Outdoor Education

The College offers a wealth of outdoor educational experiences and the Middle School students undertake many school trips as part of their education. Education in the outdoors is central to our College’s philosophy.

The Middle School Outdoor Education programme offers varied experiences of adventurous activities, opportunities to be immersed in nature, and human powered journeys whether on foot, in a kayak, on a sailing boat or at height.

We operate a policy of ‘challenge of choice,’ the principle referring to the participant’s responsibility to choose the level of challenge in the learning experience. It is based on the belief that significant learning occurs when one pushes oneself out of a known ‘comfort zone,’ while at the same time recognising that each person’s experience will be different. Students often gain a huge sense of personal satisfaction and achievement during these trips. They learn to rise to the challenge and work well with their peers.

The Outdoor Education Curriculum is the key focus of the activities with the added benefit of supporting greater success in each other area of the learning programme. Through developing expeditionary skills during the activities the students undertake they are able to access deeper learning about self (eg. overcoming personal challenges), others (eg. developing healthy relationships),  and developing a connection to nature (eg. environmental stewardship). Each year steps up the level of responsibility that the students take for their experience with a view to support greater degrees of independence as individuals and as a group. Each year group follows a theme for the week around Exploration, Discovery, and Adventure with a view to deepen and expand on the previous years programme. 

These challenging and fun experiences provide invaluable in-context learning opportunities. These are drawn into the classroom to connect across to the students academic curriculum and to their powerful learning experience in the outdoors.

There are additional charges for these trips, outlined in the information shared about school fees. The trips are billed at the time the experiences run. They will be run in both Thailand and Malaysia for the Academic year 2025/2026.