Latest Reviews
The Kaddi Review system gives teachers and youth workers the ability to leave venue and provider feedback. All reviews have been added via EVOLVE, by visit leaders that have recently used the venues/providers. Kaddi Reviews provide valuable information for anyone planning educational visits.
| Provider | Score | Comments | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingswood Colomendy | My rating would be one star were it not for the hardworking staff who tried their hardest to make amends for the errors made by the centre manager and organisation. The centre manager assumed our booking was cancelled despite no confirmation from us meaning we arrived to find we were not expected, the site understaffed and the possibility of our children (who had been so looking forward to the trip) being forced to return to school. Were it not for our insistence that a solution be found and the children not let down, we likely would have had to return. The staff member who took over our booking, Ossie, did a great job of salvaging our trip and provided our children with a memorable and enjoyable experience (albeit one different to the one they were expecting due to the activities we had initially booked needing to be changed due to the staffing issues). Thankfully the children did not know or realise how close they came to being sent home and this is due to Ossie and his team. The food options were very limited (no fresh fruit or vegetables on offer until the packed lunch on the final day) with chips accompanying almost every meal. I am unsure if this was due to Covid or because of the centre manager's previous error with our booking but it was disappointing all the same as I have very much enjoyed the food at other Kingswood sites. Finally, the whole site seemed to be very run down and in disrepair, with weeds and nettles overgrown on main footpaths, paint peeling on cabins and general neglect. Although, we did notice that attempts had been made to re-paint room interiors in some of the lodges. We had staff members on our trip who were surprised at the state of the site as they had been to previous trips to Colomendy where this was not an issue. Just to add also; on a initial risk assessment visit prior to our trip we were informed by the member of staff guiding us around the site that Kingswood were aware of the run-down nature of the site which was claimed to be due to the site being closed to the public during the Covid19 pandemic. This is completely understandable and we had no issues with this explanation but we were also informed and promised that the site would be "sorted" for our visit which sadly was not the case. | 26 June 2021 | |
| PGL Liddington | 26 June 2021 | ||
| Kingswood Grosvenor Hall | improvements in catering have been made. Instructor recruitment and training is still in hand and there were some issues with trainers not in right place at right time. Management of centre were highly visible and keen to help | 26 June 2021 | |
| JCA Condover Hall | Excellent trip with very attentive provider(JCA) who followed all Covid measures extremely well. | 26 June 2021 | |
| Kingswood West Runton | Great instructors, location near beach, a wide range of activities all within metres of the rooms, good food and a programme designed to wear the children out with 12 hours each day of fun! | 26 June 2021 | |
| Blackburn Cathedral | 25 June 2021 | ||
| Peak District National Park Authority | 25 June 2021 | ||
| Braeside Education and Conference Centre | Fantastic visit. The group leaders were excellent. | 25 June 2021 | |
| Essex Outdoors Danbury | The children have had an amazing time. The staff are brilliant at encouraging the children to try their best and make the activities interesting, whilst complying by all safety guidelines and measures. | 25 June 2021 | |
| Mendip Activity Centre | 25 June 2021 | ||
| Herd Farm | Fantastic staff, great activities | 25 June 2021 | |
| Herd Farm | Amazing staff! Great activities! Will be going back. | 25 June 2021 | |
| Derby Museum | great | 25 June 2021 | |
| Lee Valley White Water Centre | Excellent organisation although organisation of changing rooms need to improve as there were occasions where the students and members of the public were likely to mix and this should not happen. | 25 June 2021 | |
| Newton Abbot Leisure Centre | Very good instruction | 25 June 2021 | |
| Big Rock | 25 June 2021 | ||
| Hilltop Outdoor Centre | Couldn't have been better. Facilities great, staff fab. | 25 June 2021 | |
| BXM Expeditions | BXM have been very supportive. A student from another school tested positive and this meant the BXM had to self isolate so the expedition had to be cancelled | 24 June 2021 | |
| Knowsley Safari Park | 24 June 2021 | ||
| Paccar Scout Camp | Superb activities. No need for the scheduled 'teacher led' activities - Paccar had ample resources for all. | 24 June 2021 | |
| PGL Liddington | COVID safe and wonderful staff | 24 June 2021 | |
| Kingswood Trust | 24 June 2021 | ||
| A to Z Expeditions | 24 June 2021 | ||
| A to Z Expeditions | 24 June 2021 | ||
| Tower of London - Historic Royal Palaces | 24 June 2021 | ||
| Hesketh Farm Park | 24 June 2021 | ||
