Activities & Challenges

By Mr Richard Follett, Deputy Head Co-Curriculum

Along with pupils returning from last year, September brought a fresh crop of new pupils to the College and with them the excitement of new opportunities to experience the wider life of Pangbourne.

The Michaelmas Term Activities programme introduced a number of new initiatives, as well as the return of some old favourites for the first time

in some years.

Each week, pupils took part in one afternoon of Activities which were in contrast to the competitive team games they enjoyed. Each year group had a broad variety of choices and this term there were 41 different activities taking place each week. Whilst there was still the option to complete additional academic enrichment in the form of supervised private study for the older exam years, the vast majority of pupils seized upon the opportunity to get out of the classroom and develop new skills with their friends.

Of the new activities on offer, Rocket Building, Orienteering and Clay Pigeon Shooting were especially popular. Mr Adam Beake’s own expertise in assembling and launching rockets into the Berkshire skies ensured the pupils

were able to understand the stages of the build process, before completing their own rockets which had multi-stage launchers fitted to gain maximum height on the launch days.

The ideal coaching combination of Head of Geography, Mr Tom Poynter, and keen runner and Teacher of History, Mrs Kristy Heaton, introduced Orienteering to a hugely enthusiastic Key Stage 3 group, with the College grounds making the perfect course each week to provide variety and challenge for the skilful and speedy navigators. The success of the group has led to the formation of the first Pangbourne College Orienteering team, which aims to compete in the Lent Term at some national competitions.

“Of the new activities on offer, Rocket Building, Orienteering and Clay Pigeon Shooting were especially popular.”

Whilst Clay Pigeon Shooting has been a College pursuit in the past, the Michaelmas Term brought the sport directly to the College campus for the first time with the establishment of our own

shooting school. Based down on Big Field, three groups each week were taught by instructors from Riverswood Shooting and their rapid improvement led to a large team competing at their first competition, the Marlborough Sporting Clay Shield in October. Following this, there are several competitions on the horizon for the Lent Term, including some home fixtures planned against Bradfield and St Edward’s School. Staying outdoors, the return of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award this term introduced all our Year 9 pupils to this multi-faceted approach.

As is the tradition at Pangbourne, the first half of the Michaelmas Term works towards the completion of the Skills section of the Bronze Award, with pupils learning to march as their new skill, the double benefit being the improvement of the school’s ceremonial parades. In the second half of term, the year group focuses on service activities, and then later in the year, navigation and expeditions will come into play.

With the arrival of the new School Staff Instructor & Head of Ceremonial, Mr Andrew Davison, as well as the new Contingent Commander of the CCF, Mr Craig Wiles (who is also Head of DT), the weekly Thursday afternoon activities have been hugely enjoyable and energetic, highlighted in particular with the CCF Field Day just before the October half-term break.

Pupils spent the day working in their respective groups on a variety of challenges, ranging from close quarter laser combat in the woods, tug of war, to archery tag on Devitt lawn, but the highlight for most was the competitive field gun

run, reminiscent of the Royal Tournament from years gone by. Working in their teams, the groups had to assemble and pull a field gun (cannon) across the parade ground, disassembling and carrying it across various obstacles against the clock. Mr Davison has now made some provisional bookings for residential adventure training weekends in the coming months, take-up for which has already proved to be very high.

As we look back on the term just past, it has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm and engagement from the whole College community in the fantastic range of opportunities presented to them each week, with even more to come in 2022.