This is one trip we built for one school. Everything below (destination, duration, balance of activities) was set by their brief, and yours would produce something different. It is here to show the shape of a proposal.
A head of year asked us for a trip to fix a cohort that was not gelling, cliques, a couple of pupils on the edge of it, a year group that did not work as one. Not a subject trip: a group trip. The Ardennes are 90 minutes from Brussels, which meant the budget went into staffing and activities rather than travel.
Every activity is built so that it cannot be completed alone, and teams are set by us rather than chosen by the pupils. The bivouac night is the turning point most staff report.
A sample day, day two
The demanding day: navigation in the morning, height in the afternoon, and a night under canvas the group has pitched itself.
✏️ An example timetable, the destination, programme, duration and budget all move to suit your group.
What the group actually does
Orienteering
Map and compass in the Semois forest, in teams that each hold only part of the route, so the course cannot be finished without talking to the others.
High-ropes and zip line
Run by qualified instructors with full equipment. Pupils belay for each other, which is the actual exercise: the height is incidental.
Bivouac night
Tents pitched, firewood gathered, dinner cooked by the group. Supervised throughout, and the single activity staff most often say changed the cohort.
Leadership debrief
A structured session each evening, with a rotating team leader through the week so every pupil holds the role once.
Curriculum links
What this itinerary supports in the classroom, before and after the trip.
In pictures
Frequently asked questions
No. There is always an indoor alternative at the centre for pupils who cannot or should not sleep out, and staff decide case by case. In practice very few take it.
Activity instructors are qualified and provided by the centre, on top of your own staff. Ratios follow Belgian regulations for the activity and age group, and are stated in the proposal.
That is what it was designed for. Teams are set by us, not chosen by the pupils, the tasks cannot be done alone, and the evening debriefs name cooperation explicitly.