Residential School Trips for Secondary Schools
Cumulus Outdoors are outdoor activity specialists who have vast experience in creating bespoke adventure trips for schools on the Jurassic Coast. Our residential school trips for secondary schools are tailor-made and unique every time. You can select the activities that are best suited to your group and we’ll take care of arranging accommodation, catering, transport and an itinerary.
School Trips for years 7 – 11
An adventure residential trip on the coast is ideal for secondary school students. Whether you’re planning a start-of-year trip to promote relationship building, or an end-of-year treat, a Cumulus Outdoors residential is sure be a memorable experience that brings students and teachers together. We will work with you to develop a bespoke school trip in Dorset that is perfectly geared towards your groups’ needs and the learning outcomes. We’ll tailor the week to suit students age – we can cater for year 7 to 11 (11 years to 16 years).
We host a range of activities at natural beauty spots on the Jurassic Coast. From Coasteering at Dancing Ledge to field studies at Durdle Door, you’ll get to experience our famous local area in ways most only dream of. Our passion is creating memorable trips for students, and our many years of experience have allowed us to offer residentials that are fun, promote interpersonal skills and support classroom learning.
Cumulus Outdoors Residential Centre
Our residential centre overlooks the beautiful Swanage Bay, and is just a 10-minute walk from the town centre. Here, three dormitories can sleep up to 139 students. Your group will love convening in the common room for fun indoor activities and evening entertainment. Away from the fun, we have designated teacher facilities!
We are also pleased to offer a range of outdoor activities at our residential centre, which is set within 7 acres of grounds! The facility boasts a target range, sports area, bushcraft area and a games field. So, alongside enjoying activities at famous local beauty spots, your students are sure to be entertained when they’re not out exploring the wonders of the Jurassic Coast.
Tented Villages
Staying in our tented villages is a popular choice among groups who visit in the summer. We set our tented villages in scenic locations across Dorset, which are situated close to the adventure activities we offer. Your group will love getting closer to nature and enjoy an authentic outdoor experience in Swanage. Spending time with friends and playing games in the large Nordic Tipi Tent is a favourite activity among many students.
Secondary School Field Studies
We are proud to offer field study provision for secondary schools on the Jurassic Coast. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is regarded as being one of the natural wonders of the world, we are lucky to be able to take students to conduct fieldwork at famous locations like Durdle Door and Old Harry Rocks.
We offer exciting and inspirational learning experiences for a range of ages. Whether your aim is to get your key stage three group excited about field studies, or you would like to support classroom learning for your GCSE students, Cumulus Outdoors will cater to your requirements and supply a field studies day to remember.
Duke of Edinburgh
We appreciate that many secondary school students will be working towards their Duke of Edinburgh award alongside their GCSEs. We are an accredited DofE Approved Activity Provider. The stunning Jurassic Coast is the perfect place to complete a DofE award.
We offer various DofE Gold Residentials from our base in Swanage. The current packages we offer are; the Winter Special; Easter Special; Watersports Week; Halloween Special; and Festive Special.
We also offer DofE expeditions at bronze, silver and gold level.
The benefits of adventure residential trips at Cumulus Outdoors
Our wide range of activities means that you can select the things to do that are perfectly geared towards the needs of your group. We are proud to offer activities that are both great fun and teach students important skills that are sure to benefit them when they are back in the classroom.
Face your fears and gain confidence
We operate strictly on a ‘challenge by choice’ ethos, where we will encourage students to push themselves to the next level, but not so much as to make them feel uncomfortable. Our exhilarating activities like coasteering, climbing and ropes courses will give students the opportunity to reach new heights. At points, groups may take the leap of faith if they wish – an effort which will certainly make them proud of themselves and build self confidence. Gaining resilience and overcoming challenges will benefit students when they are back at school.
Learn to work as a team to solve problems
Activities like orienteering, raft building and canoeing will give groups the opportunity to work as a team and practice problem solving – important interpersonal skills that are sure to be of use back in the classroom.
Take part in friendly competition
Friendly competition is a brilliant way to push students to be more motivated and to raise the performance level of the group – skills that will benefit them when applied to other aspects of their school work and in general. Our activities like tag archery and mackerel fishing will promote friendly competition among students, but ensure the experiences are fun for all!
Practice a healthy lifestyle
We are lucky to be able to offer outdoor adventure activities on the Jurassic Coast. Whether students are exploring the coast on mountain bikes, getting dirty on the mud trail or navigating the Dorset waters in a kayak, we like to practice a healthy lifestyle at Cumulus Outdoors. A highlight for many students is splashing around at Dorset Water Park!
Learn about and practice activities safety
Given that we are based on the Jurassic Coast, we place great importance on teaching groups about open water safety. We practice this throughout all water-based activities like SUP and rib rides, and are also proud to offer beach safety and games at Studland Bay.
Visit local attractions
We also give your secondary school group the opportunity to visit award-winning attractions across Dorset as part of your bespoke programme at Cumulus Outdoors. The Isle of Purbeck is home to some fantastic local history sites which will offer your group fun, educational experiences. These attractions can focus on geographical, historical or environmental learning outcomes, depending on the needs of your group.
Just some of the brilliant Dorset attractions we can visit include the Royal National Lifeboat Institute, Corfe Castle, Brownsea Island, RSPB Arne Nature Reserve and Swanage Steam Railway.
Get in touch
Find out more about our residential school trips for secondary schools