Senior councillors have given the go-ahead for a major investment in its outdoor learning centres at Bewerley Park and East Barnby.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive yesterday approved spending £4.2m on an 84-bed accommodation block at Bewerley Park, near Pateley Bridge, and improvements to the accommodation block and dining room at East Barnby, near Whitby.

Bewerley Park was built in the 1940s and has been used by North Yorkshire schoolchildren for decades. Its activities, which include canoeing, rock climbing and orienteering, enable young people to learn life skills and have fun.

The council’s outdoor learning service charges between £145 and £170 per night to attend Bewerley Park but it has struggled to record a profit since 2015.

This year it hiked the charge by up to £30 a night due to inflationary pressures.

The council’s Conservative executive member for finance, Gareth Dadd, said the service was “on its knees” but the investment has rescued the two sites “from the jaws of death”.

He added: 

“We were ready to send bulldozers in. Let’s make no bones about it.

“Officers and staff have responded and come up with what is a sustainable business model. Credit to them all in developing that.”

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Further works at Bewerley Park could take place at a later date with a decision expected by 2028. Cllr Dadd said any future expansion will be dependent on the success of the new accommodation block.

The council will still need to obtain planning permission for the work but it says the centres will remain open during construction.

Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, the council’s executive member for education, learning and skills, added: 

“This is an exciting project. For decades both centres have proven very popular, being visited by generations of families. Thousands of children and young people visit the centres each year and leave with positive, happy memories.

“It’s vital that our centres continue to deliver wonderful experiences in a more modern environment.”

North Yorkshire Council has said a 21% price increase for trips to its outdoor learning centres proved “prohibitive” to some schools.

The council runs outdoor learning sites at Bewerley Park near Pateley Bridge and East Barnaby at Whitby.

It hiked fees and charges by 21% this year to reflect increases in inflation and costs.

However, Teresa Thorp, head of outdoor learning service at the council, said in report:

“There have been a few schools who have found the increase in fees and charges for 2023-24 prohibitive, demonstrating that last year’s fees and charges increase has adversely affected the take up of services in some cases.”

Ms Thorp added the council had to compete with other outdoor learning centres, such as Low Mill, Robin Wood and Carlton Lodge.

Robin Wood is currently charging £250 for a three day and two night stay compared to £275 at a North Yorkshire Council run site.

Competitor prices for outdoor learning centres. Picture: NYC.

In her report, Ms Thorp said that the market would “not sustain a further price increase”.

As a result, the council has proposed keeping charges the same for the academic year from September 2024 to March 2025.

However, the authority has proposed to increase course fees offered by the outdoor learning service by 6.8% in line with inflation.

It also plans to implement charges for corporate and conference facilities to generate income.

Ms Thorp added:

“It is believed that continuing with our fees and charges for school residential will enable the service to retain its current customer base, recruit new customers and compete with its surrounding competitors, all of which will result in increased bookings and customer retention.”

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A Harrogate independent school has opened a new outdoor play area for nursery children to encourage open-air learning.

Brackenfield School’s new facility includes a ‘garden centre’, mud kitchen and pebble pit complete with weighing scales and spades.

There is also a reading rainforest corner, where children can take their books outside with their friends and read while sitting on log stools.

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The area was designed to present children with challenges, adventures and opportunities for development, whilst interacting with the natural world around them.

Headmaster Joe Masterson said:

“Outdoor learning is one of the four areas of a powerful mission we use to focus our children’s achievements here at Brackenfield School.

“We strive to ensure that while revelling in technology as a means to excite, ignite and redefine learning, a strong sense of balance is also retained for our pupils towards human connection, nature and the outdoors.”