Castlerigg Manor | Information for Schools

Information for Schools

General Information

As you are well aware there are a number of regulations and considerations governing school residential trips. Here is a list of some of the things that you might like to consider..

(Please note that this list is not exhaustive and that responsibility for ensuring compliance with all necessary regulations as well as responsibility for the young people rests with the school.)

Things to consider:

Transport to and from the Manor including pick-up and drop-off.
Consent forms from parents (including contact addresses/numbers).
Details of any medical conditions, medication and allergies.
How children's medication will be dispensed to them.
Any special dietary requirements - which the Manor should be informed of in advance.
CURRENT LEA APPROVED STAFFING RATIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS: One adult for the first 10 young people. 1 adult for every 20 young people thereafter, or part thereof - ensuring that there is provision for both male & female cover. Three adults is the usual minimum.
Insurance. (Diocesan parishes are covered by diocesan insurance policies for Third Party liability. Please note, however, that these policies do not include personal belongings.)
A 'Behaviour Policy' or a 'contract' that parents and young people have agreed to in advance. This should incorporate the house rules of Castlerigg.
Familiarising yourself with child protection issues and establishing the suitability of any volunteers in the party.
A First Aid kit if you are engaging in outdoor activities away from the Manor independantly.
Obtain a list of available rooms from the Manor to sort out sleeping arrangements.
Collecting deposits and payment for the trip well in advance.

Please note that:

A RISK ASSESSMENT for staying at Castlerigg as well as activities on courses is available from the Manor to assist the school in compiling their wider risk assessment for the trip. Your school should have a copy of this.
Boots and cagoules are available from Castlerigg at no extra charge.

What are we trying to do?

..detailed information about our work and mission can be found here, but below is a summary of what the general aims of Castlerigg courses are..

The aim of our courses is to give Young People a positive (albeit temporary) experience of Christian community, where they can explore and learn about issues of faith and life.

Our programme is spiritual but holistic, focusing on social and interpersonal issues, while at the same time putting all of our input into a firm Christian context.

To be more precise, some of the specific aims of our courses are as follows:

To better equip Young People with life skills and personal values and to provide an informal forum in which problems may be shared and discussed.

To invite Young People to discover Christian principles by which to live their lives.

To give Young People an opportunity to experience both the demands and pleasures of community living and hopefully to provide an opportunity for both peer ministry and social education.

To develop in Young People an awareness of their own importance, the importance of those around them and their responsibilities as Christians in the world.

To strengthen the relationships in which Young People are involved: with friends, family, the wider society and with God.

To foster in Young People a love of the countryside and an awareness of leisure activities.

To give Young person/ adult relationships a chance to grow in a way that will hopefully provide positive long-term effects.

To help Young People to a deeper awareness of the liturgy.

What do Castlerigg courses involve?

..to give a detailed rundown of everything that we do on course would be fairly pointless for a number of reasons (and would also spoil the suprise) but here is a brief taste..

Sessions at Castlerigg range from the fun and active to the more quiet and reflective, and everything in between. Some sessions are done in a large group and some in smaller groups or 7 or 8. All of the sessions have a definate educational and spiritual point to them which ties in closely with the course Aims.

Some sessions involve talking and planning and sharing ideas with one another, others involve trying to simulate real-life situations to raise an awareness of issues in the world around us. Some sessions are more relaxing and creative such as Mass workshop and meditations in the chapel.

A large part of what we do at Castlerigg involves going out into the hills around Keswick for hillwalking.

All of our staff are trained to supervise hillwalks, making us able to see some of the highlights of the area, including the hills of Latrigg and Walla crag and Derwentwater.

As a Christian centre, the time that we spend in Chapel is extremely important to us and is an essential part of community life during a course.

Although we don't spend too much time in Chapel, the time that we do spend for Mass or for night prayers, is an important part of the day.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD SCHOOL VISIT FILE

For further information please contact the Caroline Cole at Castlerigg Manor.
Tel: 017687 72711 Fax: 017687 75302
E-mail: programme@castleriggmanor.co.uk