Schools & Young People

Unique adventurous activities for schools

Learning outside the classroom through practical activities with a military ethos helps to raise standards and improve the personal, social and emotional development of young people.

In 2019 over 3,000 young people completed an outdoor adventurous experience with Operation Encounter.

Our experiences can contribute to:

  • Improved academic achievement
  • Stronger personal skills, resilience and confidence
  • More engaging and relevant learning
  • Improved attendance, motivation and engagement
  • Fewer behavioural problems
  • A more positive attitude towards learning and new experiences

We offer a wide range of activities and learning themes for Key Stages 2, 3, 4 & 5 plus other age groups.

At our purpose-built outdoor activity site we cater for groups of 12 up to 300+ students.

Operation Encounter is also a Delivery Partner for the NCS Trust. You can find more information about Operation Encounter and NCS here.

“We returned to Operation Encounter for a second year with a group of 48 thirteen year old boys and they had a great time. The team there work so well with the boys and get so much out of them in a day.

The team building element is great and we enjoyed watching our boys pulling together and helping each other. They loved the obstacle course and have talked a lot about the day since. We will definitely be returning for a third visit next year!”

Jessica Roberts, Head of Year 8, Moulsford Prep

LEARNING THEMES

  • Resilience

  • Mutual trust

  • Leadership

  • Teamwork

  • Communication

  • Problem solving

  • Physical agility

  • Confidence & character

A selection of our activities

  • Canoeing

  • Raft building

  • Obstacle course

  • Archery

  • Low ropes course

  • High ropes

  • Team leadership tasks

  • Camouflage & concealment

  • Bush craft

BRINGING LEARNING TO LIFE

When students arrive they’ll receive a safety and expectations brief. This includes impressing the importance of leadership, communication, teamwork and resilience.

They’ll then head out into the countryside and undertake a range of adventurous learning activities led by experienced ex-military and adventure training instructors who are all enhanced DBS checked. A ‘hot debrief’ follows each activity to draw out learning points.

All our content is underpinned by the British military’s values:

  • Selfless commitment

  • Courage

  • Discipline

  • Integrity

  • Loyalty

  • Respect for others

Students will learn about things like leadership, delegation, confidence and communication in a new and challenging outdoor environment. They’ll also have a lot of fun along the way!

If staying overnight they’ll have an opportunity to prepare their tents and refuel their energy with hot food. They’ll then undertake evening activities, games and a camp fire before settling down for the night in our fully-equipped campsite.

EXPERIENCE OPTIONS

Choose from a range of options to suit your time and budget requirements. We run daytime, overnight and multi-day experiences.

1 Day

A day packed full of outdoor activities.

2 Days

Two days of activities and a night on our fully equipped campsite.

3 Days

Three days and two nights that give students time to immerse themselves in outdoor learning and experience a wide range of activities.

4+ Days

Multi-day residentials for the ultimate outdoor experience featuring our full range of activities.

“The use of places other than the classroom for teaching and learning helps us to make sense of the world around us by making links between feelings and learning. They stay with us into adulthood and affect our behaviour, lifestyle and work. They influence our values and the decisions we make. They allow us to transfer learning experienced outside to the classroom and vice versa.”

LOCATION

All our experiences for schools and young people are run at our outdoor site in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. We’re within easy reach of London and near the M40 and M4 motorways. More details can be found on our locations page.

BOOKING IS EASY

Give us a call to discuss your requirements on 01628 308338 or email us: info@operationencounter.com

We’ll check availability and send you further details. June and July are our busiest months – we’re more likely to have availability outside these times.

Get in touch now to find out how we can help your students to learn and develop through our unique adventurous experiences.

“I took a group of cadets to see Operation Encounter. They all enjoyed the day and learnt something about themselves and each other. The cadets were able to challenge themselves and as supervisors we could see leadership attributes in them we did not expect.

The staff were welcoming and encouraging whilst also pushing the cadets to their limit on what was a roasting day. Thank you all for a fantastic experience.”

Tim Cope, OC RAF CCF, Sutton Valance School