SHOBNALL PRIMARY SCHOOL

1. SHOBNALL PRIMARY SCHOOL

3. In November 2013, the children of Year 6 all ventured off on their activity week at Kingswood. Kingswood is an outdoor education centre which is based in the West Midlands, near Telford. The centre provides activities for children aged 5 to 18. There are a wide range of activities available such as abseiling, quad-biking, caving and zip wire. The main aim of the centre is to improve independence skills, teamwork and co-operation. This booklet gives you an insight into the different activities the children participated in and, in their own words, what they enjoyed about Kingswood.

4. FABULOUS FOOD The food at Kingswood is amazing, children have a variety of food such as breakfast, lunch and tea. There are so many things to pick. All three measl were cooked to make the children have lots of energy!. At breakfast, the options included Sausage, Bacon, Toast, Beans, and Vegetarian Sausage. For Lunch we had a typicalk meal of Meatballs and Pasta, a Pasty filled with ham and cheese, chips and beans….not forgetting the vegetables! Kingswood has a wide variety of super douper food. Every day they provide three hot meals; breakfast, lunch and tea. Breakfast is 8.15am, Lunch at 1.30pm and Tea at 6.15pm. Some examples of the food is:- Roast Dinner, Jacket Potatoes and Burgers. Most of the Pupil’s favourite food is Hamburger and Chips! For breakfast there is a traditional full English and cereal. The food at Kingswood is great because everyone has for breakfast; toast, baked beans, sausage, bacon and much more. For dinner they change it but everyone liked the burger day. Supper is usually hot chocolate and our sweets

5. AMAZING ARCHERY One of the many activities that Kingswood provides is Archery, students love this activity. The rules for Archer are as follows: Everyone has to be in the shelter behind the fence. The staff will tell students when it is their turn. The member of staff tells everyone to stand on the white fence blocks when it is their turn. The pupil will have to stand on the blocks and will have the bow sideways. Then they turn it upwards to make a seven on the bow and, last but not least, they get an arrow, put it on the clip and stick it on. After pulling the string right back to their shoulder, they let it go. When you’ve had your turn, you go back to the shelter. The fun bit about archery is the cutlery game. It’s a competition where everyone has two arrows to hit the board. If the person hits the white or black, the person will get a knife, the blue is a spoon and finally, red or yellow win you a fork. Bailey Bourne Archery is an opportunity for children to learn safely how to shoot a bow and arrow. There are four people on the shooting range at a time, no-one is allowed past the range except the Instructors. Callum Thompson

6. FANTASTIC FENCING Another activity at Kingswood is fencing which provides pupils with equipment like: a mask, chest protection plate, foil and a protection jacket. The thing that pupils have to say is ‘ON GUARD’ for instance, if one person was ready and the other wasn’t that’s when they would say it. IshwarKudhail One of the many activities Kingswood did was fencing. Pupils find this enjoyable. The Instructors provide equipment and rules before pupils set foot on the fencing areas some students shout ‘on guard’. Pupils are provided with a foil (sword) and a fencing mask. Callum Thompson

