Its crazy how much kids love Riverschool!   Each day we paddle by giant canoe to our woodland basecamp for activities, free-play, fun, friendship and adventure, or we journey out to explore the Dart estuary. 

We normally gather at The Quay, Stoke Gabriel, but sometimes it is Tuckenhay or Totnes depending on the tides (so check your booking details carefully).

We are once again be able to offer both HAF-funded* and privately-funded, Open-to-All Riverschool Holiday Clubs.    * (HAF = Holiday Activities and Food programme -for those eligible for Free School Meals in the Devon Authority area, more details below)

Below are our planned dates for Riverschool and some explanations.  Some dates are yet to be confirmed, so please save dates for now.

Bookings will open 26th March here.  

Easter Holidays:   07-09th April, Mon, Tues, Weds.  HAF-funded with some pay-for places.

Summer Half term: 27-29 May incl.  Tues, Wed, Thurs.     Open-to-All, Privately-funded places only.  

Summer Holidays:   all dates TBC, please save the dates for now.

Either 28-30th July, Mon to Wed,  or  29th - 31st July, Tues to Thurs.   TBC.     Open-to-All, Privately-funded places only.  
4-8th August, Mon-Fri.  HAF-funded with some pay-for places.
11-15 August, Mon-Fri.  HAF-funded with some pay-for places.
18-22 August, Mon-Fri. HAF-funded with some pay-for places.
26-28 August, Tues, Wed, Thurs.  Open-to-All, Privately-funded places only.  

October Half-term:  27-29 October. Mon to Wed.   Open-to-All, Privately-funded places only. 

Please check below for clarity on the different holiday clubs.  Some things are a little bit different for 2025. 

We have been doing our best to take into consideration feedback from recent years and the financial times we are living in.    

We realise budgets are tight and we are really feeing this at Canoe Adventures.   We are keeping prices the same as last year (and the year before and the year before that!).  We are also very pleased to have HAF funding again this year but it is tighter than ever per child.

Pay-for places on HAF sessions.   We are very pleased we can include some pay-for / privately-funded places on the HAF-funded blocks so non-Free School Meal eligible children can join.  We will prioritise these places for local schools as best we can.  The main aim of doing this is so friends from the same schools can go on the same holiday clubs, irrespective of their free school meal eligibility.   To make this work, please book as quick as you can.

How to book: Please click here for a new booking system provided by Devon County Council which will handle all bookings, both HAF and paid-for / self-funded places.   

Booking in advance helps us massively.

Seven year olds:  We promote Riverschool as ages 8-14.   We can take some seven year olds at our discretion, especially children we know and siblings.  But we can’t take too many or we don’t have  enough muscle power to paddle the canoes, they take more supervision and staff and we are keen to have a good mix of ages. I am sure you understand!   Please contacts us directly, if in doubt. 

'Open to All' vs HAF 

Please note HAF-funded days are shorter than the Open-to-All, Privately-funded Holiday clubs, and they include a hot meal that we all take part in cooking together on the open fire.  

Open-to-All, Privately-funded holiday clubs involve some cooking on the fire but it is not intended as a substantial meal, so your children need to bring a packed lunch.  

Open-to-All, Privately-funded Riverschoool:

• Hours: 1000-1600
• Packed lunch needed.
• £40/45

HAF-funded Riverschool, (including pay-for places on same sessions):

• Hours: 1030-1530
• Hot meal included, that we will cook together on the open fire.
• You can book up to 3 days in Easter and 4 in summer holidays
• Free places are for young people from within Devon County Council and with a valid Free School Meals eligibility code.   Please note Torbay is separate authority and is not eligible, sorry.  Please check this if you are on the boundary, eg Stoke Gabriel and Galmpton Primary schools, to avoid disappointment on booking. 
• Please don't book without a Free School Meals or Extended Criteria eligibility code.  
• For more infomation about this funded programme and the eligibility criteria:   https://www.devon.gov.uk/educationandfam...

Our aim is to be fully inclusive and open to everyone.  However, given the nature of our activities, please note we may need to limit numbers of very small children so that we have enough paddlers to operate our canoes safely, and also some SEN children if we can't satisfy the staffing levels that maybe needed to ensure a safe environment.  It is important you declare any SENDs, ADHD etc.  

3. School trips, Youth groups, overnight camps and private birthday parties, please contact: hello@canoeadventures.co.uk or 07706 343744; schools/youth groups click here.

RIVERSCHOOL is an Ofsted registered childcare provider (Registration / Reference number 27317450) 

Our aim is to be fully inclusive and open to everyone but, given the nature of our activities, please note we may need to limit numbers of very small children so that we have enough paddlers to operate our canoes safely, or some SEN children if we can't satisfy the staffing levels that maybe needed to ensure a safe environment.