Key Stage 3 Outdoor Education Week

As part of Nord Anglia Education and through our membership with Round Square, Regents has developed a residential programme that values experiential learning as part of a well-rounded curriculum which educates the whole child.

Here’s a recap from year groups 7, 8 and 9 on what they got up to during their week of Outdoor Education in January 2020.

The Pine Resort, Pathum Thani

Year 7 was led by Ms Rudden, students spent the week at the Pine Resort in Pathum Thani. On this trip the focus was water activities, team building and building relationships.

Day 1

Year 7 arrived safe and sound at the Pine Resort and worked on some team building activities with a focus on communication, problem solving and inventiveness. For this, it was important for students to get out of their comfort zones and to communicate.  Teachers decided to split up the typical groups and students collaborated with people they had never worked with before!

Day 2

Students had to overcome their fears! Year 7 tapped into their adventurous side through mountain biking, kayaking and raft building. This required both skill and stamina, while taking in the beautiful scenery.

Day 3

Year 7 faced their biggest obstacle yet. The challenge was to NOT fall in the water, to trust each other and to show team spirit!

Day 4

On the 4th day at the Pine Resort, Year 7 headed back to the lake to learn all about survival skills; such as learning how to filter fresh water, making fire by hand and shelter building.

The children's survival skills were so impressive that Ms Gilbert said "if I get lost in the middle of nowhere, I want these guys with me!"

iCamp, Kanchanaburi

Year 8 was led by Mr Moore, students travelled to the district of Kanchanaburi to have adventures around the river with a focus on personal development and self-awareness.

Day 1

On the first day, students set off for the New Life Project Orphanage. After learning about the amazing work they do students helped paint the playground before taking part in some dance based games. The students excelled themselves by inviting the children to join them in a dance off. The results were...interesting and entertaining!

Day 2

A huge range of activities took place today and all of them focused on developing the students' communication and problem-solving skills.

The first task of the day was orientation. Solving a complex problem in pairs was the aim and communication was critical. Some teams chose to rush into the task and trust their instincts whilst others chose a more logical approach. Next the year group focused on survival skills by learning to build a shelter. The students also cooked a boiled egg using a flint, leaves and sticks. After lunch students moved onto tasks designed to develop collaborative learning. Communication was the key and afterwards groups became much improved as problem solvers. At the end of the day students completed an obstacle course in the water which caused many wipe-outs but lots of fun was had by everyone!

Day 3

A day of learning, adventure and tenacity. Students learnt a plethora of skills including mud brick making, rice planting, charcoal block creation. Students also gained knowledge about how to produce organic vegetables. Also, one group took on the challenging adventure park. Fear had to replace tenacity, courage and determination. Other groups took a boat ride down the River Kwai. It was lovely until students were challenged to jump in the river and float the rest of the way down. Groups spent the afternoon engaging in a variety of water-based activities designed to push them out of their comfort zones.

Day 4

A day of courage, demonstrating Regents true spirit. Pupils were on point for archery, creative in crafts and tactical in GaGa ball. Later the students were ready for their second activity. Once again it was rafting and the adventure park.

The highlight at the adventure park was the 'Flying Fox'. Fears were conquered and apprehension gave way to bravery. An amazing opportunity for pupils to push themselves out of their comfort zones. That's what outdoor education is all about!

SUP Thailand, Kanchanaburi

Year 9 was led by Ms Thexton, students visited Kanchanaburi and took part in challenges like Stand-Up Paddleboard, campcraft and bushcraft. The trip also included an optional 2 days for students undertaking their Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.

Day 1

5 hours from Regents on a coach saw the Year 9 students to the Royal River Kwai Resort and Spa. They didn’t have much time to enjoy their lovely rooms and the beautiful surroundings right on the river because they went straight into their first rotation of activities.

Year 9 learnt to navigate using GPS, identify non-venomous and venomous snake bikes, communicate correctly using a 2-way radio and finally make French toast and tea over a camping stove! Groups headed off shopping for expedition food and needed to get their rucksacks packed for their overnight camp. Other groups unpacked and had a well-deserved shower and were looking forward to paddle boarding, learning camp craft and leadership skills and spending time with the elephants on the second day.

Day 2

Everyone took part in Stand-Up Paddle-boarding today, it was FANTASTIC. Students saw the Kanchanaburi landscape from a new and fluid perspective. They floated by temples, monuments and floating houses. One group travelled 13km, all the way to the bridge over the River Kwai. Before paddle boarding another group learnt how to use steel and flint to create fire and how to take only photos and leave only footprints, removing all trace of their fire pits and shelters. Later some groups had a rapid change of pace and visited Elephant Heaven.

The other two groups hiked through beautiful Thai countryside, past farms, flowers and karst mountainscapes. Finding the Vietnamese temple along the way, they stopped for a time to talk to the friendly monks, and catch their breath.

Energised by their morning endeavours, two groups decided they wanted to continue walking, and completed a 5km mini hike double time, completing 16km by the end of the session. Later, pitching tents and setting themselves for the grand event of the day, they made their evening meal, and although there was a conspicuous amount of pasta, everyone completed the task and survived their own cooking.

Day 3

Students had a wonderful morning cycle ride past paddy fields and banana plantations with a beautiful mountain vista in the background. They also had an orienteering lesson and were then sent on an orienteering challenge. Triumphant trekkers arrived for a hurried lunch before splitting in two, with half heading down the river on the stand-up paddle boards, and the second half heading for an afternoon with the magnificent elephants.

Day 4

On the last day, the groups changed the challenges. That means, Group C and D started the hiking and Group A and B tries to do the campcraft and orientation games. Thanks to the perfect weather, the last day was a great full ending for all students and teachers. At the end of the day, students had the opportunity to stay 2 more days and to complete a 27 km walk.  All students who finished this hike get the “Bronze Award Adventurous Journey”

Kurt Hahn, inventor of the “ideals” of Round Square said “I regard it as the foremost task of education to ensure the survival of these qualities: an enterprising curiosity, an undefeatable spirit, tenacity in pursuit, readiness for sensible self-denial, and above all, compassion.” These points are important for Regents and underpin our philosophy.  

Round Square ideals enable students to work together with different nationalities, to find their strengths and communicate with one another. Students go out of the classroom to challenge themselves and to learn by experience.

On the surface, these residential trips may just seem like fun excursions, but what many people don’t realise is that great consideration has gone into planning these experiences to best suit the personal and emotional development of students and at the same time putting their lives into context.