I disagree with Richard and Ian's response.  Why is it OK to visit a place of worship where belief and faith are part of the deal, but not OK to go to a zoo where some of the staff have beliefs of their own?  The techniques used by good education services at religious sites aim to elicit feelings of personal reflection in a setting designed for people to think about these things - so why not in a zoo where you're right in front of the 'evidence' and the debate can be even closer to the reality?  
 
I looked at the Noah's Ark Farm Park's website and they explicitly say that evolution and creation are areas open to debate, and that while they have their own views, it's up to the individual to come to their own conclusions: 'In our view the evidence currently known points to a ‘both/and’ situation (creation and evolution) rather than ‘either/or’' ... we encourage interested readers to explore the issues for themselves'.  Ian's Life Centre runs a KS4 workshop in which students 'use dialogue activities to explore Darwin’s theory and the historical ideas behind it and decide for themselves how modern day criticisms of evolution should be answered' - not that different?
 
Noah's Ark Farm Park lists a range of educational workshops and activities based around National Curriculum in Science and there's no suggestion that these workshops actually morph into something else when the schools arrive.  It appears that the Farm Park was chosen as one of the 10% of self-assessed sites to receive an inspection, and presumably this found that the service was as described in its publicity, otherwise that would in itself be a reason to lose the quality badge status.
 
However the main point, as expressed in the CLOtC's reply, is that the Quality Badge is about processes, not content.  The Farm obviously reached the standard required and was awarded the badge.  It's not up to the CLOtC to discriminate between different applicants on anything other than quality of provision.
 
For these reasons, while on a personal level I refute Creationism, I can't see a reason why Noah's Ark Farm Park should lose its badge.
 
Robin Clutterbuck
White Rook Projects
www.whiterook.co.uk
-----Original Message-----
From: List for discussion of issues in museum education in the UK. [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Richard Ellam
Sent: 27 July 2010 14:17
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Council for Learning Outside the Classroom approves Creationist Attraction

Dear All

List members considering whether to seek the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge  may be interested in, and concerned about, the CLOtC's decision to award their Quality Badge to the Noah's Ark Farm Park at Wraxall, near Bristol.

The Noah's Ark Farm is an explicitly and agressively Creationist folly, which seeks to mislead children by teaching them the literal truth of the biblical account of creation and explicitly denies that evolution can explain the diversity of life on Earth.

Quite apart from any wider concerns about the validity of these opinions, the teaching of Creationism is contrary to the requirements of the National Curriculum.

A number of people involved in science communication and informal science education including my colleague Ian Simmons from the Centre for Life in Newcastle are very concerned about the fact that CLOtC has accredited Noah's Ark in the first place, and (as the correspondence below shows) doesn't seem to understand that it might have made a mistake in the second.

If you share our concerns, can I ask you to join with us in writing to the CLOtC to express your concern.

The CLOtC can be contacted via [log in to unmask]

Thanks


Richard.


Richard Ellam
L M Interactive
Science Shows and Hands-On Stuff




Begin forwarded message:

From: Ian Simmons <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 27 July 2010 11:49:45 BDT
Subject: [PSCI-COM] Council for Learning Outside the Classroom
Reply-To: "psci-com: on public engagement with science"              <[log in to unmask]>

Centre for Life is accredited by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom with their Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge, but I was worried to find out this week that they’d also given this status to the Noah’s Ark Zoo – a creationist outfit near Bristol, so I wrote to them expressing my concerns that we are put on a par with such a dubious body,  and got this reply
“Dear Mr Simmon, s

Many thanks for your email concerning the recent award of the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge to Noah's Ark Zoo Farm.

The criteria for awarding the LOtC Quality Badge are that the organisation must offer good quality learning outside the classroom and manage risk effectively. The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom is very committed to equality and we will award the Quality Badge to an organisation that can demonstrate that it meets these criteria; past awards have included Interfaith Kirklees and Canterbury Cathedral without any implied endorsement of their religious base.

CLOtC believes that an important aim of learning outside the classroom is allowing children and young people access to education that challenges assumptions and allows them to experience a range of viewpoints; giving them the tools needed to be proactive in their own learning.

CLOtC is an independent charity and I would like to stress that the operation of the LOtC Quality Badge scheme receives no government funding.

Kind Regards
Amy”
Which concerns me even more, such that I am considering asking to be delisted, as I think giving them a stamp of providing ‘good quality education’ devalues us by association, if any of your organizations are LOtC registered and share my concern I would urge you to make it known to them – their website is http://www.lotc.org.uk/The-LOTC-quality-badge/The-LOTC-quality-badge
IAN


Ian Simmons

Science Communication Director
Centre for Life
Management Suite
Times Square
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4EP

Tel: +44191 2438250
Fax: +44191 2438201
Email: [log in to unmask]

Life - A Centre for world-class science

This year we celebrate our 10th birthday - Find out more at www.life.org.uk

Doctor Who Exhibition at Life until Sunday 31 October 2010 - Book tickets now at www.life.org.uk/whats-on

10th Anniversary Debate,  Science – Where in the Next Ten Years – www.life.org.uk/whats-on

Our mission is to inspire curiosity in science through imaginative exhibitions and events, raise standards in science education and support world-class scientific research.




Disclaimer - July 27, 2010

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for 'psci-com: on public engagement with science'. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute, copy or alter this email. Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author and might not represent those of Centre for Life. Warning: Although Centre for Life has taken reasonable precautions to ensure no viruses are present in this email, the company cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage arising from the use of this email or attachments.********************************************************************** 1. To suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for example, send an email to mailto:[log in to unmask] with the following message:

set psci-com nomail -- [include hyphens]

2. To resume email from the list, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the message:

set psci-com mail -- [include hyphens]

3. To leave psci-com, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the message:

leave psci-com -- [include hyphens]

4. Further information about the psci-com discussion list, including list archive, can be found at the list web site:http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/psci-com.html

5. The psci-com gateway to internet resources on science communication and science and society can be found at http://psci-com.ac.uk

6. To contact the Psci-com list owner, please send an email to mailto:[log in to unmask]**********************************************************************






+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + GEM list: Contact the list owner for assistance at [log in to unmask] For information about joining, leaving and suspending mail (eg during a holiday) see the list website at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=GEM + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + GEM list: Contact the list owner for assistance at [log in to unmask] For information about joining, leaving and suspending mail (eg during a holiday) see the list website at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=GEM + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +