Outdoor education and adventure activities

Clearly we are really lucky living where we do and we want to make the most of our outdoor environment. As a school we have an aim to offer as wide a selection of activities to as many of our pupils as we can.  Much of what we offer is paid for by external grants and funding and therefore it is not always possible to offer all activities to all our pupils however we have some great local support in this.  We are also really lucky to have some very experienced staff in these fields who can either run or facilitate great experiences tailored to our pupils.

Across a pupil’s life in the school we would plan to offer a developing range of activities from taster sessions in the likes of Canoeing, Kayaking, Surfing and Mountain Biking to a full course of instruction in a specific sport like dinghy sailing resulting in a formal qualification.

To help build confidence, resilience and independence we try to offer overnight camping and walking experiences. Building on what is learned in Forest School and other similar lessons we would see pupils taking part in a single night camp in Year 7 building to a 3 or 4-night self-supported adventure camp in Year 10\11.

The schools boarding team also take part in the Jubilee Challenge which is part of the Ten Tors event and carry out full and varied build up training for the event which includes a night under canvas on the moor, navigation skills and a challenging walk suited to our pupils.

For more information, please contact Subject Lead, Andy Beckett.  Email: ABeckett@pencalenick.org