Activities Week: Learning Beyond the Classroom

The final week of term was packed with exciting opportunities as pupils across the school embraced another successful Activities Week, taking part in a diverse range of experiences designed to challenge, inspire and broaden their horizons.

For our Fourth Form pupils, the week began with their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Expedition on Tuesday and Wednesday. Despite encountering a wide variety of weather conditions, every pupil showed resilience, determination and a positive attitude throughout the two day expedition. Congratulations to them all on successfully completing this important milestone in their Duke of Edinburgh journey.

Following their expedition, Fourth Form travelled to Bristol on Thursday for a day focused on Citizenship. Pupils took part in an engaging workshop at M Shed, where they explored artefacts and historical documents relating to the transatlantic trade in enslaved people, with a particular focus on Bristol's role as a major port and beneficiary of the wealth generated through the trade. The day also included a visit to Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, giving pupils the opportunity to further enrich their understanding of history and culture. Despite being understandably tired after two days on expedition, the pupils were a credit to the school throughout the visit.

Meanwhile, Remove pupils enjoyed a varied programme of Combined Cadet Force activities. The week began with the much anticipated annual House Competition on Monday, before pupils took part in a range of military themed activities and challenges across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, developing teamwork, leadership and practical skills along the way.

For our Sixth Form pupils, it was another productive Futures Week, helping them prepare for life beyond Dean Close. Alongside work placements and last week's visit to the UCAS Discovery Exhibition, pupils benefited from an Assessment Centre experience led by Charlotte Chambers of Acrobat Talent, application and employability workshops, and valuable insights from our Upper Sixth leavers and Old Decanians. The week provided an excellent launch into the next stage of their applications and future pathways.

A huge thank you goes to all of our pupils for embracing the week's opportunities with enthusiasm and maturity. We are also incredibly grateful to our partners, including Lancaster University, the University of Bath, Charlotte Chambers from Acrobat Talent, Gareth from Thrive Exec, our fantastic Old Decanian panel and our generous work placement providers, whose support helped make Futures Week such a success.