Our highly regarded outdoor education courses provide the perfect platform to face new challenges, develop new skills and get ready for the next stage in a young person’s life. All of our school courses clearly link to curriculum outcomes flexibly tailored to your school’s specific needs. Your pupils will have a truly memorable experience and you will notice the difference in them.

Primary Schools

At Blairvadach Outdoor Education Centre, we work hand-in-hand with schools to create unforgettable outdoor learning experiences that build confidence, teamwork, and resilience. Our Primary Programme is designed for P7 pupils preparing for the transition to secondary school — helping young people grow personally and socially through adventure, challenge, and reflection.

Each week-long course blends adventurous outdoor activities with structured learning that supports Curriculum for Excellence Level 2 outcomes in Health & Wellbeing, Social Studies, and Science. From kayaking and climbing to problem-solving and evening teamwork sessions, every moment encourages pupils to develop communication, leadership, and reflection skills — all while having fun and making new friends.

The Blairvadach experience is a true school–centre partnership. It starts in the classroom, where teachers lead the Pre-Portfolio (linked below) activities to prepare pupils and parents for the residential stay. During the visit, pupils create their own learning portfolio, recording their growth and achievements.Back at school, the Post-Portfolio (Linked below) resources help teachers extend the learning, ensuring the impact lasts long after the trip. In addition, the teacher information packs (linked below), provide practical guidance to help staff make the most of every stage.

Small group sizes (1 instructor to 8 pupils) mean every young person gets individual attention. The same instructor stays with their group all week, helping to build trust and confidence. Whenever possible, visiting school staff join in the activities, strengthening the bond between pupils, teachers, and instructors — and deepening shared learning outcomes.

At Blairvadach, we believe outdoor learning is a shared journey between pupils, teachers, and our team. Together, we create experiences that inspire growth, spark curiosity, and prepare young people for the adventures ahead — in school and in life.

Portfollio Material for Primary Schools

Secondary Schools

Adventurous Development Residential Course

The secondary programme at Blairvadach is focused on S3 and S4 year groups where pupils are starting to make choices as to the direction they might want to go after leaving school. The adventurous programmes focus on one or two chosen outdoor disciplines and work towards a national award. The day time activities are supported by an evening programme which encourages children to investigate further the discipline they have chosen to follow.

Courses are designed to meet many of the stage 3 and 4 Health and Wellbeing outcomes outlined in Curriculum for Excellence.

Courses are generally run over five days, three full days and a half day on Monday and Friday.

Because of the specialist nature of the courses and to permit access to varied types of challenging conditions and terrain, the group ratio is maintained at 1:6 with the same instructor staying with the group all week. If ratios allow, visiting school staff are welcome to join the pupils on the activities.

Supported Study Courses

Blairvadach provides the perfect location to provide a supported study experience. Working alongside school teaching staff Blairvadach provides classrooms, ICT equipment, and break out space for focused study sessions. The supported study can be complimented with fun outdoor activities providing a holistic learning experience in a unique environment.

Additional Support Needs and Pupils with Disabilities

Blairvadach has been supporting people with disabilities in outdoor education for over 40 years. We provide bespoke courses for schools and groups with a range of additional needs. Our experienced staff will work with you to ensure that everyone is able to participate and achieve their potential no matter what challenges they face.

Adaptive Capacity and Experience

We offer many of our activities with adaptive capacity, thus enabling all visitors to participate and achieve their personal best. Our well-trained staff have extensive experience of working with groups with mixed needs and abilities.

Booking Your School into Blairvadach

Schools who are not part of Glasgow City Council should contact the centre to enquire about availability. admin@blairvadach.org.uk or call 01436 820 491.

Glasgow Schools are invited each year to note their interest in accessing the service for the following academic year. Once we have gathered the data on all the interested schools, spaces are allocated through the following selection criteria:

Stage 1. Priority will be given to those schools who have not received the visit type they have requested for the longest period of time. Visit types incudes Mid-Week, Weekend or Holiday Time residential experiences. Schools who request a mid-week slot but are willing to take weekend and attend that weekend, will be prioritised for a mid-week slot in the next academic year. This will hopefully allow some schools to receive a Blairvadach experience each year. Alternating mid-week and weekend visits. Allocated space which is subsequently cancelled by the school will normally count towards that school’s allocation. In exceptional circumstances, the centre manager and head teacher may agree that a cancellation may not count towards a schools allocation.

Stage 2. Where schools have not received their chosen visit type for the same length of time, priority will be given to those highest on the SIMD.

Stage 3. Where there is still capacity in the programme space will be allocated to groups of the appropriate size. This does sometimes enable smaller groups to be allocated more frequently than larger groups 

Allocation Process Flow Chart October 2021 Onwards

Residential Course Prices

The price for attending the facility is based on the number of instructors you require for your group.  The appropriate ratio will be agreed with the group leader after considering any specific group needs.  However, for indicative guidance, Table 1 below provides the standard instructor: young person ratio we aim to work with. 

Table 1. Indicative Instructor: Young Person Ratio
 
How much will it cost?

Table 2: 2024/2025 Residential Prices

Pricing Example for Glasgow City Council School:
A Primary School with 32 pupils, purchasing a 5-day residential experience will cost:

*This equates to £222.50 per person for all pupils.