After a two-year absence due to the pandemic, Noremarsh Junior School were delighted to take Year 6 pupils on their annual residential trip.
Monday morning - 13 June - saw 48 very excited children board the coach ready for the four-hour journey to Great Potheridge House Activity Centre in Devon.
The five-day trip is said to be a tradition that hundreds of children have enjoyed during their time at Noremarsh, and the past few years have seen pupils miss out on this rite of passage.
Whilst under the close supervision of Noremarsh teachers and staff at the centre, the children were split into two groups and spent a day climbing, abseiling, rock scrambling and weaselling in Dartmoor, with a second day spent at the lakes raft building, kayaking and canoeing with many escaping the heat at the end of the day by jumping in the lake.
With the sun shining, pupils also enjoyed a morning at Westward Ho beach rock pooling and eating ice-cream before finishing the week with an evening disco where the teachers were able to show off their dance moves.
Claire Sexton, year 6 teacher at Noremarsh said: “it’s been a really fun week, I’ve heard lots of the kids helping each other out, there wasn’t one child who gave up, I’m really proud of them.”
Pupil Leila Plumb said: “I didn’t think I could do it, but I did everything and want to do it all again!”
Claire also explained one area of the trip that was more challenging for the children due to the pandemic,
She said: “A lot of them found nighttime quite hard, there were a few that were quite home sick, unfortunately due to lockdown, a lot of children haven’t had sleepovers or spent time away from home like they would have been able to do in previous years. You can definitely see the impact this has had on them.”
The children arrived back on Friday, and staff said they were tired but had an amazing and memorable experience.
Headteacher Hilary MacMeekin explained why the trip is so important for the children.
She said: “It’s been absolutely brilliant to be able to send them again, it’s so valuable to be able to push them out of their comfort zone, and to give them this opportunity right before they head off to secondary school I think is essential as it is just another step in helping them to be independent and securing that transition for them, so I’m really pleased that it has been as successful as it has.”
Individuals can find out more about the school at www.noremarsh.wilts.sch.uk
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