Sunderland City Council’s Educational Visits Advisory Service is based at Derwent Hill. It provides advice and guidance on the management of educational visits. The service is available to schools, academies, youth groups and other establishments in Sunderland, Cumbria and across northern England.
The service is delivered by Matthew Ellis, Neale Connolly, Dan Steels and Liz Henderson who are active members of the Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel (OEAP).
If you would like further information or to buy in to the Service, please contact us at Derwent Hill, or email [email protected]
If you are an existing customer, use one of the following links to your EVOLVE site where you will find a range of supporting materials, including your employer’s Code of Practice, forms and details of forthcoming courses:
- All establishments in Sunderland: Sunderland EVOLVE
- Northern Education Trust: NET EVOLVE
- Cumbria (both Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness Councils): Cumbria EVOLVE
- Ascent Academies’ Trust: Ascent Academies’ Trust EVOLVE
- Other Academies and Independent Establishments: Derwent Hill EVOLVE
We have adopted OEAP National Guidance.
Service Provision
- A Code of Practice on Educational Visits.
- Advice and guidance on the planning and management of visits.
- Training and revalidation for Educational Visits Co-ordinators in schools and other establishments.
- Access to the Evolve on-line system as a tool for establishments to plan and monitor visits. This provides an audit trail of the planning, risk management and authorisation of visits, and reduces the paperwork involved.
- Support for setting up and using Evolve.
- Assessment and approval of plans for higher-risk visits, overseas trips and those involving adventure activities.
- Approval of establishment staff to lead adventure activities.
The following tailored services are available at an additional cost:
- Training visit leaders, group leaders and governors.
- Provision of Outdoor Learning Cards and training in their use.
- Additional support, for example in writing an establishment policy or operating guidelines.