Out of this world
In January, Visions in Education (VIE) took a group of teachers on their annual inspection visit to the Euro Space CentER. EVC Magazine’s Alexandra Briggs joined them for an out-of-this-world experience.
Let’s be honest, who hasn’t dreamed of being an astronaut? The Euro Space Center in Transinne, Belgium offers a taste of space on planet Earth. The only immersive, educational space theme park in Europe, it is dedicated to inspiring the engineers, scientists and astronauts of tomorrow with a mixture of hands-on workshops, laboratories, exhibitions and simulators. VIE’s inspection visit is designed to give teachers the chance to trial what their students would be doing on their educational visits.
The inspection visit not only provided opportunity to scope-out and become familiar with the venue and activities, perfect for visit planning and risk assessments, it also showcased how VIE organises and manages their visits. Their friendly team, headed by Niall and Linda, were always on hand to offer support and answer questions.
Travelling with other Visit Leaders and EVCs was also useful. Our group ranged from 20-year EVCs to second year teachers, comprehensive schools to specialist colleges, from Edinburgh to Kent. Having the chance to share ideas, discuss and learn from others about their educational visits experience is a huge benefit of visits like this.
Getting to try the activities without supervising students is a definite bonus! Highlights included the simulated Space Shuttle launch, where we each played the role of a Ground Control station or Shuttle Pilot/Commander; the multi-axis chair from the Mercury-7 astronaut training; free-fall slide, rotating chair and Space Rotor (for a few brave souls!); and, of course, the VR Moonwalk XP.
Space, the final frontier
One of the great things about the Euro Space Centre is its self-contained nature. The centre has its own Galactic Inn with 24 10-person dorm rooms, each with two ensuite showers, across three floors. All rooms are situated on straight corridors, making them easy to monitor. Tasty, student-friendly meals are served in the space-themed Voyager Café. Each attendee receives a colour-coded wristband on arrival, giving staff an immediate alert to any dietary requirements they may have; this system was developed by VIE in conjunction with the Space Centre to reduce the hassle and worry of language barriers and busy environments by ensuring that all catering staff can quickly and easily identify diners’ needs.
A typical student room at the Galactic Inn.
From outer space to the bowels of the Earth
In the evening, we toured the spectacular Grottes de Han. The longest cave network in Belgium, the stunning concretions and awe-inspiring galleries are unforgettable. Our expert guide also explained the caves’ fascinating science and history.
Life is like a box of chocolates
No trip to Belgium would be complete without sampling the famous chocolates. Our scheduled stop was closed but VIE seamlessly switched us to Leonidas, a family-run chocolatiers in Ypres, where we learned how they serve a coachload of students in just 15 minutes. Best of all, they give the staff free chocolate!
Ready for an eventful journey home - but at least we all had chocolates!
Houston, we (don’t) have a problem
All the best visit stories come from the unexpected moments. For us, this was being pulled over by the Belgian transport police! VIE ensure to use reputable companies, however, and our brilliant driver, Paul, soon passed the random vehicle inspection and we were away.
Travelling with specialist companies takes away the hassle and stress of negotiating unexpected problems. This was highlighted on our journey home when our ferry was cancelled. Our tour operator leapt into action and had switched us onto Le Shuttle before we even knew anything was amiss.
Are inspection / pre-visits right for my school?
At EVOLVE Advice, we would recommend taking any possible opportunities attend pre-visits, teacher previews, showcases and inspection visits. They are an invaluable chance to familiarise yourself with new venues/destinations, experience and get to know providers, and connect and share experiences and ideas with other school staff in a visit setting, all aiding and improving visit planning and risk assessment.
Many thanks to Visions in Education, Hodgsons Coaches, the Euro Space Centre, Domaines des Grottes de Han, and Leonidas.
by Alexandra Briggs
Alexandra is a volunteer reporter for The EVC Magazine. When she’s not moonwalking, she’s a Customer Support Assistant at EVOLVE Advice.