Lifeskills – Learning for Living

7-16+
Leadership, Problem Solving, Team Building,
,

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What will students see and do?

Lifeskills Learning for Living Centre is an excellent resource for anyone who is looking at UK school trips. The centre offers many life skills courses designed to help prevent accidents.

The centre uses realistic scenarios to allow visitors to experience difficult and dangerous situations in a safe environment.

Examples of the types of scenarios that students will experience include:

– building sites
– drugs
– electricity and fire safety
– first aid
– garden and home safety
– gas and carbon monoxide leaks
– personal safety
– rail and road safety
– water safety

In each scenario, students will learn first-hand what steps they should take to protect themselves.

They will also be exposed to the reasons why these steps are important and needed.

At the end of their visit, students will have learned valuable life skills and will be able to recognise when they need help and have the skills to ask for it.

How does the trip link to the curriculum?

Lifeskills teaches life skills for kids. Through this visit, students will be given the skills and confidence to make their own choices in difficult and dangerous situations. They will be encouraged to live full and independent lives.

The Year 6 programme is designed to show pupils how to take personal responsibility for their safety. The Special Educational Needs programme helps young people with learning disabilities aged 11-19 work towards living an independent life by gaining important safety skills.

In both programmes, students will learn how to assess risk and respond appropriately. In small groups, students must work together to solve problems. They will also have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes in a safe environment.

The core themes that Lifeskills covers are:

– health and wellbeing (how to make healthy choices and differentiate between risk, danger and hazard)
– relationships (how actions affect themselves and others)
– living in the wider world (how rules and laws are made and enforced)

Subjects covered

Leadership

Problem Solving

Team Building

Teaching resources provided

After your trip, Lifeskills will provide supporting resources to review the lessons learnt. These resources cover, for example:

– building site safety
– carbon monoxide safety
– cycle safety
– electrical safety
– emergency phone calls
– first aid
– food safety
– peer pressure
– water safety

Some of these resources also include fun puzzles and games to ensure pupils retain these skills for life.

Minimum and maximum group size

The Year 6 programme can accommodate a maximum of 60 children per session. The Special Educational Needs programme can accommodate a maximum of 20 children per session.

Details of risk assessment

Lifeskills has performed a risk assessment of all sets in the programme. Counter-measures exist to address any risks to employees, volunteers, visitors, and children.

Before children are allowed to begin their activities they are shown a video or given an induction talk by a member of staff or a guide.

This talk includes safety rules that the children must adhere to during their activities.

The children will be separated into small groups (3 to 4 pupils per group). One qualified guide will be assigned to each small group and will be responsible for their safety during the activities.

Qualified first aid staff are always present and a first aid box is located in the main office.

PLANNING

Don't miss our downloadable A-Z guide on completing a risk assessment

icon for A-Z guide on completing a risk assessment

Facilities on-site

Lifeskills has a realistic ‘village’ set-up to teach participants how to respond to difficult and dangerous situations. Elements include a grocery shop, car park, railway station and beach, among others.

There is also a conference room on-site.

Opening times

The CREATE Centre houses Lifeskills. The centre’s opening hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5pm.

The Year 6 programme sessions run from 9:45am to 12pm and 12:45pm to 3pm.

The Special Educational Needs programme sessions run from 10am to 12pm and 1pm to 3pm.

Lifeskills requests that visitors arrive at the centre at least 10 to 15 minutes before the session starts.

Pricing

Lifeskills is a registered charity and relies solely on the generosity of its supporters to operate. Lifeskills subsidises the cost of school visits so there is no cost to use any of its programmes. Instead of paying an entrance fee, donations can be made to help with operating costs.

Travel arrangements

Lifeskills is located on the fourth floor of the CREATE Centre. The centre is one of three large red brick warehouses in Cumberland Basin. The warehouses are halfway between Clifton Suspension Bridge and the SS Great Britain.

There is very limited permit parking at the centre. Permits may be requested in advance on the centre’s website. The car park immediately adjacent to the centre includes five accessible bays. As an environmental centre, CREATE encourages visitors to use other forms of transport.

The Long Ashton and Portway Park and Ride service may be a good solution for your school – look for the m2 bus.

The CREATE Centre can be accessed by foot from the city centre, from Temple Meads Railway Station or from the Broadmead Bus Station. The walk from these locations is approximately 45 minutes.