For those who do not recall, Activities Week is three days and more of varied tasks and activities, plus, plus. It is almost a distant memory thanks to the recent pandemic. I have really missed the opportunities it has offered and as a result tried to organise a full activities week that all should be able to attend. On the week pupils will learn valuable skills to support them in their later lives. Thursday will be the famous “Great Walk” followed by “It’s a Knockout” in which pupils are competing in groups to score the most points throughout the day. Finally, on Friday pupils will be offered the chance to take part in a plethora of fun action-packed events at the North Yorkshire Water Park. 

The main drive for all of this is that I feel that pupils may have the knowledge required to learn information and pass exams, but they rarely get the opportunity to try activities and fail. The whole point in DIY is that you learn a great deal through your mistakes. 

You also learn a great deal of team skills in the latter parts of the week as pupils will be mixed into random groupings of both age and abilities. This allows them to develop all the necessary communication and leadership qualities required in their future careers. 

Of course, being a sports teacher there must be a practical element, but it is in these elements in which pupils build both resilience and determination to either overcome personal fears, or simply just to take the first step into something new.  

I can’t stress how important I feel the end of terms activities are and that is why I feel that all should take part and make the most of being an independent school. I for one, cannot wait for three days and more of varied tasks and activities!

Simon Parker, Teacher of Physical Education and Mathematics