Ratcliffian 2016 (LOWRES)

EXTRA-CURRICULAR
ACTIVITIES WEEK
Our eagerly anticipated Activities Week proved,
once again, to be great fun for everyone.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR
The week was incredibly busy with students involved in a
plethora of residential trips, day visits as well as activities
at school. There were simply too many activities going
on during the week to mention in this report, so I have
highlighted a handful for the reader to enjoy.
Year 7 completed a ‘Play-in-a Day’, enjoyed ‘Spy Games’
developing their use of technology as well as a Poetry Slam
day with the English Department and a trip to Norfolk to
help inspire their Art work for Year 8. Students in Year 8
enjoyed a fabulous trip to the Opal Coast, France,
before returning to a
Mathematics day at Drayton
Manor. Year 9 visited the
Belgium Battlefields of
World War I, including the
Tyne Cot cemetery. Whilst
there they managed to pay
their respects to Fr Willie
Doyle MC, the most highly
decorated Old Ratcliffian
of the War.
They took part in the Menin Gate service
where Judith Scherer and Diamond Ho laid a
wreath on behalf of the school to honour the
Old Ratcliffians who had fallen in the Great
War. They visited Vimy Ridge, Wellington
Quarry and Newfoundland Park. OR and
military historian, Brother Nigel Cave, took
them to the Gordon Dump Cemetery where
three Old Ratcliffians are buried as well as the
Lochnagar Crater.
Year 9 students also enjoyed a fun day out at Rutland Water.
They experienced a mixture of climbing, cycling, shelter and
fire building and water sports that included both kayaking and
raft building. The group got to experience and practice their
survival skills in the style of Bear Grylls and made their own
shelters; all of which were extremely impressive and would, no
doubt, have survived in extreme conditions of wind and rain.
A group of twenty
four Year 10 GCSE
Geography students
visited North Norfolk on
a three day field course.
Blessed by fine weather the students
investigated a variety of urban and
coastal topics in support of their
GCSE studies. Students in Years
10 and 12 enjoyed successful and
very enjoyable trips to Leicester Outdoor Pursuit Centre,
where they undertook a number of challenging activities
including high ropes, where true character and courage was
needed at times. This really took some of the students out
of their comfort zones and showed them exactly what they
could achieve when they challenged themselves.
Fourteen students in Years 11-13 enjoyed an action packed
three day trip to Geneva, Switzerland. The highlights of
the trip were a visit to the Large Hadron Collider facility,
CERN, and also to the equally impressive United Nations
Headquarters. Year 12 students took part in a variety of
number of community service schemes including Community
Garden, Green Place the Carpenters Arms, Syston
Friendship Group and helping the elderly at Primrose Lodge.
The 1st XI cricket hosted the annual festival to conclude their
season. Rydal Penrhos, Bolton School and Silcoates School
travelled to play six games of cricket over three days, all
completed in glorious sunshine. The games turned out to be
high scoring affairs with Sam Nightingale scoring a school
record 161 against Rydal. Every team managed to win at
least one game, with Ratcliffe coming out on top based on
their head to head record.
Thank you to all the staff and students who helped to create
such happy memories.
Mr J Reddin
Senior Deputy Head
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