It is a way to broaden their horizons, giving them opportunities beyond the curriculum to learn, grow and develop in the key areas of: teamwork, leadership, critical thinking, empathy and kindness and communication skills. It allows them opportunities to reflect and assess themselves and their progress.

The great outdoors

The ‘adventure’ strand of the award encompasses a set of outdoor skills. From Year 3 upwards, we learn skills involving, but not limited to, knot tying and increasingly challenging map reading and route finding skills.

Our forest school provides an excellent opportunity to learn a range of skills, appreciate our local habitats or safely build campfires. We plant trees and hedgerows, fruit trees and vegetables.

Leadership and communication

We aim to produce pupils who are leaders and who can take leadership roles on at school and beyond. Year 6 and 7 build a relationship with the younger pupils in Pre-Prep, visiting them once a week and organising events for them. Year 8 train to become ‘Peer Mentors’ and a support for the younger pupils.

Pupils plan and organise stalls for school fairs, give assemblies to raise awareness for charities or carry out fundraising through cake stalls and other intiatives. Year 8 deliver assemblies, lead in house events and take the Trinity College Communication Skills Grade 3 Examination to strengthen their communication skills.

Invaluable life skills

All of these allow us to give our pupils a developing ability to cope with anything life throws at them. We give them a range of life-skills – from basic mechanical knowledge, to life saving and first aid, to interpersonal skills.

We aim to prepare every child for adult life through giving them responsibility for, and ownership of, activities and tasks. They leave us with a growing awareness of the world around them and their place in it.