Calling all Schools! British Orienteering has a wide range of Orienteering opportunities available to schools

Orienteering can be delivered within the school curriculum or as an extra-curricular activity. Along with developing a young person’s physical well-being, new skills will be learned and confidence gained to make decisions independently and in partnership with others. 

Orienteering is a great sport with indoor and outdoor activities catering for all ages and abilities. On top of being an excellent physical activity, Orienteering helps develop a student's confidence with decision making both independently and through teamwork.

Orienteering can be used in the PE curriculum but it is also a fantastic cross-curricular activity that can support subjects such as Maths, PE, and Geography. Orienteering has a lot to offer in terms of meeting the physical and mental developmental needs of students.

In what ways are you going to use Orienteering this year to develop your students' confidence, resilience, and knowledge, helping them gain a greater understanding of how to develop and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle?

There is a wide range of Orienteering opportunities available to schools - check out the following!

Training Courses

Training Courses British Orienteering has a number of progressive training courses for teachers - the Orienteering Leadership Pathway. Some courses are online (E-Learning) and others are delivered face-to-face by a tutor. Teachers can choose a blended approach to training; completing eLearning courses as well as attending the more practical tutor-delivered courses.

There will be something to suit your needs as an individual and a school.

• eLearning Courses for School Teachers:  Courses available here.
• Face-to-face Teaching Orienteering Courses available:  Find out more, email: info@britishorienteering.org.uk.
• Young Leader Award: Full details of these courses can be found here.

Resources & Equipment

• School Site Mapping Support:  British Orienteering will arrange for a specialist school orienteering mapper to be deployed to your site to produce a computer-generated accurate and professional map in a PDF format.
   
  • You just need to decide on the area to be mapped. In most cases, this will be your school site.
  • British Orienteering will then mutually agree to the timescales to complete the mapping, typically the lead time is four weeks.
    
    To find out more please contact Howard Blackman (Business Development Officer) Email: hblackman@britishorienteering.org.uk or 07768 334207.

• Xplorer Schools Has been developed by British Orienteering to introduce orienteering to Primary Schools in an innovative and non-traditional way. Find out more here.
• Orienteering Equipment  
  Resources for orienteering in schools are available from The British Schools Orienteering Association (BSOA) and Bishop Sport and Leisure.

• Free Schools Games Resources
  British Orienteering has worked alongside the School Games to develop a new set of free orienteering resources to help in the recovery of getting children back active and giving them positive experiences in sport.
  
  From Pitch Orienteering that takes place on a standard football pitch to the traditional Orienteering Score Competition - the formats are simplified, progressive, and varied so can provide a fun and exciting introduction to the sport of orienteering.
   
  • FREE downloadable resources for Primary Schools - check these out!
    • Your School Games - Orienteering - Tri-O - Introductory activities
    • Your School Games - Orienteering - Matching Symbols Relay
    • Your School Games - Orienteering - Score competition
    • Your School Games - Orienteering - Netball numbers

    • Your School Games - Orienteering - Counting Cones

  • FREE downloadable resources for Secondary Schools - click on each of the links below and find out more.
    • Your School Games - Orienteering - Pitch 'O'
    • Your School Games - Orienteering - Score competition
    • Your School Games - Orienteering - Two-person star relay 

Find out more about the School Games and how your school can get involved here.

Go Orienteering

• Permanent and Virtual (GPS) Orienteering Courses
  Permanent Orienteering and Virtual (GPS) Orienteering Courses are located across the UK. They provide an excellent opportunity to experience Orienteering at one of your local parks. Find out more here.

• Discover Your Local Club
  Many local orienteering clubs run regular coaching sessions, often at mid-week ‘club nights’, or on weekends. If you want to talk about how you can experience orienteering or how you can get your school involved, contact your local orienteering club who will be happy to help and answer any questions. Alternatively, contact British Orienteering's National Office on 01629 583037.

British Schools Orienteering Association

• Find out more about British Schools Orienteering Association (BSOA)
•  Register your school - Together with the British Schools Orienteering Association (BSOA), British Orienteering aims to support and grow Orienteering within the education sector and provide training, resources, and opportunities to compete at Orienteering events.

For more information visit our dedicated School Orienteering webpage which can be accessed here.