For the first week of school, our new Y7s ventured away with many students and teachers that they didn’t know. Although I myself have worked within XP school for over 8 years, I had never had the privilege of having a crew from Year 7 and had never experienced this side of the outward bound experience. So, even for a teacher who is experienced in working with students both in and out of school in a similar situation, it can be eye opening and nerve racking. I remember when I was myself in Year 8, I went away with school and I was terrified, I cannot imagine what it was like for Crew “Chandi” (given through the outward bound trust).

When we arrived in Ullswater and discussed some of the activities we would take part in, myself and our instructors (Dan and Stewart) were met with “I’m not doing that” however it showed even in the first activity “Jog and Dip”, that those barriers, those negative mindsets were falling. I think crew “Chandi” were quite lucky in the sense that there were at least half of its students that didn’t have a problem with outdoor pursuits. However, one of the biggest reasons for the outward bound experience is to push students out of their “comfort zone” to build resilience and therefore open them up to learning new and difficult things in ways that challenge and increase independence of thought. 

So the challenges all come for different reasons for different students, be it home sickness, the outdoor activities or speaking up in the presentation at the end of a long, tiring week. Crew Chandi performed all of this in an exemplary manner. Each one of our crew faced their own challenges and not a single student stepped back, only stepped forward.

Three members of our crew were put forward to money off further experiences with the outward bound trust- Sandra, Molly and Lucas showed all of their character traits consistently. Sandra was like my right hand, with the most compassion I’ve ever seen in a Year 7 and on our Gorge Walk, she proved vital when I fell over in the water- Thank you Sandra. Ewan, Sandra and Penelope showed awesome orienteering skills. Ronnie, Lucas and Spencer proved their craftsmanship and Quality whilst helping other crew members to erect their tents. Kaiden showed a lot of courage by standing up for what he believed in. Ewans craftsmanship and quality excelled in preparation for the presentation. The biggest change in mindfulness that I’ve seen came from Spencer, who found that when he went to get a drink, the glasses on the worktop had run out, so instead of just getting himself a glass, he decided to replace all the glasses to help his entire year group.

It was a very tiring week, and I’m certain your children will agree with that. The stories I’ve related are only some of the things I could relate to you. However, if crew “Chandi” carry on in the way they have started they won’t only help each other to get to the top of the mountain- they will move the mountain. 

Thank you for an amazing start to the year.