Why
Choose BAHA?
BAHA sets the standard for Quality, Safety and Value for activity centres and residential and day camp providers; so whether you’re choosing a centre for your next visit or you wish to apply to become an accredited member of BAHA, your search starts here……
Select a holiday type from the
list below or click here to find an
accredited centre using the
Interactive map
THE OUTDOOR EDUCATION ADVISERS' PANEL ENDORSES THE LOTC QUALITY BADGE
The Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel represents the views of the majority of Local Authority Outdoor Advisers and its endorsement (March 2010) of the LOtC Quality Badge is an important step forward.
This announcement appears on the OEAP website:
“The OEAP endorses the LOTC Quality Badge and requests to Local Authority Members to recommend the use of LOTC Quality Badge Providers to their schools, other establishments and groups.
It further requests to its LA members not to require information from LOTC Badged Providers that duplicates details provided by the Quality Badge Criteria.”
There is a register on the OEAP’s website showing which Local Authorities have already adopted the OEAP's recommendations as policy. Where this applies, paperwork attaching to learning experiences outside the classroom will be greatly reduced.
More info: http://oeap.info/what-we-do/oeap-compliance
BAHA IS THE FIRST TO GAIN APPROVAL
BAHA has operated an inspection and accreditation scheme for member centres for 15 years. It is operated to complement AALA Licensing for centres that are outside the scope of the legislation. This means that users can be assured that a BAHA member centre has undergone assessment by an independent third party.
Recognising the role played by BAHA and other organisations in the non-statutory area, the Government decided not to extend Licensing, but to ensure that existing schemes adopted agreed core criteria. BAHA participated in the development and piloting of these and has now become the first non-statutory scheme to gain approval from the Adventure Activity Industry Advisory Committee, which is the official Awarding Body.
This means that BAHA can now recommend member centres which successfully pass the BAHA inspection for Adventuremark accreditation (health and safety) or the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge (covering health, safety and learning support).
NEW DEAL FOR DAY CAMPS
As part of our review of member services in 2009, we realised that we were treating Day Camps like Activity Centres, when many are quite different. We’ve therefore introduced new terms for Day Camps for 2010 and hope that these fit the bill.
One thing is clear – there is no single pattern of programme or operation in Day Camps. Some are indeed very similar to Activity Centres, whereas others just offer games, sports and arts & crafts. Some are open all summer: others operate for just a couple of weeks. Regardless, the BAHA inspection and accreditation regime seeks to set appropriate high standards and approve members that meet them.
The Day Camp terms apply to centres / venues that are non-residential and offer a programme containing no more than two of the Adventurous Activities on the current BAHA list. Any of these higher risk activities will be examined during inspection, along with others to make up the quota.
Inspection of safety management systems at Head Office is mandatory, along with 25% of centres / venues (minimum one!) to ensure that theory is being implemented in practice.
Please check the “JOIN BAHA” section of the website for further details.
The BAHA Quality Experience: Members and their customers can be re-assured that the BAHA scheme is backed by a detailed Code of Practice that provides excellent guidance and is reviewed annually. Besides agreeing to follow these standards, BAHA members are subject to frequent inspection to ensure that theory is borne out in practice. The BAHA scheme is an approved route to both the new national Adventuremark accreditation and the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge.