During the summer, three teams from the Sixth Form headed up to Yorkshire twice to complete their training, practice and qualifying expeditions for the Gold Award. They can all be very proud of having completed the gruelling expeditions in challenging conditions and will be looking forward to a trip to a royal palace to receive their certificates once the whole award is completed. As well as this, three teams of Upper Fifth students spent three days on the Long Mynd in Shropshire to complete their expedition test for their Silver Duke of Edinburgh awards. On each of the three days they were required to spend seven hours walking with their packs full of all the necessary gear for camping out each night. They were responsible for their own navigation and had to provide for themselves all the food they needed. No phones were allowed at all! The weather was very kind; sunny but not too hot. The highlights included the fantastic views across Shropshire that can be seen from the top of the Long Mynd. For many, seeing the finish come into view by the café in Cardingmill Valley may have been the true highlight! The Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Test Expeditions also took place this summer, as the culmination of a year’s hard work by a large number of Lower Fifth students. The groups walked around 25km over two days in the Malvern Hills, camping overnight, and enjoying good weather and great views of the surrounding countryside. For many, this meant a completed Bronze Award, and the first step on the Duke of Edinburgh ladder as they move on to start their Silver Awards this year. Congratulations to everyone who completed D of E expeditions this summer!
German exchange trip to Hamburg
When we were not out on trips, our pupils were attending lessons with their exchange partners in our partner school, the Gymnasium Oldenfelde in Hamburg-Rahlstedt. It was fascinating to see the many differences between the English and German school systems.
