The Week Ahead 18 June 2021

Dear parents

One of the most challenging aspects of the past 18 months for us in schools has been the absence of school trips. As travel has contracted, so have the windows to the world which provide such invaluable learning opportunities for children.

Our Nest team has begun to explore the infinite variety and promise of outdoor learning over the past year. Come rain or shine, children have been exploring the natural environment. Next year will see an expansion of outdoor education as we open a new learning space on the site of the old tennis court. The exciting plans for that will be shared with all parents in my end of term letter, but it promises to be an excellent addition to the learning resources of our youngest pupils.

Not all our pupils have the luxury of outdoor learning facilities on their doorstep, though. For them, the most impactful way to learn without walls is through school trips. The good news is that these trips are gradually beginning to open up. Many children have already been out exploring Tianjin this term, from our geographers undertaking fieldwork to Mandarin pupils discovering more about the history and culture of this great city.

Thus far, we have concentrated on day trips simply because of our caution in not exposing our community to unnecessary risks. However, we are now looking to run residential trips too. Our International Duke of Edinburgh bronze and silver award participants will be out on expeditions between 25-28th June. Their overnight trips will, of course, be safe and fully supported by our staff and experts from the travel company, but the challenge of hiking, camping and cooking in the great outdoors will still pose challenges to them all. Experiences such as these enrich lives and provide profound learning opportunities for young people. They are central to our philosophy of educating the whole child, learning life skills like collaboration, teamwork and developing resilience.

As travel restrictions gradually ease, more and more trips are being planned for 2021/22. Children in all parts of the school will have the chance to explore the world around them, learning about others as well as themselves.

Best wishes

Julian Jeffrey
MASTER

Nursery Boat Trip
Friday, 18th June

To support their new theme of 'Transport' the nursery classes will be going on an educational visit on Friday 18th June. Nursery children will be going on a boat trip on the river. Please watch out for further details and information from the class teachers. We know the children will enjoy this experience, and it will give them lots of opportunities for learning about boats and travel on water.