The Donkey Sanctuary earns national CEVAS accreditation

The Donkey Sanctuary near Sidmouth is celebrating after it’s visitor destination for educational school trips has been nationally recognised by the Countryside Educational Visits Accreditation Scheme (CEVAS).

The accreditation is awarded to establishments where staff have met the criteria and operates in line with the CEVAS Code of Practice, which is a quality assurance standard.

The accreditation requires training, self-guided learning and coursework in a variety of areas, including the National Curriculum in Food, Farming and the Countryside. This will ensure schools and parents whose children are visiting the site will have an educationally beneficial trip.

Carl Wholey the charity’s National Schools Programme Coordinator said: "We work hard to provide a quality service for our visitors and it’s great to be able to demonstrate this with the accreditation. Having this recognition means that visitors can expect high quality facilities and schools can be assured that class trips will result in new knowledge and a great experience for the kids. The educational resources have been developed with teacher and subject specialists to cover a range of aspects. We aim for our educational services to provide inspiration and impact on thousands of young people every year."

As well as offering high quality, informative and fun educational visits, The Donkey Sanctuary’s National Schools Programme has also developed a range of free educational resources linked to the UK National Curriculum. These are available on the website: www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/Education

All funds raised will help support The Donkey Sanctuary’s work in 30 countries worldwide. For more information about the event see www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk or call 01395 578222.