Outdoor Learning Travel Grant Scheme Guidelines

Cairngorms NATION­AL PARK

Cairngorms Nation­al Park Out­door Learn­ing Travel Grant Scheme Guidelines

Applic­ants a) Schools in Scot­land (in and out­with the CNP) b) Vol­un­tary and com­munity groups in Scot­land. This includes groups and inter­me­di­ar­ies who sup­port and work with people exper­i­en­cing some form of dis­ad­vant­age e.g. on account of their age, gender, race, health, dis­ab­il­ity, social or eco­nom­ic reas­ons etc.

Pri­or­ity will be giv­en to:

• schools and groups from areas of mul­tiple depriva­tion includ­ing urb­an areas near to CNP such as Inverness, Perth, Dun­dee and Aberdeen.
• those who have not vis­ited the Nation­al Park or worked with a Nation­al Park ranger ser­vice previously.
• groups that sup­port people with dis­ab­il­it­ies, young people, eth­nic minor­it­ies and those who exper­i­ence eco­nom­ic dis­ad­vant­age or health inequality.

Eli­gible costs This travel grant scheme may fund up to 75% of the total trans­port costs for vis­its based on the num­ber of cri­ter­ia met. Up to a max­im­um of £200.

• Eli­gible costs apply to trans­port to and from school or group meet­ing place to Cairngorms Nation­al Park e.g. bus or minibus hire. Only one trip per school is eligible.
• Grants can­not be awar­ded ret­ro­spect­ively. You must apply for your grant and it must be agreed before your visit.

Activ­ity The activ­ity applied for should, where applicable:

• Take place in the Cairngorms Nation­al Park includ­ing the nine Nation­al Nature Reserves.
• Raise aware­ness and under­stand­ing of the Cairngorms Nation­al Park.
• Involve Ranger Ser­vices and NNR staff in the Nation­al Park where possible.
• Help deliv­er Cur­riculum for Excel­lence through Out­door Learn­ing experiences.

See Resources sec­tion below for more inform­a­tion and contacts.

Pay­ments Pay­ments will only be made to the School/​Group apply­ing for fund­ing sup­port and not to any indi­vidu­al or third party (e.g. Coach hire companies)

• Pay­ments will nor­mally be made by BACS trans­fer dir­ectly to the account. Or by cheque if necessary.
• Proof of costs must be provided either as a pro-forma invoice from the com­pany or sub­mis­sion of receipts for travel fares (e.g. rail/​bus tickets).

Eval­u­ation Applic­ants should com­plete an eval­u­ation form with their claim: sum­mar­ising activ­it­ies under­taken (includ­ing pre and post vis­it), what they have learned about the Nation­al Park, what dif­fer­ence the travel grant made, and include pho­to­graphs (with per­mis­sions for CNPA use).

Applic­a­tion process

1. Decide where you will vis­it and who will sup­port your group e.g. ranger ser­vice (see below) and date.
2. Con­tact trans­port pro­vider for estim­ated costs.
3. Com­plete applic­a­tion form and send to CNPA learning@​cairngorms.​co.​uk
4. You will be sent con­firm­a­tion of your grant of up to £200 (amount will depend on how you meet the fund­ing priorities).
5. To claim your grant fol­low­ing your vis­it, sub­mit the fol­low­ing to CNPA:
   • a copy of the trans­port com­pany invoice / receipts
   • your com­pleted eval­u­ation form (down­load from website)
   • digit­al pho­to­graphs of your vis­it (with per­mis­sion for CNPA to use in pro­mo­tion­al materials)
   • cov­er­ing let­ter /​email request­ing pay­ment of your grant (quot­ing CNPA’s grant offer)
6. You will then receive pay­ment of the grant.

Please note that due to lim­ited funds and a high demand for this grant scheme, the budget has been capped for each quarter, so that applic­a­tions can be con­sidered through­out the whole year.

If you would like any help with this pro­cess, please contact:

learning@​cairngorms.​co.​uk

Alan Smith Out­door Learn­ing Officer, Cairngorms Nation­al Park Author­ity, 14 The Square, Grant­own-on-Spey, PH26 3HG Tel: 01479 870518

Resources to help plan your visit

Ranger Ser­vices You are encour­aged to make use of one of the 12 ranger ser­vices in the Park, to get the most out of your vis­it. A list of ranger ser­vices can be found at http://​cairngorms​.co​.uk/​c​a​r​i​n​g​-​f​u​t​u​r​e​/​r​a​n​g​e​r​s​-​s​e​r​v​ices/

Nation­al Nature Reserves There are nine NNRs in the Park which pro­tect an amaz­ing range of wild­life and land­scapes, where you can base your vis­it and learn­ing exper­i­ence. Find these NNRs at www​.nnr​-scot​land​.org​.uk

Forests and wood­lands Dis­cov­er the sights, sounds and exper­i­ences of the forest at Forestry Com­mis­sion Scot­land sites in the Park, includ­ing Glen­more, Inshriach, Lag­gan, Glen Doll, Cam­bus O’May, See www​.forestry​.gov​.uk/​w​e​b​s​i​t​e​/​f​c​h​o​m​e​p​a​g​e​s​.​n​s​f​/​h​p​/seee

John Muir Award Your vis­it to the Park may well fit in with gain­ing a John Muir Award, an envir­on­ment­al award scheme that focuses on wild places such as the Nation­al Park. Find out more at www​.jmt​.org/​j​m​a​w​a​r​d​-​h​o​m​e.asp

Resource packs Edu­ca­tion packs for Aber­nethy NNR and Muir of Din­net NNR provide guid­ance and activ­it­ies for schools and groups that help deliv­er Cur­riculum for Excellence.

‘Rur­al Land Use in the Cairngorms Nation­al Park: con­flict and res­ol­u­tion’ provides inform­a­tion and case stud­ies to sup­port the Nation­al ⁴⁄₅ and High­er geo­graphy curriculum.

‘Get­ting into Nation­al Parks and Nation­al Nature Reserves’ con­tains advice and guid­ance for teach­ers and group lead­ers on plan­ning a vis­it to Nation­al Parks and NNRs. It also con­tains inform­a­tion sheets and case stud­ies of vari­ous groups’ exper­i­ences of vis­it­ing the Parks.

Down­load these packs from http://​cairngorms​.co​.uk/​c​a​r​i​n​g​-​f​u​t​u​r​e​/​e​d​u​c​a​t​i​o​n​-​l​e​a​r​n​i​n​g​/​p​r​o​j​e​c​t​s​-​f​o​r​-​s​c​h​o​o​l​s​/​l​e​a​r​n​i​n​g​-​r​e​s​o​u​rces/

Web­sites Cairngorms Learn­ing Zone is a web-based learn­ing resource for teach­ers, stu­dents but will appeal to any­one who wants to find out more about the Cairngorms. Use it for your pre and post vis­its to the Park! www​.cairngorms​learn​ing​zone​.co​.uk

Edu­ca­tion Scotland’s Nation­al Improve­ment Hub provides a wealth of inform­a­tion, guid­ance, advice and resources for tak­ing learn­ing out­doors. https://education.gov.scot/improvement/hwb24-support-for-professional-development-in-outdoor- learning

The Out­door Learn­ing Dir­ect­ory is a portal to vari­ous types of sup­port for out­door learn­ing provided by Scot­tish pub­lic bod­ies includ­ing the Nation­al Park Author­it­ies, SNH and FCS. www​.out​door​learn​ing​dir​ect​ory​.com

For more inform­a­tion and ideas about vis­it­ing the Nation­al Park, go to: www​.cairngorms​.co​.uk www​.vis​it​cairngorms​.com