Development, learning and fun through adventure.
In Brief
Way Ahead provides experiential outdoor adventure courses for young people from 4 to 18 years of age. We operate throughout the UK being totally flexible in terms of activities, location, duration, content and outcomes for your course. Below is some information to help you understand the way we work and the possibilities, however we would always want to meet with you to discuss your exact needs. Whether it is a one day school based event or a five day residential we are keen to make sure we are getting it right. Because of this personal approach, we have been fortunate enough to develop relationships with some schools where we see every year group each year and we develop a relationship with the school watching the children grow and develop throughout their school years.
Our Philosophy
At Way Ahead we feel there is real value in a group of young people having a shared adventure experience in the outdoors. It not only helps develop their self reliance, positive thinking and concept of leaving people and places better than you find them (which are our core philosophies), but it also gives them experience in being part of a team as well as being a leader. It introduces them to new skills both soft and hard, as we encourage them to develop their interpersonal skills as much as any technical and physical ones. We very much support an approach of challenge by choice and that there is something for everyone to be involved in, and to some way to contribute to the teams overall success. In our experience young people develop best in a supportive, safe and fun environment.
Venues and Locations
Our home base is in the South West of England and so Dartmoor is very much our back garden and we do use this a lot to run our courses. However within the UK we operate in a wide range of locations from Swanage, with sea cliff adventures in Dorset, to sleeping in sea caves on remote Scottish Islands. Some courses are non residential and we will happily come in and run a course within your school grounds or other suitable location nearby. We are able to maximise the opportunities of a location and will bring the equipment to the venue which can include anything from indoor activities in a sports hall to a zip wire in the school grounds. The Peak District, Brecon Beacons, The Lakes, New Forest, Dartmoor, Scotland and the Pennines are just a few areas that we have vast experience in operating in and maximising the adventure opportunities that exist in these wilderness areas of the UK.
Activities
We really do try to give young people a wide range of traditional outdoor activities from caving, mountain biking and stand up paddle-boarding through to climbing. We have been inspected by the AALS and hold an Adventure Activities Licence - number R0693. Please see our 'sample programmes' below for more information on the range of activities, run by fully qualified and experienced staff. In addition to these core activities we have created our own such as 'Weaselling' (Crawling through gaps in rocks), a mobile 'Wild Woozy' and a Zip Wire to mention a few. To develop teamwork and leadership we have a wide range of team challenges in the form of problem solving tasks such as Spiders Web, Rollerball, Steeplechase etc all of which are mobile and we can set up almost anywhere. Each day is jam packed with activity and we can also provide an evening activity either indoors or outdoors depending on the time of year and weather, everything from a night walk to our own popular version of the TV show The Cube or an Escape Room game.
Accommodation
We are able to provide accommodation that fits within your budget and of course the location of your event. We can provide everything from camping to bunk houses, YHA's and outdoor centres and have a large database of venues to draw from accumulated over the last 25 years. Where possible we provide accommodation which we have sole use for and that is as far as possible away from the distractions of the outside world with a real sense of wilderness. In addition to this, we have our own tents and field kitchen so are able to offer a truly simple back to nature camping experience. With indoor accommodation we source venues that allow us to accommodate both boys and girls separately and have rooms for visiting staff.
Catering
Catering can be provided by the venue that we buy into, such as YHA's, but more often than not we will provide the catering, giving us flexibility, quality and the ability to cater to everyone's dietary needs. We know how important it is for everyone to eat well on an outdoor course where lots of energy is going to be burnt off! Please see sample menus below, in course documents. Way Ahead packed lunches have quite a reputation as we invite each child to fill a wrap of their own choice from, tuna, cheese, chicken, salad etc By having a flexible approach it means that children tend to eat what they have chosen rather than what they have been given which is important when we are trying to get them to take on board fuel for a busy day of activities. Breakfast and evening will be a hot meal with snacks throughout the day and often hot chocolate before bed. We are able to cater to most dietary needs and will liaise with schools and parents to make sure we understand exactly what is required. Our catering staff team hold current food and hygiene certificates.
Transport
We can arrange transport to and from a course by private coach or minibus hire, however most of our schools provide their own transport allowing total flexibility going to and from and also whilst on the course, which is often far more cost effective.
'The great outdoors, open spaces, open minds'
Examples of what a Way Ahead experience may look like
Every course is tailor made for each school to meet your exact requirements. Please click on the link below to see a selection of courses we have run, from 1 day events held within school grounds, to canoe expeditions on The River Wye through to 5 day residentials on Dartmoor.
We are flexible around every aspect of your needs from location, accommodation type, activities, group size and learning outcomes to mention just a few options.
The Paperwork
Please click on the following links to download any documents you may need for the courses. We are happy to provide our safety policy, operating procedures and risk assessments on request.
The Way Ahead Team
Way Ahead is all about people, your school staff, our staff, venue hosts etc not to mention the young people who come on our courses… working together efficiently, effectively and with the best possible outcomes.
To make this happen we have a highly skilled, experienced and motivated Core Team based in South Devon. We are then supported by carefully selected freelance staff, many of whom have been with us since the beginning. As with our client base, we have built positive and enduring relationships with our staff and can be assured of their commitment, competence and reliability.
Joining the Team
We are always looking for new staff to join our expanding team. If you would like to join us do get in touch. We employ staff who have a wide range of NGB qualifications to those that are with us to gain experience and an introduction into the outdoor industry as a career. All you need is a passion in helping develop young people, as well as enjoying working in a professional, fun loving team.
Feedback from some of our clients
Thank you! It was a great day. The children are really getting to grips with expectations having experienced a number of the trips. We had all sorts of good feedback from parents and children. I am glad to say that we have chosen our positions of responsibility and one or two who shone on the day have made it and will be helping run the school next year.
Thank you again.
Tim Pitman, Senior Master
Westbourne House School
Having had a week to catch up with life and settle back to 'normality', I just wanted to write to say a huge thank you on behalf of Monkton Prep, the staff, the pupils and especially from me, for making our first Way Ahead experience such a great one.
The children had a great time (the weather certainly helped), they learnt lots about themselves, the programme was perfectly pitched and the parental feedback has been unerringly positive. I am looking forward to seeing you again in June.
Thanks again!
Benjamin Sim, Director of Sport
Monkton Prep School
Many thanks for a wonderful week and the children really responded well. It’s great to get away from school and gives you a good insight into the children away from school too. You also had an excellent team of instructors, who made it very special and that certainly helped.
I’d like to thank you for giving us a tremendous week. The children had a fabulous time (and so did the staff).
Simon Leegood
Holmewood House School
Hi, A huge thank you! Georgie clearly loved every moment - I've rarely heard her so verbal when she was clearly so tired! It sounded like a fantastic trip.
Many thanks and hope you're not all too tired!
Emma
A Parent
