Schools
Our Schools Programme
Situated in wild yet accessible locations across Scotland, our centres are convenient for schools all across Scotland and the North of England. We can be flexible with bookings, meeting the needs of schools of all sizes, and can create tailor made programs to suit your needs and priorities. Our schools adventure activity packages range from a two night weekend or half-week stay to a full week of 4 nights accommodation, or more. All of our packages include an evening “Explore” program to solidify the learning that has been done during the day.
Whether taking part in one of our many on-site activities or going off site for longer adventures, your school group is sure to encounter situations that will push their boundaries, help them grow and learn more about themselves. From our teams, to our locations and our personal touches, we are confident that your school will have an amazing time with us.
Primary
We pride ourselves on our flexibility in tailoring programs to meet the needs of our visiting schools. Our primary School adventure activity packages range from a two night stay to a full week of 4 nights, or more!
Whether you want an Autumn visit for your P7s to bond before their final year of school, a spring visit as a celebration of the end of their primary school days or a winter week of the finest skiing Scotland has to offer, we have got you covered.
Perhaps you want to arrange a shorter visit for younger pupils to get them used to residentials before their week-long camp in P7? Our on site activities are suitable for all ages and really help build confidence and resilience.
All of our packages include an evening ‘Explore’ program and you can rest assured that your pupils will be kept busy by our teams.
Secondary
We welcome many high schools through the year. Each one has a different reason for coming and all experience an individual program tailored to suit them. Whether you are looking for a full week multi-activity residential or a weekend leadership based course, we have the experience to make sure you get the most out of your visit.
It can be helpful for S1s to come as a transition to secondary school and to bond with their new year group, and any year after will benefit from the concentrated time of teamwork and screen-free experience of the outdoors. We can host Duke of Edinburgh groups, senior study weekends or leadership training for prefects, captains or school ambassadors.
All of our packages also include an evening ‘Explore’ program. Also camp fires, movie nights or wide games in the dark are all available to choose.
Your days will involve different activities, but a general timeline will look similar to this:
07:45 – Wake up
08:15 – Breakfast
09:15 – Morning activities
12:30 – Lunch
13:30 – Afternoon activities
17:00 – Swim or shop
18:00 – Dinner
19:00 – Evening program
21:00 – Supper
22:00 – Lights out
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
Clean, comfortable and safe
Our centres have clean, comfortable bunkrooms of varying sizes, from 2 people sharing up to 8. Teachers will have their own space. Some of the bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms and some share a facility with other rooms. At Barcaple all the accommodation is in one building, while at Nethy Bridge our accommodation is spread between the main house and four adjacent chalets.
Fully catered and suitable for a variety of dietary requirements
We provide breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper for all our school groups. We are careful to provide a balanced menu from our experienced kitchen teams, and cook meals that we know are popular with kids. Fresh fruit is available all day for students, as is tea and coffee for teachers. We can cater to a wide variety of dietary requirements so let us know what you need on booking and we will take care of the rest.
Our Centres
Our centres are located across Scotland, each surrounded by acres of land ensuring a feeling of escapism. Our centres all have lounges for chilling or meeting, games rooms and sports halls for playing, drying rooms for wet kit and fire pits where we can huddle together at the end of the day. See our Centre pages below for more of what each one offers!
Active Learning
We use all our activities to teach groups about communication, teamwork or leadership; while also fulfilling Scottish curriculum for excellence criteria for health and wellbeing, and religious and moral education. Our courses can either stand alone or be complemented with school based sessions before and after your visit, ensuring that your pupils get the most out of their experience. Some of the advantages of your school group having a week away with Abernethy are:
- Personal growth through pushing boundaries in a safe environment
- Social development and connection enhanced through new and shared experience
- Curriculum criteria met by our program can take the place of some classroom work
- Teacher/pupil relationships deepened through change of environment
Active Learning
We use all our activities to teach groups about communication, teamwork or leadership; while also fulfilling Scottish curriculum for excellence criteria for health and wellbeing, and religious and moral education. Our courses can either stand alone or be complimented with school based sessions before and after your visit, ensuring that your pupils get the most out of their experience. Some of the advantages of your school group having a week away with Abernethy are:
- Personal growth through pushing boundaries in a safe environment
- Social development and connection enhanced through new and shared experience
- Curriculum criteria met by our program can take the place of some classroom work
- Teacher/pupil relationships deepened through change of environment
Environmental Concern
Abernethy is committed to helping conserve the environment. One of our values is that we love the outdoors. Being in some of Scotland’s most beautiful landscapes, we experience the joys of nature, and the pain when it is not taken care of. We have partnered with A Rocha, a conservation organisation working to help threatened habitats and species and equip other organisations to care for the environment.
In our adventure residentials we also teach students about the local environment and how to tread lightly in it.
Teacher Information
We’ve taken the time to curate the different documents, forms and information which should provide you with all you need for a smooth experience of organising your school trip away.
If there’s anything else you’d like to know feel free to get in touch.
Our Staff
Our staff love the outdoors and want to share their enthusiasm with you!
Our teams live on site and so live together as well as work together. We believe this creates a sense of family that we hope is evident when your school group visits. We hope the community feel will help your group feel safe, grow in confidence and bond together as a group.
We hold to the highest standards of quality and safety in all of our activities and our team love to look after you and invite you to be part of the Abernethy family. Our highly trained team are very experienced in working with young people, whether they are instructing activities, cooking their meals or presenting an evening program. We hope you enjoy meeting them!
Make a booking enquiry
Would you like to book one of our centres for your school?
Get in touch now to begin the adventure.
