Gordano School is delighted to celebrate a major milestone in its Outdoor Education journey: three members of staff — Sam Thomas (Teacher of MFL), Verity Eastwood Dewing (LSP Flourish Chaplain) and Rachel Allen (Deputy Lead for Outdoor Education) — are now fully qualified Hill and Moorland Leaders, a nationally recognised award from the Mountain Training Association. 

This respected qualification allows leaders to take groups safely into UK hill and moorland terrain. It represents a significant commitment of time, resilience and skill development, and the school is immensely proud of the team’s achievement. 

A Rigorous and Rewarding Journey 

The qualification process was completed through training and assessment with Pete Goldsmith Mountaineering, with whom Gordano has enjoyed a long-standing partnership. 

To gain their Hill and Moorland Leader status, each candidate successfully completed: 

• A 3-day training course 
• A 3-day assessment 
• A 2-day outdoor first aid qualification 

In addition, they were required to log 40 “Quality Hill Days”, demonstrating their consolidation of skills and leadership experience across at least three different UK hill and moorland regions. Twenty were completed prior to training, and twenty more before assessment. 

Much of this training involved weekends and school holidays spent out in the hills—often in challenging weather—practising navigation exclusively with map and compass, leaving GPS devices behind. Night navigation and poor-visibility scenarios were essential components, ensuring that groups can be led safely in demanding conditions. These trips also enabled the team to plan, test, and refine routes for the school’s Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award expeditions. 

The final assessment, held on Dartmoor in late November, challenged candidates with wet and windy weather across the three days. They were rigorously tested on navigation, group management, emergency procedures, weather interpretation, route planning and environmental responsibility. 

Leadership Across the Team 

While this qualification marks a fantastic achievement for the three new leaders, it also reflects the wider dedication of the Outdoor Education team. Our Head of Outdoor Education, Polly Oakman, is currently working towards the prestigious Mountain Leader award, having completed her intensive 6-day training and a number of Quality Mountain Days. Gordano School also now has 5 qualified DofE Assessors, with further members of staff due to complete their training this year. 

A School Committed to Outdoor Adventure 

Gordano School is proud to fund these courses with Mountain Training as part of its commitment to delivering high-quality Outdoor Education. Ensuring that staff hold nationally recognised qualifications means that students can explore wild spaces with highly trained, confident and knowledgeable leaders. 

All three newly qualified Hill and Moorland Leaders have already begun applying their skills on recent DofE expeditions—and look forward to doing even more in 2026. 

As our Deputy Lead for Outdoor Education, Rachel Allen, reflected: 

"Having learned so much and enjoyed every opportunity to get out into the countryside, I feel more determined than ever to get our students into the Great Outdoors as much as we can." 

Headteacher Ms Blundell praised the team’s achievements, saying: 

“This is an outstanding accomplishment and a powerful example of the commitment, expertise and enthusiasm within our staff team. Outdoor Education plays a vital role in developing confidence, resilience and independence in our young people, and these new qualifications will directly enhance the experiences we offer. The team has truly embodied our school ethos — Dream Big, Do Your Best, Give Back — and our students will feel the benefits for years to come.” 

Gordano School has the highest number of Duke of Edinburgh starters in the South West, holding the title for two years running. It was also recognised for giving back nearly 5000 hours of volunteering and has celebrated Gold Award success with a visit to Buckingham Palace.