| Lee Valley White Water Centre | 24 June 2021 | ||
| Nuclear Races and Wild Forest | 24 June 2021 | ||
| Pensthorpe Natural Park | 24 June 2021 | ||
| Snettisham RYA Sailing Club | 24 June 2021 | ||
| Edgmond Hall Centre for Outdoor Learning | Our children had a fantastic day visiting Edgmond Hall! We were running late and they were still able to get all the activities done with the children. Jeoff and Debbie were great with the children - very patient! | 24 June 2021 | |
| Alton Towers Resort (day visits) | Very quiet but student constantly experienced rides being temporarily closed whilst waiting in the queue. In the 6 hours the students only managed 3 rides. | 24 June 2021 | |
| Aireborough Leisure Centre | 24 June 2021 | ||
| Englefield Estate | Strict Covid risk assessments and well-informed staff, clearly defined paths and areas made this superb. Great separate toilet facilities and breaks between sessions menat little queuing. | 23 June 2021 | |
| Essex Outdoors Danbury | 23 June 2021 | ||
| Conkers Discovery | A really well laid out place with exciting activities. | 23 June 2021 | |
| Banham Zoo | Spent a long time there. The pupils enjoyed the different attractions alongside the animals. This includes 2 different play parks and the bird shows were enjoyed by all. | 23 June 2021 | |
| The Venture Centre | 23 June 2021 | ||
| Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens | We had a most enjoyable day. The keepers gave really interesting and inspiring talks and there was a wonderful variety of animal life to keep our students interested. | 23 June 2021 | |
| Delamere Forest Park | Good for longer walks and outdoor education | 23 June 2021 | |
| Thorpe Park (Day Visits) | 23 June 2021 | ||
| Epping Forest Field Study Centre | Excellent | 23 June 2021 | |
| Lancashire Wildlife Trust | 23 June 2021 | ||
| Field Studies Council - Nettlecombe Court | The tuition provided by Mark was outstanding. He pushed the students to think for themselves and curate effective investigation titles and design frameworks. The food was very good - some delicious suppers including lasagna and chicken pie. Some other meals were a little more disappointing e.g. jacket potatoes without butter. The standard of cleaning was very good, although we struggled with loo paper for the last 24 hours of the trip. Overall, the staff we saw could not have been more helpful. The students really enjoyed themselves and we are hopeful for excellent NEA outcomes. | 23 June 2021 | |
| Thorpe Park (Day Visits) | I would recommend that more staff came on the trip to increase the ration. The reason being that we were eligible for Fast Track as we are a SEMH Provision. This meant that the student were not able to go off on their own. | 23 June 2021 | |
| Robinwood Activity centre - Barhaugh Hall | 23 June 2021 | ||
| PGL Liddington | 23 June 2021 | ||
| Time and Tide Museum of Great Yarmouth Life | Well planned out | 23 June 2021 | |
| Fairplay Outdoor Education Centre | Excellent organisation and safety in place for covid precautions. Excellent staff who motivated pupils and were flexible. | 23 June 2021 | |
| Wayahead Training | 23 June 2021 | ||
| Burwell House | 23 June 2021 | ||
| The Blackpool Tower | 23 June 2021 | ||
| Blackpool Pleasure Beach Ltd | 23 June 2021 | ||
| Royal Armouries Museum | I would definitely recommend the Royal Armouries to others. | 23 June 2021 | |
| Thorpe Woodlands Adventure Centre | Excellent activities dekivered by excellent instructors. | 23 June 2021 | |
| Hilltop Outdoor Centre | An excellent trip for our year 8 pupils. The activities were challenging at the correct levels and the 'Challenge by choice' very much in evidence. The staff at the Centre were excellent and had the pupils all fully engaged throughout the trip | 23 June 2021 | |
| Willowburn Sports Centre | Excellent communication from the start. The swimming team have been excellent throughout our sessions. | 22 June 2021 | |
| Banham Zoo | CEO was really friendly and made our day an excellent experience for staff and children alike! | 22 June 2021 | |
| Colchester Zoo | Excellent venue, great loos for little ones! Experience talk worthwhile | 22 June 2021 | |
| Field Studies Council - Juniper Hall | 22 June 2021 | ||
| Robinwood Activity Centre - The Old School | 22 June 2021 | ||
| Alton Towers Resort (day visits) | Queues very long for the main attractions, despite Covid reducing visitor numbers | 22 June 2021 | |
| Caldecotte Xperience | Good provision of activities. Instructors were clear and knew what they were doing: plenty of games were introduced to keep each activity fast paced. Only negative was that there were no clear instructions on arrival - a member of staff arrived just after us and said she was meant to greet us and would be out shortly but never re-appeared. Groups had to make their way from the central arrival point to the location of the first activities. | 22 June 2021 | |
| Caldecotte Xperience | Children really enjoyed their day. Instructors were all positive with the children. Children had a fun day of activities. | 22 June 2021 | |
| Cuffley Active Learning Centre | Staff were kind, knowledgeable and very helpful. | 22 June 2021 | |
