Essex LoTC Providers Meeting Minutes

Thursday 17th October 2017 10am

RHS Hyde Hall

Chair: Karen Wheeler KWr (Lee Valley Park (LVP))

Minutes: Michelle Mandry MM (Daws Hall / Essex Outdoors (EO))

Attendees: Jill Baker JB (RHS); Terry Halls TH (EO); Jenna Cains JC (Wilderness Foundation); Kate Woodroof (Country Parks (CP)); Michelle Hopkins (CP); Sue Lynas (CP); Justine Page JPg (freelance); Beck Fitzpatrick (EWT); Jo Phillips – JPs (Play Wild); Martin Edwards (Wat Tyler (WT)); Tiffany Bedford-Fry (WT); Stephen Andrews (WT); Hannah Garnham HG (EO)

1. Apologies Louise Flavell (CP); Joanne Davies (Stanstead Airport); Louisa Arnold (Southend LOtC); Michelle Savage(Coalhouse Fort)

2. Previous Meeting Minutes

3. Conference feedbackJC thanked workshop providers for contributing to the success of the conference and commended the team working of the committee - the whole came together to fully represent outdoor learning, though the whittling with TH was especially popular and substantially over-subscribed . JC had small niggles about the indoor space: a bit small perhaps and distracting noise from the kitchen during introductions/ speakers, but thought the food was really good.Meeting attendees who had also attended the conference felt that actually the venue’s main hall was a good fit for the number of delegates, and kitchen noise not a great problem. Also echoed thoughts that workshops were well spaced (not too near/far), & signposting made for easy navigation to and between workshops (KWr), and that WF staff & volunteers did a great job in the planning and execution of the event, worked really hard & were v helpful (TH). Feedback from Workshop leaders – it would be helpful to have more notice about which

sessions are going to run/ have longer sessions / might be useful to have double-length sessions for some workshops. A firmer grip on numbers allocated to a given workshop would be good to prevent having too large groups.

Returned delegate evaluations - 27/31 were overwhelmingly positive and all rated the conference over all as fantastic or good. Karen - A full breakdown is attached ? Requests were made for:

o A certificate of attendance - KWr provided on this occasiono Workshop handouts/ resource information/ references - some workshop providers

did offer this during the session but on request i.e. by email

o An indication of which KS each workshop was aimed at – some of the documents issued on booking did include this however

Conference finances – MM please see attached document but main points:o 31 paying delegates attended - 30 @ £80.00, 1 @ £25.00 (ELOtCP member price)o Net proceeds set to be £354.80*

The number of delegates was down on 2016 (Cressing Temple) and 2015 (RHS Hyde Hall). The majority of bookings were taken via Eventbrite for invoice payment (22/28). A number of delegate invoices are outstanding, but we will be following up with schools.*For comparison: 2016 57 delegates / £1,871.61 proceeds 2015 72 delegates / £1,306.23

Next year’s conference – given that conference attendance dropped off over the last few years, KWr proposed a show of hands for and against holding a conference in 2018. All but one were for a 2018 conference, in more or less the same format, around the same date - 27th September or 4th October. Venue to be agreed.

Discussion – There ensued lively discussion! Topics included:o Promotion – directed specifically to teachers (rather than via school office);

advertising in Primary Times (expensive); making more use of Facebook & Twitter (generating word of mouth/social media sharing)

o Positioning – Conference or CPD? JPg made the point that gaining CPD would be a more valuable use of teachers’ time than attending a conference, which can be seen as a bit of a jolly, and might be a slightly easier sell to head teachers. In which case, issuing certificates of attendance could be a very good idea.

o Timing – could moving away from the first weeks of the school year improve attendance numbers? Further exploration threw up potential clashes with other events e.g., FSA conference, SATS & exam season. Hence suggested dates above

o Profile / Location – do delegates book places based on awareness of ELOtC and its connection with outdoor Learning, or awareness of the provider hosting and the venue’s proximity to school? Is there a case to be made for having a static conference venue, or should we continue to relocate annually?

o Workshops – annual discussion: the number & length of sessions - should we have more shorter / fewer longer; have a shorter lunch to accommodate either. Karen – don’t think anyone suggested a longer day ?

o Alternatives – is there another way of reaching schools and promoting outdoor learning? Locally to schools - perhaps a gathering of providers showcasing OL at a school, or ELOtC-allied drop-in/ open days for school staff at Provider centres

o Hosts – if members are able to offer their venue to host a conference in 2018 (maybe even 2019) can you let KWr (or anyone on the committee) know

4. Committee ChangesKWr: Norberto Fusi has stepped down from the committee due to an increasing workload, but he will take a keen interest in the group and remain as a member.

5. Future training sessionsKWr: The meeting-and-workshop format seems to have worked out as hoped and this year’s meetings have all seen an increased, good turnout of members [14/3/7 =12; 10/5/17 =14; 19/10/17 = 15]. This has to be a good thing and makes for a more diverse input of thoughts and ideas representing the broad range of Outdoor Learning opportunities Essex has to offer schools.

MM: topics previously suggested for meeting workshops included dealing challenging behaviour. Those present felt that this would be a worthwhile workshop with practical benefits for providers and users. TH & HG recently did a 2-day course with Jon Cree [Working with Challenging Behaviour] which they rated very highly. It was agreed that the group should explore the possibility of having Jon Cree deliver a suitable workshop on the subject (given time constraints), the likely costs involved, and suitable dates. JPs agreed to contact Jon Cree to make enquiries.There was some discussion around varying workshops between skill-sharing amongst members and using funds to ‘buy-in’ more specialised training e.g., Storytelling with Janina Vigurs, and Plant Id with Rachel Cassidy. Ideas for skill-sharing included Forest Schools, poor weather/ winter activities, environmental art [b/f from 28/11/16]. Other suggestions would be welcomed. It was felt that it would be good to visit different venues/spaces/environments and members were asked the consider hosting future meetings.

6. Next MeetingTo be arranged – but Wat Tyler Country Park in early 2018? Training/skill-sharing to be agreed.

7. Any Other Business No further business