Residential School Trips for Primary Schools
Cumulus Outdoors are experts in providing exciting adventure residential school trips for primary schools on the Jurassic Coast. After years of giving priceless memories to students that visit, we have perfected our trips to ensure that groups get the best experience possible.
Outdoor residential trips at Cumulus Outdoors are always bespoke – designed especially for your group. All you have to do is pick out a handful of activities that are best suited to your students, and we’ll organise your accommodation, food, logistics and a full itinerary.
School trips for under 11’s
Whether your residential trip is a start-of-year ice breaker to help students gain confidence around their new peers, or an end-of-year treat to blow off some steam after a tough year of school work, you’ll get exactly what you want out of residential school trips for primary schools at Cumulus Outdoors.
We are extremely lucky to be situated in Swanage, on the edge of the Jurassic Coast – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. What sets us apart from other residential providers is our ability to host many of our activities at natural beauty spots nearby – all of which are within a 10-15 minute drive from our residential centre.
From Coasteering at Dancing Ledge to conducting fieldwork at the world-famous Durdle Door, your students will have the opportunity to experience a breadth of exhilarating, educational activities at Cumulus Outdoors. We’ll support students’ classroom learning and promote team building among groups – you just need to select your activities and show up with a sense of adventure!
Residential Centre
Our Swanage residential centre is a popular gathering place among students. Sleeping up to 139 across three dormitories, it is home to the bustling common room – which is where activities and evening entertainment will take place.
As well as hosting activities for schools at famed beauty spots on the Jurassic Coast, we are happy to offer more fun things to do at our residential centre. Your group can burn off steam in the sports area, target range, bushcraft area and sports field!
Tented Villages
We offer residential groups the chance to stay in our tented villages in the warmer months of the year – which are situated nearby to the activities on offer around Dorset. Here, your group will convene in the Nordic Tipi tent – a large shelter where students can spend time having fun with friends and playing games. It becomes a very fond memory for many!
Outstanding pastoral care
We understand that for many primary school children, a school residential trip will be the first time they are away from their parents/carers. One thing we pride ourselves on is unrivalled level of pastoral care for our younger guests. We are experienced in hosting children of all ages, from reception upwards. Our friendly team are on hand 24/7 throughout the trip.
If you think a multi-day residential is too much for for your class we are happy to offer adventure activity days for primary schools! Here, you can enjoy your pick of the exciting activities we offer – but without staying with us.
Primary School Field Studies
The Jurassic Coast is one of the best places in the world to conduct field studies. We’re lucky to be able to visit the likes of Durdle Door and Old Harry rocks and offer four subjects of field study provision.
Students in primary school are at the perfect age to really get excited by field studies. Our packages will educate and inspire your group, whilst ensuring fun is had by everyone! A field studies day on the Jurassic Coast is the perfect activity to add exciting real-world context to classroom learning.
Environmental education
Here, your students will learn about biology, geology, the climate and the water cycle. Some of the activities include bird watching, moth trapping, investigating windspeed and rockpool exploring.
Geography
Our Geography-based activities will see groups visit landforms, study the coast and rivers, sketch maps, learn how to grid reference and handle data. We like to make it even more fun by offering orienteering and map skills – where we utilise the beaches of Swanage, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door for scavenger hunts and other fun games.
History
Our local area is home to an abundance of historic buildings. Witness and learn about the unique structure of Corfe Castle, explore Stone Age and Bronze Age Britain, learn about Purbeck’s war time history and arrive in Swanage as evacuees would have done at Swanage Railway.
PE
Our wide range of outdoor activities will support your curriculum objectives such as taking part in team games, improving confidence and personal development. Just a few exciting activities on offer include coasteering, climbing, raft building and tag archery.
The benefits of adventure residential trips at Cumulus Outdoors
We are proud to offer a wide range of fun activities at famous locations in the Isle of Purbeck, as well as at our residential centre. Whether it’s jumping off cliffs or getting stuck in the mud – our outdoor adventure activities work to teach students a range of interpersonal skills that will benefit them when they are back in the classroom.
Build confidence
Activities like coasteering, climbing and ropes courses will build confidence in students and allow them to push themselves to the next level if they wish! Our ‘challenge by choice’ ethos means that we offer the opportunity for groups to face their fears and step outside their comfort zone, but they won’t be forced to do anything they don’t want to do. A great example of this is how we offer jump points from various heights on coasteering days – so there is no pressure to jump from an uncomfortable height!
Problem solving and teamwork
Problem solving is a skill that students will use their whole lives. Activities like raft building and canoeing will allow groups to work as a team to solve problems. If you are planning your bespoke residential trip on the coast for the start of a school year, it give students a great opportunity to interact with their peers and make new friends.
Promoting friendly competition
A friendly dose of competitiveness among students will serve them well throughout their school lives and future careers. Our tag archery and mackerel fishing activities are great examples of how we promote friendly competition.
Practicing a healthy lifestyle
A big part of our outdoor adventure theme is promoting healthy living. Getting students out and enjoying the fresh sea air and raising heart rates with exhilarating activities is what we’re all about. We ensure students have the best fun whilst getting active – whether that be bounding around the countryside on mountain bikes, wading through the mud trail or navigating the waters in a kayak. A popular activity among many groups is a visit to Dorset Water Park!
Learn about water safety
Our rugged and beautiful coastline offers the best fun, however it is very important that students understand and practice the concepts of water safety. The Cumulus team are experienced and fully qualified to deliver important water safety lessons whilst we host exciting activities like SUP and rib rides. We also offer beach safety days at Studland Bay!
Visit local attractions
Our many years offering outdoor adventure residential trips for primary schools has earned us a great reputation in the area – which means that we have a great relationship with a number of brilliant local organisations. We are proud to offer your group the chance to make a visit to a local attraction as part of your tailored itinerary whilst enjoying a school trip for primary schools in Dorset.
Attractions in the Isle of Purbeck include Corfe Castle, Brownsea Island, RSPB Arne Nature Reserve, Swanage Steam Railway and the Royal National Lifeboat Institute.