| PGL Caythorpe Court | Brilliant accommodation, activities, instructors and food | 22 June 2021 | |
| PGL Windmill Hill | The children had an amazing time! The staff on site are very accommodating and support the children throughout! There is a wide assortment of activities for all to get involved in! | 22 June 2021 | |
| PGL Windmill Hill | An enjoyable centre with an impressive range of outdoor activities to suit our children. Their staff are genuinely happy to help and are always encouraging the children to join in. Our only grumbles are sometimes the lack of thought in regard to logistics - raft building as first activity when no rooms are ready made changing afterwards interesting! Also it can be difficult to communicate coherently with Head Office/admin teams as often you get through to a different person each time, it would be much better if one person was assigned to each party! | 22 June 2021 | |
| Cuffley Active Learning Centre | 22 June 2021 | ||
| Chatham Historic Dockyard | 22 June 2021 | ||
| Foxburrow Farm - Suffolk Wildlife Trust | Well planned by expert leader, Emma. Perfect timings and location | 22 June 2021 | |
| Stibbington Centre (formerly CEES) | Great day - great learning - thank you | 22 June 2021 | |
| Stibbington Centre (formerly CEES) | Positive learning experience, staff & pupils enjoyed their day | 22 June 2021 | |
| PGL Osmington Bay | 22 June 2021 | ||
| Kingswood Trust | 22 June 2021 | ||
| PGL Liddington | 22 June 2021 | ||
| Nell Bank Charitable Trust | Very memorable, the staff made the trip. They made it educational and fun. | 21 June 2021 | |
| Bletchley Park Trust | A well organised day with lots to do. | 21 June 2021 | |
| PGL Boreatton Park | Excellent staff on site. PGL Head Office not as helpful before going and some poor communication between them and the Centre. | 21 June 2021 | |
| Yorkshire Wildlife Park | The park was running at a reduced visitor capacity which made the day more accessible to the children. Facilities were clean and tidy. Staff who we spoke to about the animals were knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. | 21 June 2021 | |
| Wayahead Training | 21 June 2021 | ||
| Wayahead Training | 21 June 2021 | ||
| Banham Zoo | Year 4 experienced a wonderful day out at Banham Zoo on Thursday 10th June. They were able to explore the habitats, conservation projects and animals across the world. We have since completed several pieces of follow up work on the trip and it was well worth the visit. | 21 June 2021 | |
| Essex Outdoors Danbury | Students ....... | 21 June 2021 | |
| No Limits Development | Fantastic instructors provided who were knowledgeable and great with the students. Communication and planning was generally good with No Limits, although a few key aspects were left very last minute which was a little concerning at the time - although it all turned out fine. | 21 June 2021 | |
| Martin Mere | GREAT TRIP ONCE WE WERE THERE! LOTS OF LEARNING TOOK PLACE FOR THE CHILDREN. ONLY CONCERN IS THAT THE COACH WAS TOO SMALL SO TOOK TIME TO SORT IT WHICH HAD A KNOCK ON EFFECT FOR THE DAY. CLASS TEACHERS TO RESEARCH CLOSER TRIPS TO OPTIMISE TIME. | 21 June 2021 | |
| Field Studies Council - Nettlecombe Court | Excellent provider as usual. | 21 June 2021 | |
| Arete Outdoor Centre | 21 June 2021 | ||
| PGL Marchants Hill | Very good but there are some things that need working on. | 21 June 2021 | |
| Banham Zoo | Banham is a fantastic location for a wide variety of subjects, from Science to Business. The staff are friendly and well informed. It gave our students a good opportunity to understand a social enterprise rather than a standard profit making business. | 21 June 2021 | |
| Frank Chapman Centre | Staff are so welcoming and friendly whilst maintaining professionalism. The activities and itinerary for the day were pitched perfectly for the group we took. | 21 June 2021 | |
| PGL Bawdsey Manor | All aspects of the provision were excellent: friendly and supportive staff, well-organised and interestingsessions, well-organised meal times and varied menus, clean and well-organised accommodation. | 21 June 2021 | |
| Fairplay Outdoor Education Centre | Excellent trip, as always. Professional instructors, good value for money. | 21 June 2021 | |
| ZSL Whipsnade Zoo | 21 June 2021 | ||
| Thorpe Park | 21 June 2021 | ||
| Englefield Estate | 21 June 2021 | ||
| Essex Outdoors Bradwell | The team were great with the pupils and the activities were well resourced and ran especially in light of all the restrictions we are working within. | 21 June 2021 | |
| Dunham Massey | The children and staff had a lovely, enjoyable day at Dunham Massey. The access to the site and activities were really suitable and the staff very helpful. | 21 June 2021 | |
| Hertfordshire Zoo | An excellent experience - the only slight issue for a big group is that there weren't many toilet cubicles so it took a while to get all the children through | 21 June 2021 | |
| Attenborough Nature Centre - Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust | Great day out children loved every minute of this trip. Well done to all the staff who helped make the day very enjoyable. | 21 June 2021 |