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Year 6 School Journey

Year 6 School Journey 2023 Diary

Monday 
We have had a very busy and rather wet start to the week, but all is well! The children have completed 3 activities, including archery, fire lighting and rock wall climbing. The thunder, lightning and torrential rain meant that we did our final activity in the huge indoor hall. The children all took part in everything and many really showed support to their teammates. Generally, most rooms are now calm and quiet and the teachers are hoping to get to bed before midnight. Some highlights from the day:

Many successes for children reaching the top of the rock wall.

Lots of children were able to light a fire using flint.

In one of the boys' rooms, they have written a set of rules for the room, which include 'be neat, keep to your own space and make sure everyone agrees before the lights are turned off!'

In one of the girls' room, there was an evacuation to the tiny en suite room, due to a few daddy long legs flying around.

We look forward to pancakes for breakfast in the morning and the following activities: 

3G swing, crate stacking, bouldering, shelter building, fencing and a night hike. 

Goodnight! 

Tuesday 
It has been a warm, sunny day today and we have been so busy!

NEWSFLASH! The Tooth Fairy visited twice last night and is making a return visit tonight. She has been very busy!

We had pancakes and toast this morning before heading to our first activity. Backwoods Cooking – making pizza in the woods, The 3G Swing, Fencing and The Leap of Faith. All the children have impressed us with their willingness to have a go at everything. No one has opted out. The 3G swing has been a favourite – scary and high but so much fun.

One of the best examples of teamwork has been with the crate stacking activity. Two people on a harness trying to stay on top of an ever-increasing stack of crates – simple but so much fun.

This evening, we did our night hike out of the camp and into Epping Forest. It was very dark, hilly and muddy, but the view of London lit up at the top was worth the wait.

All is quiet now. I am thrilled to say that at least 3 rooms have had showers – we aim to increase this tomorrow!

Ms Chick left this evening to go home to her family. A huge thank you to her for supporting the children over the two days. Miss Corbett came on Monday and will be returning tomorrow morning for the rest of the week. Miss Mann arrived this afternoon to build a shelter and will be staying until tomorrow. Miss Jones will also be coming on Thursday for more activities and to join in with the campfire. And of course, Mrs Dempsey and Mrs Anderson have been here throughout the week.

A big thank you to Miss Jones for uploading the photos each night. Apologies if some are repeated, we have over 80 to try to send throughout the day. We hope to include all children in different groups by the end of the week.

Goodnight! 

Wednesday 
It was a bit of a task getting some groups up and ready this morning, in both lodges. A decent-ish sleep for us all.

NEWSFLASH! Another tooth out today, but the person involved has requested that the tooth fairy visit them at home on Friday night. So, no visit tonight!

Today, many groups took part in new activities – one of the most daunting was tomahawk throwing. Yes, real axes and real ‘angel’ tomahawks. This was a really skilled activity and it was very difficult to hit the target. However, there were some excellent shots and the children loved it.

The 3G swing continues to be one of the favourites, along with fire lighting and crate stacking.

It is fair to say that we have had to work on building teamwork skills and resilience over the week, with some children. A few niggly arguments and a bit of thoughtless behaviour is normal during these residential visits. The important thing is for them to improve the way they communicate to each other, so that issues can be resolved. The need for adults to intervene then becomes less and the teachers are happy!

Room inspections took place this evening – parents and carers, you would be so proud of how well your children can make a bed, put their clothes and shoes away and keep the floor tidy! There is no excuse now for a messy bedroom!

All children have now had at least one shower, so life is bright.

Miss Mann left at lunchtime. A big thank you to her for supporting the children over the two days. Miss Corbett arrived this Monday morning for the rest of the week and enjoyed climbing to the top of the very high gauntlet course. Miss Jones will be coming tomorrow, to bring some much-needed energy to the team.

Tomorrow is Zip wire, Leap of faith, Climbing wall, Archery and Campfire. 

Thursday
Another long sleep for many children after a very busy day. NEWSFLASH: the Tooth Fairy will not be calling this evening!

This morning, after croissants and toast, we headed to our 5 activities. Miss Jones arrived, which was lovely. Today was a long walk to the zip wire. Another very high post to climb, but the view from the top was fantastic. We also had shelter building, rock wall climbing, outdoor archery, fencing and the scary Leap of Faith.

We have noticed a bit of a slump in the afternoon activities, with teachers and children! This is mainly due to a big lunch but also the sheer amount of walking the children have to do from the lodges to the meeting point, then to the woods, back to the meeting point and on to the next activity.

The good weather helped to make it a warmer day, particularly in the dark woods and the afternoon ended with a trip to the shop.

The highlight this evening was a huge campfire, with songs, actions and fun activities, led by the instructors. Using a torch has been so much fun during these evening walks.

Room inspections have been completed; the winning room from each lodge will be announced in the morning. The children are mainly packed now, ready for our departure in the afternoon.

There will be no news on Friday, as we will be returning to school. We expect to be back around 2.30 p.m. but will notify you if this changes. Please email the office if you intend to collect your child later than 2.30 p.m. Ideally, we want every child to be collected straight away, so that the staff can get home to their families and their home comforts.

And finally, when you greet your child and take them home, give them time to tell you about the week. Some will be very tired and may need a bath and an early night! Do show them the photos on the website, as they won’t have seen any of them.

As always during these weeks away, we see that most children do demonstrate independence and the ability to get on and manage by themselves. They may not show this at home, or even get the chance to do so. But here, we have seen that the majority of children have the capability to achieve so much all by themselves. We look forward to seeing this resolve back at school.

See you tomorrow!

Goodnight!

Friday
Good evening, parents and carers,

First of all, a huge thank you for arriving promptly this afternoon. It makes a huge difference and it meant the staff could go home at a reasonable time.

Secondly, thank you so much for the cards and gifts. On behalf of all the members of staff, we really appreciated the kind gesture. 

Finally, we hope your children have enjoyed their week away. So many special memories have been made in their rooms, in the lodges, having meals together and of course, working with each other in over 20 activities. 

Enjoy the weekend and we shall see all the children on Monday morning!