AQA Certification is Approved! We are the first student travel company to offer the AQA Unit Award Scheme (UAS)!
Author: Claire, Head of Marketing.
Read time: 4 minutes
Big news folks! Our Curriculum Exploration Officer, Rob Wilson, has been working hard behind the scenes here at Flooglebinder on a project that we are incredibly proud of and super excited to announce! We are the first student travel company to offer the AQA Unit Award Scheme (UAS)!
From September this year, we will be able to offer schools and colleges the option of opting into the UAS which will recognise student learnings and experiences completed during activities on our trips, all whilst enjoying an incredible adventure with us.
With ‘Personal Development’ as a key driver in why we do what we do here at Flooglebinder, it felt right to keep innovating and offer tangible ways to encourage our students to keep working on their personal growth and push their boundaries. The UAS is the perfect way for us to work with our teachers to enable all students to further engage with learning and have their achievements formally acknowledged when on an educational adventure. AQA certification is a way to record learner achievement and for students to gain recognition of participation in subject areas outside of the classroom.
Study trips bring subjects to life and deepen a student’s understanding of complex topics and we feel these in-situ learning experiences deserve to be recorded and recognised!
Beyond academic growth, educational trips allow students to mobilise their learnings while socialising with peers in a completely different way than many of them have before. Improving academic and non-academic skills greatly prepares students for FE, apprenticeships, university and ultimately work!
So….What is AQA Certification?
Well, it is a way to officially recognise a student’s full and successful participation in a specific area of learning. Students are rewarded with a certificate each time they complete a unit of learning and can move through our projects building up a portfolio of certificates to evidence their skills, knowledge and experience in specific areas.
“A way of celebrating every success and has been inspiring students and building their confidence since 1984. An AQA developed and owned product, UAS was designed with progress in mind to help students flourish and re-engage with their learning journey”
We should clarify that these certificates are separate from the main awards programme! They are open to anyone, regardless of age group or which board your school or college uses as an examining board - any student can apply to participate in the awards scheme when their project is confirmed and booked. The awards are not mandatory, but we would love our schools and colleges to promote the option - these are competency-based certificates and give students an additional skill to add to their CV, personal statement, or job application.
Let’s also not forget how an additional certificate can make a student ‘feel’. Achievements can boost confidence, increase engagement with a subject and greatly improve motivation, helping students to make significant progress on their lifelong learning journey.
But why choose UAS?
Comprehensive – UAS covers a huge range of topics from traditional school curriculum subjects like Biology and Geography to life skills, outdoor activities, conservation and work-related learning.
Inclusive – Students of all ages and abilities can take part in the scheme and we love that this is the case.
Adaptable – We can write and design bespoke certificates to meet your learning needs and objectives.
Flexible – Students can achieve unlimited units each academic year, receiving certificates on-demand at any time throughout the year.
Versatile – teachers can use UAS in many different ways: SEND/SEMH programmes; enrichment and extracurricular activities; community-based learning projects and professional development.
Powerful motivator - The mapped units provide a core skills boost to encourage the students and help to increase confidence and self-belief, whatever their individual needs.
No formal exams - No requirement to ‘sit tests’ or pass exams to gain a certificate.
What kind of awards can a Flooglebinder trip provide?
Our Flooglebinder team includes teachers, lecturers, scientists, conservationists and researchers! This means we are well-equipped to plan and execute student adventures that enhance and support your learning objectives. Our Curriculum Officer has meticulously mapped our experiential learning activities to AQA unit awards in our key areas of Biology, Conservation and Nature, Geography and Sustainability and ensured at least three or more opportunities on each project for an award to be granted.
In fact, students can start earning units before they leave for their trip! Each Flooglebinder adventure begins with your Project Leader visiting your school to deliver a project launch and a workshop in your school. We work through:
An Introduction to the Sustainable Development Goals
Introduction to in-situ conservation
Personal development - different aspects of resilience
Carbon net zero and sustainable travel
Let’s talk specifics….
By September this year, our internal validation will be complete and we’ll be offering the AQA UAS to any school or college that books a trip with us. Your project Leader will work through the project itinerary with you and highlight the features of each activity and which AQA unit this is mapped to. For instance - you have booked an epic adventure to South Africa for your students and they have all signed up for the UAS scheme - this is not a definitive list, but your students can expect to be awarded certificates in the following categories should they successfully complete each activity:
Conservation and Nature - Field Skills: Camera traps in conservation
Conservation and Nature - Field Skills: Drones in conservation
Conservation and Nature - Field Skills: Environmental DNA sampling
Or a student in Iceland might achieve:
Geography - Activities in glacial areas
Geography - Natural hazards
And Wales could offer the following certificates:
Sustainability - Supporting a beach clean event
Sustainability - Ocean plastic pollution
A certificate will be issued when a student completes a unit which will list the unit outcomes and provide a record of the knowledge, skills and experiences your students have accomplished. Lovely!
Benefits for teachers?
These certificates are a way for you to deliver recognition and credit to a student who might otherwise go unrecognised in the classroom. In fact, some students will never have received a formal certificate in their life!
The certificates are not mandatory, but as a passionate, enthusiastic and brilliant teacher, who is constantly driving your students to think more, learn more and flourish, we hope that you will consider introducing the scheme to your school when you adventure with us.
We already know you think differently because you are reading our blog. We are no ordinary school trip provider, we create trips designed to grow students’ confidence and minds and transform their lives. The value of these certificates extends far beyond the trip itself. They are a brilliant way of celebrating every success, rewarding individuals for effort, inspiring and motivating students beyond the classroom and enabling them to identify new, exciting skills.
We passionately believe that building a sustainable future is more possible when we work together to enhance green learning and skills.
