Residentials

Residentials allow pupils to experience the benefits of field trips that are a bit more geographically remote from the school. It is also a good opportunity for pupils to build on their relationships, resulting in a more supportive network in the school environment. Some examples of recent residentials include: 

Ullswater Outward Bound October 2009

Rhonwen Powell (Upper IVW) shares her experiences from the Ullswater outward bound trip in October:
‘On 16 October, 18 girls from Upper IV travelled to Outward Bound, Ullswater. Our visit was memorable and we felt a huge sense of unity and bonding. We arrived excited and many happy screams were heard as we were shown to our rooms. We spent the next two days crawling through tunnels, climbing up steep mountains, rock climbing and gorge walking. We had to work together to get through the challenges and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our experience. Our favourite activity was tunnelling, where we had to communicate and support each other. The staff and our instructors were wonderful and we were all given responsibility but at the same time received all the support we needed. We got to interact with people we hadn’t really spent time with in school and a lot of new friendships were made. We pushed ourselves and felt a huge sense of accomplishment, especially when we reached the top of the mountain. We arrived back at school on Sunday exhausted and extremely happy. I am sure we will never forget our wonderful adventure.’

Bewerley Park September 2009
Upper III travelled to Bewerley Park Outdoor Activity Centre for a weekend of team building and adventure, which is a part of Gateways’ induction into High School. The weekend, attended by the entire year group, was full of challenge, adventure and new experiences, including canoeing, rock scrambling, ghyll walking and the completion of a tough assault course. The activities certainly stretched the girls both physically and mentally and great fun was had by all.

Lower IV Edinburgh Visit April 2009

Lower IV enjoyed a visit to Edinburgh just prior to Easter, and were blessed with delightful weather for a lovely picnic lunch at Alnwick Gardens on the way up. Once in Edinburgh, the group packed in activities over the next two days. These included a ghost walk, which started at dusk and got spookier as the streets darkened; Camera Obscura’s amazing optical illusions; Edinburgh Castle’s magnificence, crown jewels and the one o’clock gun; The Childhood Museum; Mary King’s Historical Close; a little shopping; and plenty of walking. The group spent their final morning journeying back to the beginning of time from the Big Bang, through the Ice Age, an earthquake, a tropical rainforest and a rich variety of other environments in Dynamic Earth. The long journey home was enlivened by a sing-a-long led by Miss Fox! Mrs Dixon said, ‘it was a pleasure to spend three exciting days in Scotland in the company of Lower IV.’

Lower V explore London April 2009

Lower V had an action-packed trip to London just prior to the Easter break. One of our pupils shares her experiences.

‘We arrived in London at lunchtime, dropped off our suitcases and went straight to the Imperial War Museum on the tube. It was very informative. From there we went to Covent Garden to get something to eat before we went to see Oliver at the theatre, which was amazing. The second day we had an interesting tour of Parliament and everyone was excited about the trip on the London Eye and the river cruise, which was followed by an enjoyable meal at the Rainforest Café. On the third day we visited the Science Museum and the V&A, then we returned on the train, tired but happy.’

Birdoswald Roman Fort March 2009

Upper ISS were very excited as they departed for their first residential to Birdoswald Roman Fort, which was one of 16 Roman forts situated along the Hadrian’s Wall frontier system. The children unpacked their heavy suitcases, made their bunk beds and then went on a tour around the site and museum. They saw the remains of the walls, granaries and gateways, and could see Hadrian’s Wall stretching into the distance. The children made Roman helmets before meeting Maximus, a Roman soldier. The children had to wear helmets and carry swords and shields, and pretend they were going into battle. Much to the teachers’ relief, the children were asleep by 9.00pm, but awoke at the crack of dawn. After a delicious breakfast the children made Roman jewellery in the centre before heading off to the souvenir shop. Upper ISS returned to school tired and excited to see their parents, but they had a wonderful and interesting time.

Ski Trip – Courmayeur, Italy February 2009

A number of pupils travelled to Courmayeur in Italy over the half-term break in February to take part in the annual ski trip. They had a fantastic time and when asked to describe the trip in one word, said it was ‘amazing’!

The sun shone all week. When it snowed it was overnight, so there was fresh powder the following morning. Beginners learned quickly and were soon moving on from snowploughs to parallel skiing and using the dreaded button lift. The snowboarders certainly looked the part and took to it as though it was second nature. Intermediate and advanced skiers were challenged all week and everyone got on well, despite the different ages in each group.

Evening activities included ice skating, a disco with all the other schools, a fabulous pizza evening where they kept bringing pizzas until the girls could eat no more, a visit to the gelaterie for some real Italian ice cream and a ski presentation evening where the instructors came to give the girls their well-earned certificates and badges.

This year’s accompanying teachers agree that the ‘girls were a delight throughout the holiday. They worked hard at their lessons despite aching muscles and bruises. The aspect of the trip that we love is that the girls get to know those in other year groups; lower and upper V girls look after the younger girls from Prep and they all have fun together.’

Watersports July 2008

As the Summer holidays started, 20 Prep and High School pupils headed off to Spain for the water sports trip. After a long journey, the first stop was the pool, where the girls cooled down in temperatures close to 30 degrees. During the course of the week everyone took part in a variety of activities in the pool and on the sandy beach. The most popular activity was ‘banana boating’ – being dragged behind a power boat on a huge inflatable. Other activities included waterskiing, scuba diving, snorkelling, rock climbing, tennis and a high-speed power boat ride, as well as compulsory sunbathing and ice cream eating! All of this and a short trip to Barcelona, where the girls spent their money on souvenirs and more ice cream. A fantastic trip was had by all.