Year 7 - Aberdovey

You are in Year 7 and you have been in the school for just a couple of months, you have made or or two very good friends but wish you could meet a few more people and make more friends. Aberdovey is a great place to do it.

We take approximately 100 - 150 students each year to Aberdovey when they are in Year 7 around the first few weekends in December. We have an early start on the Friday morning (yes, that does mean you miss a day of school!) and head back late Sunday evening.

In December Year 7 students are starting to feel settled into daily life and the daily routine of secondary school and are starting to look forward the Christmas holidays so we feel this is a great time to take them away from home for a weekend. They make new friends, face new challenges and most importantly, thoroughly enjoy the time spent away from home.

We take students away to picturesque coast of Wales in the Snowdonia National Park. We can barely think of a better place than to learn than in this environment. The environment allows many different activities to take place. The infamous "jog and dip" into the ocean and night time walks along the beach are just two of our favourites.

There are also opportunities to build rafts and sail them in the estuary and some groups have even put wet suits on and climbed through a gorge in the mountains.

Activities do change depending upon the group leader but all have a brief of "enjoy and achieve" with their tasks.

The majority of tasks involve a group work element. Even when climbing up a rock wall the other students have designated roles to ensure that everyone is involved and working together to ensure that everyone is safe. The evenings are spent doing night games with a small amount of free time for shows and chats before bedtime... and trust us when we say bedtime! Students tend to sleep very well after the activities of the day!

The accommodation fits the purpose of Outward Bound perfectly. Students can feel free to get as wet and muddy as they like as there are drying rooms and places to put their muddy shoes. Sleeping arrangements are in boys and girls blocks and then again into specific dormitories with bunk beds... how exciting, a real chance to make some new friends.

We love taking our students away to Aberdovey, it is great to see them interacting with new students and facing new challenges that they perhaps have never even thought about doing. All students come back from achieving something new and we have a massive amount of students that come back with us to Ullswater in Year 9 and further experience what the great outdoors has to offer!

If you have questions, please feel free to contact either of the two trip leaders. We look forward to seeing you at the Parents Information evening in October and on the trip in December!!

Miss. H. Lakin                                                     Mr. Simmons

hlakin@arthurterry.bham.sch.uk                        msimmons@arthurterry.bham.sch.uk