Ace Outdoors is a leading provider in the field of outdoor adventurous activities. We have a wealth of expertise in developing a wide range of products and adventurous services to meet the needs of schools, businesses and other youth organisations across the North West of England.
We are delighted to be an Approved Activity Provider for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and provide expedition training for expeditions at home and abroad and assessment to fulfill all the requirements of the Expedition section at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels.
Ace Outdoors is based in Manchester an idea central location to provide a mobile expedition service. We work with groups wanting to undertake expeditions in the English Lakes, Peak District, Yorkshire, Snowdonia as well locations closer to home in the West Pennines and the Forest of Bowland.
Ace Outdoors is led by Pete James who is a holder of the International Mountain Leaders Award and qualified secondary school teacher. Pete and his team are highly qualified and regarded supporting youth of groups of all abilities. We have particular expertise in working with vulnerable adults and young people with special educational and additional learning needs completing their DofE expedition.
Expeditions:
We offer two packages that you can choose to best suit your own requirements and needs of your group. Both options enable us to manage and outscource your DofE expedition with our company.
These flexible options enable you to book your Expedition section directly with us to complete outside of school or for us to visit your school to deliver all the elements in a modular programme as an extra-curricular activity based in your school one evening every week up until the final qualifying expedition.
We are available to discuss any expedition training or qualifying needs you may have from a bespoke package or the supply of qualified tutors, Expedition Supervisors and Assessors
Our expedition programmes are outlined below:
Option 1: Standard Expedition Package
This option is available when you want to block book all the training and practice and qualifying expeditions in advance. We will provide all the paperwork, posters and application forms to enrol your new participants. The school simply hands out the application forms and once a minimum of 8 children enrol onto the course we will allocate all the start dates and publish dates of each of the practice and qualifying expeditons with the schools agreement to not interfer with other school events. (E.g exams etc.)
The pricing for this option works slightly out cheaper than our modular programme. We do require all the of participants to pay for their course at the time of booking. This ensures comittment and guarantees results.
Standard Bronze package = £ 165.00 (Tr / PE / FE) 6.5 days
Standard Silver package = £ 175.00 (Tr / PE/ FE) 7.0 days
Standard Gold UK Package = £ 275.00 (Tr / PE/ FE) 11 days
Tr = training PE practice expedition FE final expedition
Option 2: Modular extra-curricular DofE Expedition section
Expedition training phase in a ½ term block: (dependent of the level of award) Bronze / Silver / Gold – roughly two days Fte (full time equivalent)
Most of our cilents prefer us to complete this section first at their site as a classroom based element with practical actvities incoproated over the course of a half term block in one or two hour evening blocks after school.
Bronze Training = £ 55.00 p/person+ route planning exercise + workbook
Silver Training = £ 60.00 p/person+route planning exercise + workbook
Gold Training = £ 65.00 p/person+ route planning exercise + workbook
Gold Training (overseas expeditions)= £70.00+route planning+workbook
Therefore, It would roughly cost from approxmiately £10.00 per week per student to complete all elements of the expedition training framework for the DofE at your site. We would require a minium of six students to compete the course. The above pricing includes the weekly travelling costs for an instructor to visit the school.
Practice and qualifying expedition weekends can be added seperately at a later stage once this training is complete. This also enables you to adjust your final numbers within the group before comitting to booking these residential visits.
E.g. 2 days Bronze Practice weekend = £ 60.00 p/person
Bronze Qualifying weekend = £ 60.00 p/person
E.g. 3 days Sliver Practice weekend = £ 90.00 p/person
Silver Qualifying weekend = £ 90.00 p/person
E.g. 3 days Gold Practice weekend = £ 95.00 p/person
Gold Qualifying expedition = £150.00 p/person
This is a totally flexible option, training can be completed at any time in the year. It is only the expeditions that must take place between March and October in any academic year.
Ace Outdoors also offers accreditations for young people:
We are pleased to accredit your expedition experiences in other award scheme formats such as the ASDAN Adventure and Residential Award and COPE award.
For more information on our outdoor education activities, after school club activities, skill and qualification courses, please contact Ace Outdoors.