School trip to Elan Valley
A visit to Elan Valley never fails to delight and inspire. They are custodians of a beautiful area stretching 72 square miles with historic landscapes and thriving wildlife. The dams and reservoirs, the working legacy of remarkable Victorian engineering, add to the captivating and ever changing scenery. You can stroll, picnic or hike; cycle or mountain bike; bird watch, fish or safari!
They operate as ‘not-for-profit’ so the team who work here can concentrate on safeguarding this special place and ensuring you make the most of your visit. As we say in these parts, Croeso! We look forward to welcoming you to Elan Valley.
School educational visit
Elan is a great place to bring your pupils, from Early Years right through to Key Stages 4 and 5 and university and college groups. There are so many learning avenues to tie in with the National Curriculum or your own study plans.
Don’t forget all their facilities are open all year for pre-booked visits and they have a full-time Environmental Education Ranger to lead the visits.
There are no charges for educational visits, and transport grants may also be available if your school has never visited before!
They have been awarded the ‘Learning Outside the Classroom’ Quality Badge, an award which is given to providers of high quality teaching and learning experiences in a safe outdoor environment. They were also the first site to be listed in Wales.
School visits include
- Educational visits are free!
- Transport grants may also be available!
- First place in Wales to be awarded the LOtC Quality Badge
- Options to suit all age levels
- Dedicated Education Ranger
- Call 01597 810390 for more information
Education programmes
Elan is a great place for schools to bring pupils of all ages. You will find a number of popular visit options on the sub pages, but they are always happy to discuss your own ideas or special areas of study. Alternatively, schools may wish to carry out their own programmes of study, and the Education Room is sometimes available for this purpose if booked in advance.
All of the education programmes on the Elan Estate have been designed with the aim of fulfilling National Curriculum requirements and allow pupils to experience, investigate and discover in a practical hands-on way.
Risk assessments are in place for all activities and are available on request. There is also a generic Health and Safety document entitled ‘Safety Information for Educational Groups’ which can be viewed on their Teacher Downloads page. They also hold the Learning Outside the Classroom’s Quality Badge.
Their programmes are available to pupils of all ages. Worksheets are available in English or Welsh.
There is a self-contained, fully equipped classroom (with toilets and cloakroom area) at the Visitor Centre for use for educational purposes throughout the year. Groups with special needs are very welcome and the Visitor Centre is fully accessible for wheelchairs. However, as some of the terrain over the rest of the Estate is rough, a pre-visit and assessment by staff is essential.
Key to Curriculum links:
- Science
Sc1 Scientific Enquiry
Sc2 Life Processes & Living Things
Sc3 Materials & their Properties - Geography
- History
- Technology
- English
- Welsh
- Art
- Mathematics