Group of young people on a moorland expedition

Schools & Groups

Outdoor learning that stands up to scrutiny.

24

Years operating in Devon

NNAS

Navigation — Bronze to Gold

DofE

Licensed operator — all levels

£5m

Public liability insurance

What we offer

Built for schools.
Designed for the real outdoors.

We have been delivering outdoor education programmes for schools, colleges, and youth groups for 24 years. In that time we have worked with hundreds of groups across Devon — from primary school day visits to Gold DofE qualifying expeditions.

Every programme is planned around your group: curriculum requirements, ability levels, transport, and budget. Full risk assessments, insurance certificates, and instructor DBS records are provided in advance — everything your school needs to sign off a visit.

Group of young people hiking across Dartmoor

The process

From enquiry to delivery
in four steps.

01

Enquire

Tell us your group size, dates, and what you have in mind. We respond within one working day.

02

Proposal

We design a programme around your group and send a full proposal with pricing, ratios, and draft risk assessments.

03

Confirm

Review the programme, ask questions, and confirm. We provide all documentation needed for school trip approval.

04

Deliver

Your group arrives. Our instructors deliver the programme. Written debrief and activity logs provided afterwards.

Safety & compliance

Everything your school
needs to sign off a visit.

We have been through school trip approval processes hundreds of times. We know what documentation you need and we send it before you ask.

  • Full risk assessments provided in advance
  • Public liability insurance — £5 million coverage
  • Professional indemnity insurance
  • DBS-checked instructors — copies available on request
  • Emergency action plans for every activity
  • First aid-qualified instructors on every session
  • Instructor qualification certificates available on request
  • EVOLVE-compatible documentation available
  • 1:8 maximum staff to participant ratio on technical activities

Pricing

Priced by enquiry.
No hidden extras.

We do not publish fixed prices because every group is different. When you enquire, we send a clear itemised quote — not a vague range. The cost depends on:

  • Group size and staff:participant ratio required
  • Duration — half day, full day, or residential
  • Activity or combination of activities
  • Location — Sidmouth or Dartmoor
  • Equipment requirements
  • Time of year

What schools say

Trusted by schools
across Devon.

The navigation course challenged our sixth formers in ways classroom learning simply cannot. Every student left more confident and more capable.

Sarah T.

Head of PE, Devon secondary school

Our DofE Gold group came back having genuinely earned it. The team at Aquila pushed them appropriately without ever putting them at risk.

Mark W.

DofE Coordinator, Devon

We have used Aquila for three consecutive years. The paperwork is always in order, the instructors are brilliant, and the students ask to come back.

Claire M.

Trip Organiser, South West Academy

Ready to plan

Plan your school visit.

Send us your requirements and we'll come back within one working day with a programme proposal, itemised quote, and draft risk assessments.