7. DELIGHTFUL DORMITORIES Dormitories: What are they like? The Dormitories consist of 8-14 bunk beds, 12 storage boxes and lots of floor space. When the child enters their dormitory, they are asked to make their beds, so they will need to co-operate with their room mates to keep them neat and tidy. There are 8 showers, and all of them have hot water taps. Bronwyn Parr Each Dormitory holds ten children and seven bunk beds. Each Dormitory has a group name like Rabbit; Dragon; Poodle and Penguin. Bed is at 9.30pm and lights out is 9.45pm. Keep all the suitcases on the floor, under the beds. Also, each child has a little cupboard. Georgie Cross The Dormitories that Kingswood sleep can cater for fourteen people. There are seven bunk beds, two wooden and five metal. At Kingswood they provide pillows, duvet, pillow cases and duvet cases. The first hurdle for students to overcome is making their own beds. Putting the duvet in it’s cover is normally the hardest. In the centre of the room there are cuboids of storage units. There are eight on two of the sides where students may keep their things. One child said they had never made a bed before but they were glad they knew how to now. The teacher explained that ‘It helps teamwork as they can help each other’ Emma Beresford In Kingswood, there are 4 corridors with dormitories in them. Boys are placed in one corridor and girls in another. The dormitories have names. On the Red Corridor there are Rabbit; Duck; Parrott; Crocodile, Fox and Penguin. On every corridor, there are toilets and showers. Most showers can hold up to 8 people at a time! Like a hospital, each corridor has a name like Red, Blue, Green and Yellow. The Dormitories are cleaned every day during activities. Jayden Gilholy The Dormitories in Kingswood are very bright and exciting and can hold up to 6-14 people. Each dormitory has a name like Kangaroo or Parrott, every corridor is a colour like green, blue, yellow and red. Also, every corridor leads to the dinner hall so pupils can easily get there in time. The toilets are also on each corridor and the showers. The showers can hold up to 6 people. When it’s time to leave the residential, everyone has to strip their beds and place them all in a duvet cover, just like when they arrive, everyone has to make their beds MaisyVanes-Jones

8. AWESOME ABSEILING Abseiling, which is exhilarating but can be frightening, is led by qualified instructors. It requires putting on a waist harness independently. As a result, this helps when participating in other activities which involve these pieces of equipment. It ensures that safety is guaranteed. Persuasively, the instructor encourages pupils to descend down but, like most activities, this challenge is a ‘challenge by choice’ which means pupils can choose whether or not they participate. Kayla McLeggon Amazing Abseiling – One of the activities Kingswood had to offer was abseiling. These activities involve teamwork, communication, listening skills, hard work and they develop children’s confidence. The qualified instructor gives instructions and offers encouragement to complete walking down the tower. All children must be wearing the safety equipment before they go up the tower. The safety equipment is called the Caribenar Clip, chest harness and waiste harness. Pupils get to the top of the tower and it is exactly 15 METRES HIGH!!!!!! JaiaPaskin One of the activities at Kingswood is abseiling although many children didn’t participate due to the fact that is its about fifteen metres high. It is a ‘Challenge by Choice’ activity which means it is optional due to the activity. There is a range of safety gear that is required so pupils don’t fall off Kingswood’s abseiling tower and injure themselves. Pupils feel uneasy at first, leaning back into mid-air but with the encouragement of friends, it gets easier when walking down the wall. Many students find this activity enjoyable whilst challenging at the same time. The safety gear ranges from helmets, harnesses and much more. Katie Gooding The abseiling activity involves communication, teamwork and takes a lot of courage from all involved. Before people get kitted up, they have to listen to the qualified instructors so everyone understands the safety rules and therefore children don’t get hurt. All children must have a waist harness and a chest harness and helmet. After that, all pupils walk up three flights of stairs. If pupils don’t want to do it, they don’t have to but the instructors and their team try and encourage them to give it a try. Once up there, the pupils become attached to all wires to they’re safe. The only thing the pupils need to do is keep their feet flat on the wall and feed the rope so they can move down the wall. Grace Mellor A Challenge by choice, Abseiling is where children climb up the tower and walks/abseils down while the instructors (these are the people who keep everyone safe) lower the pupils down the tower wall. Before commencing the activity, each pupil is given safety equipment comprising of a harness, 2 ropes and a safety clip. Declan Orpwood Abseiling is one of the coolest activities ever!! It is an activity of your choice which means if pupils don’t want to do it they don’t have to. Abseiling is where students walk down off a wooden tower which was high. First the pupils put on a chest harness and then another harness for their legs. All of this equipment is provided for the students. AmnahRazaq

