The EVC Magazine Summer 2024 - Magazine - Page 10
BE INSPIRED BY…..
60
children
TETHERDOWN PRIMARY SCHOOL
7
Images courtesy of Tetherdown Primary
members of staff
2
hours travel
2
nights away from
home
STARTING SMALL
Year 4 children get a taste of what’s to come with a mini-residential, helping to build
progression in educational visits. In this article, Deputy Headteacher Rachel Gillingham
shares how Tetherdown Primary School launched its new residential visit and what they
learnt along the way.
At Tetherdown Primary School, we
pride ourselves on providing engaging
and exciting educational visits
including: Forest Fridays in reception,
seaside trips in year 2 and 5, a Viking
workshop in year 4 and a week long
activity residential in year 6.
By the time they reach year 6, we’ve
seen our children grow in confidence,
collaborative skills and feel prepared
for their final year with us.
We knew we needed to change the visit, including problem solving,
way we approach residentials at our mapping and outdoor adventure
school to support our children.
skills.
We decided to investigate a possible The trip was a huge success and will
two-night residential for our year
become a permanent fixture in the
4 children which would prepare
school calendar from now on.
them for their year 6 experience but
would also provide further outdoor
learning opportunities to support
the year 4 curriculum.
After an extensive search, I was very
Over the last few years, we started to
excited to discover Juniper Hall, a
see that our children are having fewer residential centre in Surrey run by
opportunities to stay away for a night
the Field Studies Council. As an
or two from their parents/caregivers to environmental educational charity
build their confidence and resilience,
their focus for primary schools is
which would usually help prepare them to offer ‘first-hand’ experiences in
for the week-long residential in year 6. nature, which fitted perfectly with
our ideas for a curriculum-focused
Early spring (March) – the weather wasn’t
always on side!
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