Last weekend, more than 50 students from the Senior School headed to the Chiltern Hills for a challenging weekend as part of their Duke of Edinburgh programme. Pupils in the IV Group (Year 10) were undertaking their Bronze qualifying expedition, while pupils in the V Group (Year 11) were doing their Silver Practice.
On the first day the students worked in groups with highly qualified instructors to brush up on their orienteering skills, practise their wild cooking and prepare for the challenge ahead.
After a freezing cold camp on Friday night, the sun came out on Saturday morning as the groups set off independently with a map, a compass and an enormous rucksack on their back. The groups completed more than 6 hours of self navigated hiking, passing through checkpoints along the way, to make their way to our second campsite of the expedition. Then the tents went up, the stoves came out and some very impressive evening meals were produced (pasta and risotto were the two favourites). Everyone slept very well after an evening of relaxation and were up bright and early the next morning repacking those rucksacks for the final leg. By now the groups were seasoned professionals and set off at such a pace that the staff needed to advise them to slow down when they passed through checkpoints!
I am really proud to report that all the Bronze candidates passed their expedition with flying colours and the instructors all commented on what a "fun, positive and kind group of young people" they were. The Silver team managed to cover some quite spectacular distances for their practise hikes and are now in preparation for their qualifying expedition in a few weeks time.
Emma Roskilly, Assistant Head (Co-Curricular)