02 July 2009

RSPB is one of the first organisations in N. Ireland to be awarded the “Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge”. This award recognizes the provision of high quality, safely managed environmental educational experiences for young people at CAFRE’s Greenmount Campus. The Quality Badge is a brand new scheme which combines learning and learner safety for the first time into one easily recognisable quality tag  for organisations providing “learning outside the classroom” experiences.

Paul Mooney the CAFRE Estate Director said “I am immensely proud that the CAFRE Trail Environmental Education Provision has been awarded the Quality Badge. It is a real stamp of approval that the environmental education programmes we offer young people are recognised as being of high quality and offer giving full peace of mind from a health and safety perspective to those organisations using the service. We have always worked closely with RSPB to provide school children with a safe learning environment. We know that children really benefit from these important experiences and it’s great to have all our hard work recognised in this way”.

The Quality Badge was developed as part of the Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto, a national initiative to ensure young people are given more opportunities to have such experiences as part of the curriculum. The Quality Badge scheme is part of the Government’s £4.5m “Out and About” package which, in addition to the badges, provides guidance and information to teachers on how to plan and organise high quality outdoor learning activities. The badge is designed to make it easier for teachers to easily identify providers of quality educational visits.

For further information on opportunities for school groups to visit the CAFRE Trail, visit the Nature Trail or contact the college on 0800 0284291.

Chris Warn (LotC Quality Badge Assessor), Jo Herbison (RSPB Field teacher), Catherine Gleave, (RSPB Youth & Education Officer) and Paul Mooney (CAFRE Estate director) celebrate the CAFRE trail at Greenmount Campus being awarded a Quality Badge

The Quality Badge awarded to CAFRE trail at Greenmount Campus