Residential Trip to Ufton Court

Monday 20th March 2023:

The children have arrived at Ufton Court, settling into their accommodation and are looking forward to the planned activities ahead!

We had a really great journey here and we’re excited to see the house from the driveway. We also saw cows and sheep in the field.

We have spent the morning finding out how the Ancient Greeks lived by doing some carding and spinning to make thread and making a wattle fence. We also took part in some games to be more involved in stories of the Greek gods.

After an appetising lunch, we spent some time taking part in Ancient Greek sports, such as wrestling, javelin and discuss throwing, long jump, running, and a fantastic 4-way tug of war! We then went on to look at some Greek artefacts to work out how they were used in daily Greek life.

In the evening, we looked at 'Crime & Punishment', where some of us played the part of jurors, deciding if the culprits were guilty and what punishment they should get.

Tuesday 21st March 2023:

After a restful night, we had a hearty breakfast and a little 'playtime' before starting today's planned activities.

We spent the morning playing the 'Agora' trading game, trading our goods and stopping the 'Thieving Spartans' from stealing our goods. We then practised a play that we are going to perform at tonight's 'Feast of Dionysus'.

Wednesday 22nd March 2023:

What a great feast that was last night! We dressed up to honour the great God Dionysus. The food was delicious and then we performed our plays and had so much fun!

This morning, we have been in 'Military School', training to be good soldiers. We practised with spears, shields and swords (don't worry - they weren't real). We also made our own bows and arrows and are looking forward to showing them to our families when we go home later today.

Residential Trip to UKSA (Cowes)

Monday 17th April 2023:

The children have had a smooth and pleasant journey and have arrived safely at the UKSA activity centre in Cowes, Isle of Wight. They are now settling in and are looking forward to this afternoon's activities!

Tuesday 18th April 2023:

It is a beautiful sunny morning in Cowes!

Yesterday, the children enjoyed participating in archery, climbing and swimming and after a restful night's sleep and a hearty breakfast this morning, they were raring to go in the water, excited  by today's planned activities... windsurfing and paddle boarding!

Joel: We did a surfboard challenge in pairs where we had to compete to stay on the board without falling in. I won three times! It was really fun!

Arav: We went out into the sea on the windsurfing boards. It went a lot faster than I thought it would! I also enjoyed collecting shells on the beach.

Archie: I have really enjoyed windsurfing and jumping over the waves!

Sophia: The windsurfing challenges were so much fun!

Ria: I really enjoyed paddle boarding because we played lots of games and learnt new skills!

Safiya: I really enjoyed paddling in the water with my friends, even though it was a bit windy!

Rowan: I liked that we learnt something new and that we got to go in the sea!

Wednesday 19th April 2023:

It has been another busy and action-packed day on the Isle of Wight! The children have had a fantastic day kayaking and dinghy-sailing!

Marina: Kayaking was really fun, especially when we played a game on them!

Rosheen: I really enjoyed kayaking because we got to share it with a friend and learnt how to paddle!

Aum: My favourite moment was going out on the 'rib' because there were bumps and waves!

Vincent: The dinghy sailing was so much fun!

Evelyn: I loved jumping into the sea from the pontoon!

Laci: We had to purposely capsize in the dinghy boat and it was really funny!

Victoria: I liked kayaking because we flipped over while we were inside them!

Shivam: I loved jumping off the plank into the water. I was nervous at the start but I just went for it!

Taye: I loved the kayaking! I liked that we went quite far out into the sea and did some races!

Elijah: My favourite thing today was probably going on the dinghy. My friend Hannah and I were really lucky because a sardine jumped into our boat - we named it Phoebe!

Reece: My favourite thing was jumping into the water! I loved that we got to do it and it was so much fun!

Thursday 20th April 2023:

Year 5 have thoroughly enjoyed their final full day at the UKSA Centre. They have taken part in a raft building challenge, jumped off the pontoon and did some more dinghy sailing!

