Countryside Leader Award Training and Assessment

Bright Expeditions has years of experience in organising and delivering expeditions and leader training whilst working with different organisations.

If you are thinking of starting a career in the outdoor industry and want to start building a portfolio of qualifications or you need to formalise your experience to deliver expeditions at your centre then why not benefit from our hive of knowledge.

Dates: TBA
Location: North Downs, Dorking

Countryside Leader Award

We are providers of the Countryside Leader Award (CLA) training course and assessment and run these courses every year, typically at either end of the expedition season (March – October).The CLA is for adults who wish to lead walks and camping expeditions in non-remote, lowland countryside.

The Countryside Leader Award (CLA) is for adults who wish to lead walks and camping expeditions in non-remote, lowland countryside.

Many types of walks and camping trip fall within the scope of the CLA. If you would like to use it for DofE expeditions, the scope corresponds with the recommended bronze and silver expedition terrain.

The Outdoor Education Advisers Panel (OEAP) endorses the CLA as a measure of competence.

The Adventure Activities Licensing Service (AALS) inspected and recognised the award in 2013.

Outdoor Education Advisers Panel Endorsement
The CLA is endorsed by the Outdoor Education Advisors’ Panel (OEAP) and so is endorsed by all education authorities that follow OEAP National Guidelines.

AALS Recognition

The Adventure Activities Licensing Service (AALS) inspected CLA in 2013 when it was responsible for inspections on behalf of the HSE Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA).

Following inspection AALS recognised the CLA as “adequate evidence of a person’s technical competence, within the remit of the award, at the time of their assessment, and within the context of a licensed provider’s other safety management arrangements.”

Please visit the CLA website for Prerequisites

Candidates are required to register with the CLA and pay the registration fee (separate to our course fees)

It is the individual candidate and their organisation’s responsibility to ensure that the CLA is recognised by their organisation/EVC/Outdoor Education Adviser and that it is suitable for the remit within which the candidate are or will be operating.

Training

Training is a mixture of classroom and practical outside learning. You’ll learn about different types of equipment, the legalities of running expeditions, navigation by day and night and everything in between including how to mitigate risk. You’ll be able to learn not only from us (we have some stories to tell!) but also from other candidates and it’s not unusual for great friendships to be made on our courses.

Our training is delivered in a straightforward and approachable manner by Mountain Leader Summer Award holders with heaps of experience and valuable skills.

Training Courses are 3 days either as a 3-day block or as a module of one day followed by a 2-day expedition.

Training Course format

Day One

Introduction to CLA and logbooks/home papers collected
Classroom – intro the CLA, scope and remit, legalities, administration and procedures, weather, leader kit and stoves, learning resources
Night navigation

Day Two

Navigation and leadership training in the field
Set up camp and cook dinner
Discuss tents, campcraft and stoves
Night navigation (only if required or time of year demands)

Day Three

Cook breakfast
Route planning
Short navigational team walk
Debriefs, discussing logbooks and consolidation. Logbooks returned. A personal consolidation plan will be discussed with each candidate based on our observations from both during the course and your logbook. Consolidations can vary between candidates.

Dates: 16th – 18th February 2024
Location: South Downs, Sussex

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Assessments

Candidates will have some consolidation to complete in between training and assessment.

Assessments are 2 night lightweight and self-sufficient camping expeditions with a home paper completed in advance.

Some pre-requisites apply for the training and assessment so please contact us to have an informal chat and find out more.

If you already hold an award but would like some input on managing multiple expedition groups, are feeling a little rusty or maybe just want to revisit some skills we are more than able to put together a bespoke course for you based on your needs!

All of our training courses can be flexible and bespoke according to venue and cost. We run open courses and assessments but can also run courses specifically for groups.

Assessment Course Format
Dates: TBA
Location: North Downs, Dorking

Day One

Meet mid afternoon
Discuss the assessment and collect in home papers and logbooks
Stove use and safety assessment
Cook dinner
Assessment of campcraft and equipment use
Night navigation

Day Two

Cook breakfast
Self Sufficient walk with a full personal rucksack to another site.
Assessment of navigation, leadership and emergency scenarios
Camp set up and cook dinner
Night navigation (only if required)

Day Three

Self sufficient walk with a full personal rucksack to start point
Revisit any assessment points needed
Individual debriefs with results and return of logbook
Leave

Some pre-requisites apply for the training and assessment so please contact us to have an informal chat and find out more.

If you already hold an award but would like some input on managing multiple expedition groups, are feeling a little rusty or maybe just want to revisit some skills we are more than able to put together a bespoke course for you based on your needs!

All of our training courses can be flexible and bespoke according to venue and cost. We run open courses and assessments but can also run courses specifically for groups.

Weather or climate conditions or candidate requirements may mean that we change the format of courses. This means we will deliver the course as required but the order may differ. In these instances we will inform you as needed at the start of the course.

Want to find out more?