9. CRACKING CAVING A great activity offered in Kingswood is Caving. This activity is underground and it is dark. There are big muddy puddles. Pupils have to listen to the instructor who instructs the cavers to put their lights on. Nyle Raja Caving is a great activity which involves wearing a helmet and a chest harness for safety. The pupils enter the cave, which has a lot of water flowing between it, and everyone has a word to shout out in an emergency. AmnahRazaq On entering the cave, pupils are told to put a cap on to protect their heads. The pupils decide what word will signal to get out of the cave. When the pupils enter the cave, there are big puddles and therefore the children must have wellies. Some parts of the caves are higher then other parts. Does this sound good? There is a check point in the cave – there pupils sit on tyres and they talk about some information about caves and rocks. Next pupils find a tunnel and they can begin the caving activity. Reece Webb A number of pupils find that this activity is both safe and enjoyable but rather wet! It develops communication, encouragement and teamwork. An instructor leads pupils down a hole but obviously there are stairs so the pupils arrive safely. After pupils are down, their instructors make a line but first everyone has to put a helmet on. Once the pupils are at the checkpoint, they get to explore and go out. IshwarKudhail One of the many activities that Kingswood has to offer is that of caving. Many children find caving fun but some don’t like it.. Two members of Kingswood staff go down with the children. One of them goes at the front and one at the back. Furthermore, they also let the pupils make up a safety word if they need help like “Cookie”. Staff provide pupils with a helmet when entering. Halfway through, they sit all the chidlren down and tell them all about the different kinds of caves and who worked in them (children used to work in the caves at the age of seven!) then the pupils carry on until the end. The caves get smaller then bigger. When all the children get out of the cave they are asked to say a word about the activity like “Enjoyable”, “Fun” and “Great”. Most children find this fantastic and an incredible opportunity to get to do it! Georgie Cross

10. ZANY ZIP WIRE Zip Wire uses the same tower as the abseiling. Pupils have to wear a chest harness, waist harness , helmet and Caribenarclip for safety. When pupils get to the top of the tower the instructor then tells the pupils that when they get to the bottom of the zip wire they have to ‘drop the rope!’ AmnahRazaq Another popular activity is zip wire. Some people didn’t do it but some did. Pupils were provided with a chest harness, harness and a Caribenar Clip. ‘It was Brilliant’” IshwarKudhail Zip wire is one of the many activities that Kingswood provide. The Zip wire is 15 metres high and 30 metres long. This is a challenge by choice activity which means if a child gets to the top and is not able to go down the Zip Wire, the instructor will not force the child to do it. Furthermore, the Zip Wire is run by two qualified instructors who explain the health and safety rules before they begin the activity. The children are trusted to wear their helmets throughout the session. In addition to a helmet, every child (and maybe adults) are allocated a chest harness and body harness. The children are showed how to put these on by the instructors who then check them before they start the Zip Wire. Before a pupil sets off the platform, the instructor shouts “3,2,1, GO”, the members of their group can join in with this to build up the confidence of the child at the top. Emma Beresford Pupils found the Zip Wire very challenging. It also conquers students’ fear of heights. Before they go on the Zip Wire, they have to be wearing the safety equipment which consists of a chest harness, waist harness and a helmet. Pupils climb up a ladder where there is an instructor to ensure the harness is safe so they can then instruct the pupil to jump! Jaia Gordon Amongst all the activities, Zip Wire is the most nerve wracking one of them all. Pupils can face their fears in this activity. This session usually lasts up to 1 hour and 30 minutes. There is a tall safe, wooden tower, which the pupils ascend to top (there is a qualified instructor at the top to attach the pupil to the Zip Wire). Zip Wire is a challenge by choice activity – that means the pupils can choose if they want to do it Jayden Gilholy One of the most popular activities at Kingswood is the Zip Wire. It is a ‘Challenge by Choice’ activity which means children are reluctant to participate. The activity is supervised by highly qualified instructors to ensure every child is safe. Pupils, at the start of the task, set themselves a ‘self-assessment’ which they complete at the end. It is an actiivity which requires a wide range of safety gear. Oliver Bower, a recent resident, quoted that “the Zip Wire is an experience even though it felt strange at first”. It goes incredibly fast and most pupils scream as soon as they step off board. There are important safety rules so children don’t harm themselves. Katie Gooding

