FAQs

You can read our Risk Management Summary here, where you can also find details of our insurance policy.

At High Points we aim to build a company with clients with whom we work for many years.

We could just run activities for you; but, if you are ready, we would love to work with you and your staff team over the longer term by taking your initial thoughts and turning them into sustainable outdoor and adventure education programmes which will leave a lasting impression.

The personal development of young people is very important to us – we love seeing young people shine and have broad horizons… to be ready for the world!

And… we have the skills, knowledge and experience to get them there!

High Points has a long and successful history of providing outdoor and adventure education to young people and adults as well as in adult training.

The benefits of these activities to participants are numerous and include:

Increased levels of trust and the opportunity to examine the concept of trust (us in them, them in us, them in themselves, them in each other).
Involvement in activities leading to a greater academic and vocational learning with improved achievement and attainment across a range of curricular subjects.
Students are active participants and a wide range of learning styles can flourish.
Enhanced opportunities for making learning contextual and relevant to the real world.
Increased skills in managing their own safety (what do we want to do and how do we make it safe enough?).
Opportunities to practically examine the components of challenge.
A greater sense of personal and group responsibility.
Enhance emotional intelligence including an awareness of their own needs and the needs of others.
Possibilities for genuine team working including enhanced communication skills.
Improved environmental appreciation, awareness, knowledge and understanding.
Physical fitness, skill acquisition and development of a healthy lifestyle.

These benefits inform our risk management policy. Outdoor and adventure activities do involve a level of challenge and therefore risk of loss or harm. Our aim is to achieve the appropriate level of challenge to maximise the learning for each participant. The aim is not to make the learning environment as safe as possible but as safe as it needs to be.

We will manage these risks by liaising with you to establish your needs and goals, by agreeing a suitable programme and then by preparing and delivering this programme using only competent staff.

At High Points, we can supply all specialist kit for your activities and also some personal kit if you do not have it.

In general, for all outdoor activities it is advisable to wear or bring the following:

Good shoes – trainers or boots (robust and with a good grip)

Base layer (or two)

Fleecy jumper

Walking trousers / tracksuit trousers / leggings

Try not to wear cotton as you will get cold when you get sweaty or wet – synthetic, thermal or fleecy type material is best. Jeans should not be worn for the same reason.

Socks and spares (two pairs of socks are best for walking boots)

Rucksack with spare jumper, hat and gloves, sunhat and suncream in the summer, personal medication / inhaler if you need one (even if you have not needed it for a while), lunch and drink.

A complete change of clothes including shoes and a towel – certainly for wet activities – a good idea even if you don’t expect to get wet!

It’s essential that you bring enough clothing to cope with the worst possible conditions even if the weather looks like it will be fine.

It’s a good idea to line your rucksack with a plastic bag to keep your things dry and also to bring another plastic bag for wet clothes at the end of the day.

You might like to wear a swimming costume for wet activities.

Please don’t bring expensive or valuable items and things that are likely to get broken.

Specialist kit that we will provide as necessary:

We have helmets, buoyancy aids and drybags for canoeing.

We have wetsuits for ghyll and gorge scrambling.

We have undersuits and oversuits, belts, helmets and lamps for caving.

We have harnesses and helmets for climbing.

We have tents and stoves for D of E.

Things we can supply if you don’t have your own:

Walking boots

Wellies

Waterproofs (tops and bottoms)

Rucksacks for D of E

We can provide full kit lists for your activities on request and will liaise with you before your programme to make sure that everyone has everything that they need.

At High Points we realise that the success of your course depends on who is delivering it.

All of our staff are chosen for their experience and qualifications in working with your particular group and chosen programme / activity.

Many of our staff are qualified teachers and / or youth workers.

All will be appropriately qualified in the activity in which they are engaged and will have a current first aid qualification.

All of our staff subscribe to the DBS update service and we complete an annual DBS check.

We recruit staff in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance and we have a code of conduct with which we expect staff to comply.

Copies of both documents can be viewed by request.

At High Points we have robust safeguarding policies and procedures in place.

A summary can be seen here

Please contact us for an informal chat by emailing us or by using the contact form here.

We will then generate a proposal and send it to you.

When we have agreed the programme we will send you a confirmation, our statement of philosophy, an invoice for a deposit payment and also our booking conditions.

Please reply to this email as this will act as confirmation that you agree with the proposal and booking conditions and that you will act accordingly.

Your booking is confirmed when we have received your deposit payment.

Booking conditions can be found here.

We welcome any feedback on our programmes and this includes any complaints that you have. When something goes wrong, we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to improve our service.

In the first instance we would recommend raising the matter with the organising school or group. If you have a complaint as an individual accessing our services, please contact us with the details:

By email: info@highpoints.co.uk By phone: 07794 639825 / 07721 070919

What will happen next?

We will send you an acknowledgement of your complaint within three working days of receiving it, enclosing a copy of this procedure.

We will then investigate your complaint. All appropriate information will be gathered, both from the complainant and all staff/instructors involved.

We aim to resolve your complaint straight away but if we can’t, then we will write to you within three working days to tell you:

Why we have not resolved your complaint
Who is dealing with your complaint
When we will contact you again.

We will keep you informed on a regular basis but if you need an update please call us on 07794 639825 / 07721 070919.

If we can’t agree a solution with you within eight weeks, we will:

Send a letter giving our reasons for the delay and an indication of when we expect to provide a final decision.

OR

Issue our final decision letter which will explain our final position

Any party making a complaint against High Points regarding operation of a DofE programme has the right to inform their Regional Office at any point. Please find contact numbers/emails via the DofE website: www.dofe.org

High Points management team will inform the following of any serious complaints received: