Outdoor Education

In July 2019, a team of 14 students and 6 staff had to climb over 10,000 feet vertically to ascend the 3 highest mountains in England, Wales and Scotland- walking over 24 miles in the process, not to mention the 462-odd miles of mini bus travel.

The students were amazing, with some real physical and mental battles occurring, but with plenty of resilience shown all students made it to the top of the 3 peaks, with students supporting and helping one along the way!

The staff team were awesome also, staying positive at all times whilst cajoling/ motivating students up mountains; carrying student rucksacks; giving up snacks/ lunch to exhausted students; putting up with a variety of inane chat from the boys; trying to stop the more hyperactive male students running off the edge of mountains, not to mention taking turns driving on dark country lanes/ motorways after long mountain days (whilst listening to the sounds of students snoring in the back!), all whilst suffering sleep deprivation only normally known to soldiers undergoing resistance-to-interrogation training.

The schedule was pretty brutal, but both students and staff managed admirably and adapted to our temporary, but somewhat bizarre, routine:

• Friday- driving all day/ arrived in Scotland/ put tents up/ cooked dinner/ sleep ;

• Saturday- up at 5am/ cook breakfast/ climb Ben Nevis for 8 hrs/ pack up tents/ drive 7 hrs to Lake District/ put tents up in dark/ sleep;

• Sunday- up at 5am/ cook breakfast/ climb Scafell Pike for 8 hrs/ pack up tents/ drive 5 hrs to Wales/ put tents up in dark/ sleep;

• Monday- up at 5am/ cook breakfast/ climb Snowdon for 7 hrs/ pack up tents/ drive 4-5 hrs back to FPA/ staff eventually sleep