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YEAR 3 REACH HILLTOP
It would be impossible for me to imagine a place better suited for a Year 3 residential than the legendary Hilltop. From the moment pupils
board the coach, smiles beaming and bodies almost quivering with nervous energy, they embark on an adventure that will forever hold a
special place in their memories. The outdoor centre, with its spacious log cabins nestled within the beautiful woodlands and forests of the
Sherringham coastline, boasts some truly fantastic attractions! Not only do pupils get a chance to experience bush-craft activities like building
fires to roast marshmallows, they also take on obstacle courses, orienteering, archery and night time forest activities. High rope challenges
show children the importance of trust as they make their way across soaring beams whilst being belayed by their dependable friends below.
However, the ‘Big 3’ highlights of Hilltop are the towering Powerfan, Big Zipline and mighty Super Swing. All week long, children busily discuss
how high they are willing to go, how many goes they get and who will scream the loudest. With a motto of ‘Challenge By Choice’, the ethos of
Hilltop is all about children pushing through their own boundaries supporting the choices of others. Every activity is framed by delicious food
and a few minutes of down time in the game room, or a nightly bedtime story. The week always flies by and before we know it, we are pulling
up to the school gates, feeling 10 feet tall with many stories to share. Greg Searle
YEAR 4 AT MOORLAND HALL
On Monday, Year 4 left school full of anticipation and excitement for the week ahead. The first residential we had been on! First for the fivehour
trip to Devon. Once we arrived, we at once set off for a hike up the moors to burn off stored energy - we played Granny’s footsteps and
hiked to what seemed like the top of Devon! We jumped over thorny bushes and sped into the horizon. Once returning to our new home for
the week, we had a delicious dinner and got into our pyjamas; Ms Davies then read us the spine-chilling Grannie by Anthony Horowitz. A daily
routine that would follow every evening! After our first night in our new dormitory we set off early to go Kayaking and bask in the sunshine on
the water; so much so, some of us opted to run across the front of the Kayaks – a fun and exhilarating challenge. The 2nd group to go to the
lake, weren’t quite as lucky as the heavens opened and we were soaked through – whether we fell in or not! Meanwhile, back at camp the rest
of the year group were braving the leap of faith – it was euphoric… until we too were drenched! On the last couple of days of the trip we drove
to Cornwall, caught a boat across the water and walked along the beach. Crabbing was fun and amusing, (even though the crabs didn’t seem
to like our bacon bait much). The few we did catch were set free to go and enjoy the rest of their day whilst we enjoyed heavenly pizza on the
beach. We even had delectable, salted caramel ice cream. Based on the bus journey back, we wonder whether it was coffee flavoured rather
than salted caramel (thank you parents for paying). Archery was another firm favourite – we weren’t quite Katniss Everdeen, but we had a lot of
fun, nonetheless. Making and building rafts to race down the water was also a great challenge. It was lots of fun, even if perhaps in the end it
became a whimsical, majestic, sloppy mess in water. Making pizza dough to burn… I mean toast… on the fire was certainly something we were
all great at. Everyone demolished bread with a dollop of honey. Yum! Belle and Marnie 4K