Ralphie: We went in the dinghy again today and I capsized with Charlie - it was so fun! We also went far out to sea and to a beach.

Charlie: I loved how fast the dinghies were and that we sailed by ourselves!!

Anaiya: I loved the journey to the beach and the speed we climbed to in the wind!

Armaan: I've enjoyed every activity today and everyday at UKSA has been fun!

Aidan: I enjoyed the boat ride today! I would definitely recommend other school's to come here!

Shivam: I've really enjoyed dinghy sailing. We almost capsized but I still enjoyed it!

Haimi: My favourite activity was kayaking as it was great fun!

Natasha: I really enjoyed the challenges during raft building and earning the points to make our boats!

Keval: The dinghy sailing was sensational! It was sometimes fast and was fun to tip over!

Tomasz: I've enjoyed everything today! It was fun building the raft and when we tested it out, I was nervous that it wouldn't float. We even won both races!

Nicol: Riding the boat was the most terrific - we got to sail by ourselves!

Shlok: Last night, being in the pool was great and I loved the quiz!

Gabriel: Kayaking was absolutely outstanding and I loved travelling across all over the place!

Check out the following video of our races today...

Friday 21st April 2023:

The children have had a brilliant final day at the UKSA Centre. They spent the morning along the pontoon crabbing! Afterwards, we played a game of 'Splat' and reflected on our time here on the Isle of Wight.

Vianna: I have learnt lots of new skills including windsurfing! I feel like my independence has really improved.

Moh: I am looking forward to kayaking again when I am older because I've learnt how to do the main skills. It has also been great to make friends with people in the other Year 5 classes!

Will: I have learnt how to kayak and key skills such as turning and going forwards and backwards. I would recommend this centre to everyone!

Anaiya: My highlight from our trip was definitely the kayaking! Me and my friends screamed on the dinghy boats because we went so fast!

Liam: My favourite activities were kayaking and paddleboarding. I liked dinghy sailing apart from when we capsized!

Tariq: Me and my friend Shivam learnt how to sail a dinghy boat. I feel like this trip has made me feel more confident and brave!

Amber: I've learnt how different boats work and how to kayak. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about these things!

Elias: When I am older, I want to get a dinghy boat license! I feel like I've learnt so much on this trip and feel like my friendships are even better than before!

Arnav: The trip has inspired me to work harder. I especially loved kayaking and dinghy sailing!

Zara: The crabbing was really fun because I got to hold the crab. It was really interesting because I learnt that crabs can't swim!

Bartosz: In the evenings, we got to go in the indoor swimming pool where it was nice and warm!

Karina: My favourite moment was sailing on the dinghy because I was really good at steering it!

Aaron: Dinghy sailing was the best because I was with all of my friends and we were able to work together as a team to steer the boat without an adult helping us! 

Hiromi: On Friday, we went crabbing and caught 4 crabs! My favourite memory from out trip was watching people fall off their boats - it was very entertaining!

Sienna: I have learnt about boating safety. Kayaking was fantastic, especially when the boat tipped over!

Hanna: Me and my friends flipped the dinghy boat and it was hilarious!

Hannah: My favourite moment was when a fish jumped into our boat. The instructors said that this was the first time they had seen it happen! I've learnt that going in the water isn't scary and I feel so confident now. 

Jessica: This trip has given me experiences and memories that will last a lifetime! It has taught me how to look after myself in so many different ways.

Kaiden: I've really enjoyed all the activities this week as it has let me learn new skills that I can use late in life such as kayaking and paddleboarding!

Jack: The crabbing was awesome! It was interesting to learn more about nature.

Tyler: This trip has been great! I've been able to get out and explore and find new ways to have fun without needing mt devices. I'm now much more confident and I know I can do anything if I put my mind to it! 

Dhian: We went out to the beach on the rib and it was so cool. We went so fast and bumped into lots of waves. I loved playing lots of new games with my friends as well!

It has been a fantastic trip and all children have come away feeling more confident, independent and resilient.

