Stanley Head Outdoor Education Centre

What will students see and do?

Stanley Head Outdoor Education Centre has provided outdoor learning and adventurous activities for over 50 years. It is owned and run by Stoke-on-Trent City Council and is considered one of the ‘jewels in the crown’ by the local authority.

The centre is located on 30 acres of land, comprising buildings, extensive camping fields and some of the richest and most diverse woodland in Staffordshire. Stanley Reservoir is also situated on the edge of the centre, offering an excellent natural resource that the centre can use for a variety of activities and challenges.

Due to the diverse nature of Stanley Head Outdoor Education Centre’s programmes, there really is something for everybody. Visiting students can enjoy a real mixture of activities, courses and programmes, including out-and-out activity days and carefully planned sessions that link to the school curriculum.

The adventure activities available include abseiling, archery, axe throwing, weaselling, bushcraft, campfire, canoeing, kayaking, caving, challenge walls, climbing, crate stacking, expeditions, high all aboard, high ropes, hill walking, mountain biking, nightline, orienteering, rifle shooting, raft building, stand up paddleboarding, team building and woodland challenges.

Staff’s level of involvement is also up to you – you can use the activities and qualified staff to offer your young people a fantastic opportunity to discover hidden talents and abilities in themselves and those around them, or you can simply use the site as a base and take advantage of its accommodation and locality.

How does the trip link to the curriculum?

Stanley Head is rich in industrial history and heritage, making it a great base for a range of geography studies. It is situated on the edge of the Peak District, a rich resource with its mines, quarries, caves, glacial formations, preserved towns and conurbations, river sources and rock formations that lend themselves perfectly to an in-depth study for GCSE and A-Level geography.

Plus, with over 20 million visits to the Peak District every year, tourism and its effects can be studied in depth. Likewise, evidence of farming in the area dates as far back as Neolithic times around 4000BC, making it an interesting study for GCSE history.

Subjects covered

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