Grosvenor Hall Activity Centre 2018

In February, Miss Agbozo took a group of students to Grosvenor Hall Activity Centre, Ashford, Kent as part of the  aiming high interventions at GMS.

The theme of the visit was, ‘Adventure and Challenge’, was specially organised for Year 8 students as an enrichment weekend away. The weekend was jam packed with a wide range of outdoor activities, including 3G swings, outdoor laser, high equilibrium, nightline, Jacobs’s ladder, aeroball, orienteering and aerial runway.

Also, there were many indoor activities to build team co-operation, students engaged on team challenges, which required them to discuss and solve problems.  Some activities involved turning a team member into a robot using cardboard and tape. However, to get access to a strip of sellotape each member of the team had to go to the instructor to convince her to give them a strip of tape by either telling her a riddle, a joke or demonstrating a skill/talent they had. Each activity was geared towards students developing specific skills that they needed to build on, or improve upon, while new skills were being introduced. The students were very enthusiastic: over the weekend some of the most quiet and least confidence students began to interact and become involved.

As part of the weekend, there were planned ‘thinking moments’ (times for each student to review their progress in school and make plans for the future). Student feedback from both junior leaders and the participants was very positive with most of them using the buzz-words ‘confidence and resilience’ frequently.

Comments from Year 8 students:

‘Now I know that I can use team work in lessons with my teacher.’

‘I will make good choices at home and in school.’

I will work on my self-confidence.’

‘I will believe in myself, listen to other people more. Ask people if they need help.’

‘I will learn to speak up in class.’

‘I will concentrate more in lessons.’

These are just a few of the student’s comments from their evaluation.

A-level junior leaders say:

‘The weekend was an amazing experience! The Year 8 pupils grew in confidence over the duration of the trip, as well as improving on other important skills such as team work. Their attitudes changed towards the challenges and were all keen to try new things. It was an amazing experience, which I am grateful for. Not only have I improved my confidence, it has also helped me to find out more about myself that I can apply towards future career opportunities’.

This was a great experience for me. … Resilience was the word that all the pupils kept throwing about throughout the weekend and it was great to see the way their confidence changed during the weekend. Their attitude towards challenges changed so much over the days. They were all ready to face their fears such as heights. It was a great learning curve for me as well, as I found out some characteristics about myself that will help me in the future’.

Teachers:

Learning outside the classroom is an area where GMS is very good at creating opportunities for students to participate in. This was our first event, completed as part of our interventions, and we are very pleased to report that the purpose of the trip was met over and beyond our expectations. We will continue to focus these students on their set targets so they can continue to build the skills they have identified for themselves.

GMS wants to thank our parents and carers for all the support; Grosvenor Hall instructor Katie for her enthusiasm and work with our students; Mr Kevin Shea for his work and support on this venture; finally Ms Agbozo and her team for organising it.