We are very proud of them all!

Residential Trip to Ufton Court

Monday 17th July 2023:

The children had a smooth and pleasant journey and arrived safely at the Gordon Brown Outdoor Learning Centre in Hampshire. After settling in and having their lunch, they took part in various activities in the afternoon including archery, trim trailing and spend time with the goats and bunnies!

After a scrumptious dinner, they all went on a night time walk and settled down with a hot chocolate later in the evening.

Ellis: I loved staying in a room with my friends... it was so much fun!

Reegan: I am really looking forward to the archery!

Jay: I loved archery because we got to shoot bows at the targets.

Zayn: My favourite part so far has been spending our free time looking at the animals and playing football!

Lillie-Annie: The animals are amazing! I loved seeing the donkeys!

Fares: I enjoyed the free time we had earlier where I got to play football with my friends. It so nice to spend time together!

Nevaeh: I enjoyed the trim trail/obstacle course because we were split into two different groups and were competing against each other and seeing who could get the most points!

Muhyadin: The tunnel at night was really fun! I was flabbergasted by by how dark it was!

Anaiya: The night walk was really cool and it was fun to see the abandoned house and walk through an old WWII bunker!

Noah: I enjoyed our night walk. The World War tunnel was great!

Tuesday 18th July 2023:

With all the fun and excitement of yesterday's activities, the children all slept well and started their day today with a good breakfast ready to start their new day of adventures! Today's activities include climbing and abseiling on the climbing wall, scaling and jumping off the high tower and building campfires safely to make popcorn!

Niamh: The climbing wall was exhilarating and I loved the jump!

Kain: I really enjoyed the rock climbing wall and trying to get to the top. I am so proud of myself!

Sarim: The jump and climbing was brilliant! I enjoyed trying the 'death drop' and feeling the sensation of falling down!

Ashley: I got in the 'Wolfpack' for doing the jump!

Cameron: I liked playing football in my free time!

Christian: I like that we get free time to spend and enjoy playing with our friends!

Masiha: It was so much fun to make popcorn and use a fire to cook it!

Chloe: Making a fire was fun because we got to experience survival skills as if we were in the wild!

Leyla: My favourite part was the climbing and jumping off the top!

Callum: The climbing was so cool. It was great to jump off  the high tower!

Kawa: Jumping off  the high tower was great fun!

Parshva: The climbing wall was amazing, especially when you get to jump down!

Lottie: I really enjoyed climbing up the wall. It was really high!

Liyana:  The climbing was truly fantastic! I loved everything about it!

Victor: Dropping down from the climbing wall was great fun and so exciting!

Prisha: The jump from the high tower was fun and scary at the same time!

Mia: My favourite activity was rock climbing because it was terrific fun!

Marcus: I loved the jump off the tower! It was truly terrifying but ultimately rewarding!

Kiruthesh: My favourite activity was the climbing as it really challenged me!

Arjun: The climbing was great! I loved jumping off from the top!

Dara: I loved the rock climbing because of how high it was!

Sharunja: I overcame a huge challenge when I jumped off the tower!

Shivani: The climbing wall was fantastic! I loved it!

Poppy: I loved the high tower as getting over the nerve to do it was amazing!

Lily: The climbing was my favourite activity by far!

Dia: So far this week, I have enjoyed the archery because I learnt how to do it properly. I am also very proud to make it into the 'Wolfpack'!

Pahal: Jumping off the high tower felt like a magical experience! I was brave enough to get to the top.

Noah: I love climbing so really enjoyed the climbing wall! It was fun!

Wednesday 19th July 2023:

After showing their best dance moves at the disco last night, the children had a great night's sleep to be rested for their last day of activities. They enjoyed their breakfast before heading off to archery or the trim trail, where their accuracy and team building skills were put to the test!

The children have shown great teamwork, resilience and maturity during their time away and all of the adults are incredibly proud of them!

To view our Class Leavers Performances in full, please visit our Deanesfield TV Channel by clicking here.