Moorland Proficiency Certificate 2017/2018

Dear Parent,

Your son/daughter has expressed an interest in taking part in a program of moorland walks which have been organised for weekends between 4th November 2017 and 28th April 2018. The walks will provide participants with the opportunity to learn basic navigation techniques, camping and cooking skills, teamwork, self-sufficiency and hopefully, some organisation. To complete the certificate students will have to complete a minimum of eight walks including at least one camp. Completion of these walks will help those hoping to take part in the training for next year’s Ten Tors Expedition which will begin in February 2018 and continues until the event itself in May.

For Ten Tors we will be looking for youngsters who, according to age and experience would like to attempt to cover a 35, 45 or 55 mile route, allocated by the Army, across Dartmoor over two days. The expedition offers participants long term challenge and comradeship, the chance to use initiative, develop enterprise and imagination, plus the achievement of overcoming physical barriers in the pursuit of a personal goal. The event is organized by the Army based at Bulford Camp and although we usually apply for three teams it is they who decided on the allocation. We stress this point because the overall entry number is limited to 2400 participants and last year nearly double that number applied. Therefor no establishment can take for granted that it will receive all the teams asked for until confirmation of entry is given at the beginning of October 2017. This has led to disappointment in the past when, like other establishments we 'lost a team' in order that new groups could enter. However, as oweverH we are sometimes approached by other establishments needing walkers to make up their teams we can normally find a place for the majority if not all of our walkers who have 'survived' the training.

Camping begins at the beginning of March and the walks will become more frequent in the build up to Easter particularly if bad weather has caused the cancellation of earlier Walks. We must stress the importance of the walks from January onwards when the main distance training is completed, if you know that your son/daughter is likely to have other commitments during this period which mean that they will miss walks then we would suggest that they wait until next year before taking part.

Selection for team places is often difficult and we must stress that the ability to be a good 'team' member is as important as being a strong walker. The team leader and navigators are within ‘our gift’ to award but the rest of the team is selected after considering the total number of points gained over the training period and if the ‘Esh Rampuri Challenge’, which will be held on Sunday 25th March 2018, was completed. Points are awarded for each completed/part completed walk and will depend on the difficulty of the route attempted and the weather conditions on the day, but please remember that the walks after 1st February naturally carry more points than those before.

Please also note that this year all paperwork, routes and notices will be made available on the Outdoor Pursuits Website (not the school website) so it will be important that everyone checks it regularly for updates on routes etc. The web address is www.teignop.co.uk where the switchboard will allow you track whatever information you require. The ‘routes’ page will be password protected and we will supply ‘logon’ information once we have it running correctly!

Some of you may be aware that Mr Parker, who has run Ten Tors for Teign School for 40 years is retiring. From September the walks will be run by a small committee of staff who have been with Mr Parker for many years. The main point of contact will remain Mr Parker for the remainder of this school year, and new contacts will be given out at the parents evening in September and will also be on the website.

A charge of £7.00 is made via ‘Parent Pay’ for each training walk in order to cover the cost of transport (a coach taking us to the north moor now costs us some £280!) and it will be the students responsibility to ensure that his or her name is on the list for each walk they participate on. Please also note that staff will not be able to take payment on the day due to the new school payment system.

It is important that you are aware that hill walking on Dartmoor is often arduous and offers hidden dangers for the ill-prepared or unsuspecting. You will need to ensure that if you wish your son/daughter to take part in the training program he/she is adequately kitted out for winter walking on the hills. This does not mean that they have to look like Chris Bonnington but they must be adequately protected against the elements and therefore they must have a fully waterproof top and bottom plus walking boots not trainers, do remember that a dry, warm walker is a 'happy' walker. Please read the website section on kit carefully and if you would like the opportunity to discuss just what is acceptable then the opportunity will be provided at the information evening on Tuesday 19th September. All consent forms must be returned by Friday 22nd September 2017 at the very latest but we would prefer them by the end of June 2017 as the Army has brought all their administration dates forward.

Finally you will appreciate that an important aspect of the training will be the increasing independence given to teams as they prove their competence. By the middle March teams will be walking without direct supervision and will be expected to organize themselves as responsible young adults while on the moor. If this in any way concerns you then please feel free to speak to us at the information evening.

Yours sincerely,

Ten Tors Committee

Walk Dates 2017 - 2018

22nd Sept – Last day for consent forms / 3rd February 2018
7th October – Training day for 35’s only / 17th February 2018
4th November 2017 / 2nd/3rd March 2018*
18th November 2017 / 16th/17th/18th March 2018*
2nd December 2017 / 25th March 2018 – ‘The Esh Challenge
16th December 2017 / 13th / 14th April 2018*
6th January 2018 / 28thApril 2018 – Kieron Memorial
20th January 2018 / 11th/12th/13th May 2018 – Ten Tors Expedition

*Camps

Please check these dates carefully before you return a consent form, if you are going to miss walks from March onwards then it might be best to wait until 2019.