11. QUICK QUAD-BIKING Quad biking is an opportunity for pupils to have a go a riding a quad. At first, the instructor will tell the pupils the safety rules and then show the students how to get on the quad. A girl in year 6 said “I’m so excited to have a go”. All pupils will have a go on the quad. Before they do each person has to have a helmet and biker gloves. At first the instructor will be attached to the pupil but when they think the student is ready they will let them do it themselves. Lots of students said ‘It’s great fun”! Grace Mellor The quad bikes are really fun! The pupils have to put on a helmet, gloves and goggles. Then the pupils step onto the quad bike. Next the lead instructor walks with the pupil. If they feel the pupils is sensible enough then they are allowed to ride the bike on their own. NiyaLovatt Every student will enjoy quad biking due to the fact that it’s like driving a car. A wide range of safety gear is required to ensure every child is safe whilst driving the quad. Before the student starts the test, the instructors will explain the five points of contact. Highly qualified instructors will walk around the track with the pupil. Once the students have passed the test, they are able to drive around the track on their own, going at a sensible speed. The instructors give hand signals so the children don’t put other people driving on the track in danger. Occasionally, children press too hard onto the button but then slow down. Driving along the track, every child is confident. Students find the activity entertaining and manageable. After the students are told they have to get off, they all want another try! Katie Gooding A further activity is quad biking. Pupils love quads due to the fact that there is a huge track and a towering quad bike. Nobody opts out of this! There are lots of crashes and smashes but no serious injuries received. All instructors are highly trained so there is never any trouble. The main aim for quad biking is to improve control, independence and strength. All students jump off the quads with a broad smile which extends from their mouth to their eyes. Everyone loves it! Alex, a student from Shobnall stated “I speak for everyone, we loved it. We don’t often get to ride a huge quad bike!” George Evison At Kingswood, children get to try quad bikes which is an amazing opportunity. They are perfectly safe as pupils are provided with gloves and a helmet for safety reasons. The pupils use a small track, that’s very close to an oval shape, and about 7 metres long by 3 metres wide. Before the pupils get to go on their own, they need to go slowly as the instructor has a wire in the back of the quad and if the instructor pulls it out, the quad bike will stop. This will result in the rider losing time on the bike. Declan Orpwood Another one of the many activities is quad biking riding. All of the children say that it is the best activity there is at Kingswood. Two members of the Kingswood staff tell everyone how to ride a quad bike and the other illustrates how to put on a helmet and gloves. Two pupils are allowed on a track at the same time. They wrap a wire around their arm for the driving test, then they wrap it round the pupils arm. However, don’t get close to the person in front. Georgie Cross

12. COOL CLIMBING Climbing is a large wall around 10 metres high. Many people enjoy this activity and loved to reach the top. Emma Beresford, stated that she reached the top and was very proud. Using great persuasion, the instructor helps the child climb further. When the pupils have finished, they abseil down or just let go of the ropes and slowly fall down. Furthermore a harness for the chest and waist are used. Maisy Vanes-Jones A great activity offered at Kingswood is climbing. This activity is a hand and foot activity where pupils have to get to the top of a climbing tower. An instructor tells the pupils about this activity. Pupils use a harness as it is a safety rule. Pupils have to say a word and they come down or are instructed to get down. The instructor said “Walk on the Wall” and the students did using the climbing ledges. Nyle Raja Many of the children said that the climbing wall is the best One member of Kingswood Staff showed all the pupils how to put on their safety equipment. Once all the children were strapped up and ready to go, they call four children at a time to have their go. Each child has four minutes on the climbing wall. Kayla said “I was scared at first but then it was fun at the end”. Georgie Cross

13. GORGEOUS GALLERY

14. GORGEOUS GALLERY

15. GOODBYE YEAR 6 WISHING YOU EVERY HAPPINESS AS YOU LEAVE SHOBNALL SCHOOL. WE HOPE YOU TAKE AWAY MANY HAPPY MEMORIES. JULY 2014