After a sunny and restful half term, the Form 5 pupils returned to school on Monday morning, excited to go on their residential to Brenscombe Outdoor Centre. The children arrived in Corfe, full of excitement, nerves, courage and mountains of sweets! After settling into their accommodation and consuming lunch, it was time for their first day of activities. The class was divided into two groups and were led by Jen and Oli. Their first activity of the trip was Archery. The activity really focused on their listening and concentration skills. Our resident Archery professional Mr. Stazicker would have been delighted to witness the Form 5’s develop their technique and accuracy.
The second activity was ‘catapult building’. The groups were given the task to work together to build a catapult with the equipment given. Listening and team working skills were tested to the max but their determination and improved team work enabled them to create some fantastic results.
The final activity of the afternoon was air rifle shooting. For many this was their first time and each pupil developed well, with some showing immense natural ability and accuracy.
After a well earned rest and delicious evening meal it was time for the evening activity; Murder Mystery. The pupils were divided into three and had to find clues around the grounds. New evidence kept appearing, trying to put each team off the scent. The Sunninghill detectives worked well together and were all victorious in solving the murder. After a lovely hot chocolate and flapjack it was time to settle down for the night.
On Tuesday morning we enjoyed a scrumptious cooked breakfast before setting out on our daily activities on the water! First up was a challenging kayaking session. It was a chance for different pupils to shine and push themselves in tricky tasks. After having lunch and reapplying the sun cream we went on our ‘Big Canoe’ adventure. We had ‘boat Jen’ and ‘boat Oli’. The weather and scenery was absolutely beautiful as we made our way around islands such as Furzey and Brownsea. ‘Boat Jen’ rowed gracefully throughout but during the races ‘Boat Oli’ stepped up their game and raced to victory. The final activity of the afternoon was team games on Poole Harbour. Form 5 really enjoyed the games and returned to base looking forward towards having a shower and dinner.
The evening saw the class enjoy a camp fire. The pupils reflected on the challenges so far and clearly felt their team working skills had improved. They then performed their favourite moments of the trip.
Our final day started with a low and high ropes course. Some found the challenges tougher than others but every pupil tried their best and achieved their set target. The high ropes challenge was very high indeed and not for the faint hearted, to say the least. Form 5 once again displayed their determination, courage and most importantly their support towards their peers.
After a prize giving ceremony from Jen and Oli and a tearful goodbye, we travelled to Studland beach to have lunch and some ‘cool down’ time on the beach. The children enjoyed an ice cream before returning back to school.
You can immerse yourself in our adventure and enjoy the video below which Mrs Thorpe produced.
A huge thank you to Brenscombe Outdoor Centre for providing such a wonderful programme and thank you to Mrs Thorpe and Mr Dunbar for all their hard work on the residential.
Mr. Willemse
