Getaway Goals

Our annual Year 5 residential visit to Osmington Bay sadly had to be cancelled this year. The children were understandably disappointed – and so were the staff, as the trip is a highlight of Upper School. Not wanting the children to miss out on out-of-classroom opportunities altogether, we arranged a day trip to Dorset and, on Tuesday 29th June, our coach rolled down the drive to take us out for the day. The children were incredibly excited as we set off for the south coast. Mrs Bambridge explained the geological features of Durdle Door and history of the extraordinary and beautiful arch, before we then set off, on foot, to Lulworth Cove. The walk to Lulworth was long, but not one of the children complained. We ate our lunch by the water’s edge, and then the children attempted to skim stones, although most need a lot more practice! From Lulworth, we hopped back onto the coach and headed for Corfe Castle, where our guides were waiting for us. The children were taken around the castle in three groups, which gave them the chance to ask questions of the highly knowledgeable volunteers. At the end of our tours, the guides made a point of complimenting our children on their fabulous behaviour, which had been exemplary throughout. Whilst the geographical and historical elements of the trip were significant and educational, it may be that the highlight, for many of the children, was the ice cream we all ate before setting off for home! The children absolutely deserved a treat, as they have been wonderful all year, and they all really seemed to enjoy their day out – their first school trip for twenty-one months! We are so proud of them. A huge thank you must go to the accompanying staff: Mrs Bambridge, Miss Cowley, Mrs Holmes, Mr Grice, Miss Wright-Warhurst, Matron Lynne and Mr Scaldwell. Their hard work and good humour all day made the outing so special for the children. > Ms Lowe, Head of Year 5 & MFL

As we headed into our last week of term, Year 4 celebrated with a fun-filled, action-packed and goal-breaking 3-day trip to Mill on the Brue in Bruton, Somerset. For some Year 4 children, this is their first experience of a residential trip and they always return that little bit more independent, with memories to cherish and new skills to foster.

Seeing the fun and sheer joy on Year 6 pupils’ faces while coasteering together on their final residential trip brought it home why we work so hard to give our pupils the very best experiences possible. The children were absolutely brilliant at Battisborough House in Devon, displaying the very best of St Piran’s personal qualities – awe-inspiring leadership, teamwork, courage, curiosity, emotional intelligence and, indeed, kindness. Paddleboarding, rafting and breadmaking were amongst the vast array of activities on offer. The children delighted in each other’s company and filled their tummies with some of the most delicious food ever. How wonderful it was to see them all push themselves to the limit and find time to relax. Kieran Clayton and Peggy Swankie explained how risk-taking, determination and teamwork brought exhilaration: Coasteering was really fun! At the beginning we had to swim quite far in the sea which was tiring. We clambered up the first rock which was quite low and learnt how to jump off safely with our arms crossed across our chests. Our first jump was at a low height, but it quickly got higher. We set off to a larger rock, which we struggled to climb up and made the second jump. Then we swam to the next rocks and had to scramble across a rockface to get to a ledge which was about 4m up. It was really scary when we were waiting to jump but after we had leapt off and were in the air we felt really exhilarated. Some people were hesitant at first, but the people in the water were encouraging everyone else to jump and everyone in our group did it. At the end we even swam through a cave which we got to by sliding down a rock. Our instructor lifted a pinky coloured jellyfish out of the water to show us. It was pretty and harmless. Tonight, we are having a BBQ outside. The food has been so good. The trip is going to finish with a bang – our Year 6 disco! Mr Sales joined the children for a few days (even making the brave 6m leap into the sea himself!) and remarked:

“I am so proud of Year 6 and their journey to become confident, mature and level-headed children, which is wonderful to see as they prepare themselves for their next chapter at senior schools.”