Activities Week for Year 8 is marked by the donning of their much-awaited Leavers’ hoodies and the official start of the programme of activities lasting until the end of term. This year’s residential was based in the Coalport district in Shropshire-one of the earliest centres of the Industrial Revolution. Staying in a beautifully converted building run by the Youth Hostel Association, this was an ideal base for exploring Ironbridge Gorge and its environs. Arrival was marked, in typical fashion, with a 4.4 mile round trip walk, taking in the wooded slopes and the oldest surviving iron bridge in the world. Blessed with a break in the persistent unseasonal wetness, and with the added excitement of Euro 24, evenings were spent playing cricket or cheering on various of the teams playing football (Georgia seemed particularly popular). Tuesday was exclusively devoted to visiting a reconstructed Victorian town at Blists Hill. Like stepping back in time, the children were treated to beef dripping chips, an old-fashioned sweet shop and a town that looked just like a film set! For Common Entrance candidates there was also the added excitement of a replica of the Trevithick engine. Who knew that Victorian railway engineering could be so exciting. After a quick breakfast and pack up, Wednesday’s activity was a trip to Warwick Castle. Blessed with wall-to-wall sunshine, the children were given a brief history of the development of castles and the illustrious career of Richard Neville, the ‘Kingmaker’. Tired but happy, the rest of the journey to school was blissfully uneventful. Thursday was a day dedicated to the concept of ‘service’, with Year 8 pupils walking from Wimpole Hall to school-a distance of some 12.4 miles. Yet again blessed with beautiful weather, the walk was a huge success. My personal thank you to all those parents who supported this venture, raising much needed funds for the British Heart Foundation. Friday was an ‘Art Day’ with the children working in teams to produce a short film using stop/go animation. What creativity was shown, and who could have guessed that plasticine could hold so much potential. A superb start to the Leavers’ Programme-I really can’t wait for the rest.
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