched in 1997 by the John Muir Trust to:
· Promote educational, social and personal development through exploration of wild places and involvement in conservation
· Encourage an environmental agenda within youth organisations
· Ensure that social circumstances don’t exclude people from opportunities to experience wild places.
Four Challenges are at the heart of each John Muir Award, to achieve an Award each participant must: Discover a wild place
Explore its wildness
Conserve - take personal responsibilty
Share experiences
Participants should show enthusiasm and commitment, and have an awareness about John Muir. There are 3 levels of the Award, encouraging a progressive involvement. The same 4 challenges above are repeated for each level, with increased involvement in time, activity and ownership.
· Discovery Award (introductory level) minimum 4 days (or equivalent)
· Explorer Award (intermediate level) minimum 8 days (or equivalent)
· Conserver Award (advanced level) minimum 20 days (or equivalent) over 6 months
DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD
Sunrise Academy is delighted to be an approved activity provider for the Duke of Edinburgh Award offering opportunities in both the expedition, skills, physical and volunteering sections of the award.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is the world’s leading achievement award for young people.
They are a Charity whose aim is to create a world where young people can reach their full potential whatever their circumstances. Their ethos is to enable every young person of every background to do their DofE and succeed, regardless of any barriers.
Taking part builds confidence and develops self-esteem. It requires persistence, commitment and has a lasting impact on the attitudes and outlook of all young people who do their DofE.
Our participants are aged between 14 and 24.
FOREST SCHOOL PROGRAMME
Our latest addition to our programme is a full Forest School programme for children aged 5 to 11.
A Forest School is an innovative educational approach to outdoor play and learning.
Through our forest school we aim to encourage and inspire individuals of any age through positive outdoor experiences.
By participating in engaging, motivating and achievable tasks and activities in a woodland environment each participant has an opportunity to develop intrinsic motivation, sound emotional and social skills. These, through self awareness can be developed to reach personal potential.
Forest Schools have demonstrated success with children of all ages who visit the same woodlands on a regular basis and through play, who have the opportunity to learn about the natural environment, how to handle risks and most importantly to use their own initiative to solve problems and co-operate with others. Forest School programmes run throughout the year, for about 36 weeks, going to the woods in all weathers (except for high winds). Children use full sized tools, play, learn boundaries of behaviour; both physical and social, establish and grow in confidence, self-esteem and become self motivated.
Our Forest School aims to develop:
- Self Awareness
- Self Regulation
- Intrinsic motivation
- Empathy
- Good social communication skills
- Independence
- A positive mental attitude, self-esteem and confidence
Forest School, through its application of Accelerated Learning techniques creates a unique learning vehicle that is used to encourage a range of individuals, community groups and larger organisations to utilise their local open space for interactive play, health, recreation and personal development uses.
Children, and more and more adults, need time to thoroughly explore their thoughts, feelings and relationships.
This time and reflective practice develops understanding of the world, the environment and everything within it through the use of emotions, imagination and senses.
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING FOR OUTDOOR PERSONEL
Whether you are a Scout Leader, an activity centre manager, outdoor instructor, DofE leader or just passionate about the outdoors we are currently developing a range of courses to suit you. These courses will be accredited by the NOCN at level 1, 2 and 3 as well as an instructor’s award. Please contact us for full details.
SPECIALIST COURSES AND PROGRAMMES
In addition to the standard courses outlined above we run a series of courses designed for specific groups. We work closely with a number of national charities including The Cambrian Group, Youth Options, Stoneham Group and the Woodland Trust. In this capacity we run programmes for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, NEET, young offenders, children at risk, disabled children with Autism, ADHD, Aspergers and other physical and mental impairments. We work weekly with adults with learning difficulties and mental health problems.
Recent research has demonstrated that there are strong links between positive mental health, physical wellbeing and increased self esteem when people are exposed to the natural environment. Mind (the mental health charity) has called this ‘Ecotherapy’
In our experience ecotherapy offers proven and cost effective results in assisting with a variety of conditions, including mild to moderate depression, low self esteem, addiction problems, and children/adults with specific learning difficulties; ADHD, Aspergers / autism, etc. Particularly those children who have been excluded from mainstream education as a result of these conditions.
Ongoing research in Australia, looking at participation in forest and woodland management, as a treatment for depression (Townsend 2006), shows improvements to physical and mental health as well as a reduction in social isolation amongst participants. Here in the UK the Chief Medical Officer has supported a similar approach to treating mild to moderate mental health conditions. Natural England is working with NICE to put together a common framework for the measurement of this kind of activity.
Sunrise Academy is positioning itself at the cutting edge of this new approach to deliver substantial benefits to the local area, schools, and specialist client groups, whilst at the same time benefitting the environment.
