Trips Day is always a fun, challenging and varied day for the Senior School. The line-up of activities included a Globe Players performance of ‘An Inspector Calls’; life skills workshops in self-defence & GAM-Ed; Physics & Nuclear Fusion talks; and petting snakes & hedgehogs! Meanwhile, our offsite contingents were treated to a performance of the ‘Lion King’, an unforgettable journey at the BBC Earth Experience, an exploration of the Royal Observatory & Planetarium, and a visit to historic Canterbury.  

Year 7 

• A real Year 7 highlight, we were joined by Mobile Zoo, who offer students the chance to meet a variety of animals up close and attend workshops on biological classification, adaptations and habitats. Students also had the opportunity to complete an art activity based on their encounters and invent new species! If snakes, hedgehogs and meerkats were not enough, Year 7 then headed off an encounter with a lion – well, Simba in the Lion King - as he journeys from wide-eyed cub to his destined role as King of the Pridelands.  

Year 8  

• Year 8 took an unforgettable journey through the natural world and explored the unique and extraordinary diversity of our seven unique continents at the BBC Earth Experience. With narration from David Attenborough, the experience showcases footage and music from the BBC Natural History Unit, projected on multiple large-scale, multi-angle screens. Students also got to visit the Daikin Climate Zone to discover how they can reduce their carbon footprint.  

Year 9 

• Year 9 welcomed the excellent Globe Players as they performed a lively, abridged production of ‘An Inspector Calls’. The performance was followed by a Q&A workshop to explore the seminal text by J B Priestley, giving students to develop their knowledge and understanding of this haunting thriller and explore its role as a social commentary. 

• In the afternoon, Year 9 attended a compelling talk from GAM-Ed, with a workshop which focused on raising awareness of gambling addiction. GAM-Ed explores the increasingly blurred lines between gambling and gaming, helps young people recognise signs in themselves and others, and explores the impact of gambling on mental health. 

Year 10 

• At a morning delving into the world of Physics and Nuclear Fusion, Year 10 took part in a fun and interactive megawatt workshop, focused on developing curiosity about sustainable energy, and learned about the net zero challenge, designed to help them make informed decisions in the future.

• In the afternoon’s Nuclear Fusion talk, students were treated to a presentation from Leah Morgan, a project engineer working in fusion energy research at the UK Atomic Energy Authority, the UK Government’s fusion research facility. Leah specialises in defining, designing, and installing fusion diagnostics on current and future fusion devices, technology which is instrumental in retrieving data during operations. 

Year 11 

• With the arrival of award-winning adaptive learning programme Tassomai, which helps students build subject knowledge, boost confidence and reduce exam stress, our Year 11 students began the day getting to grips with the new platform and how it can support their ongoing learning and revision.

• Very different but equally important, Year 11 spent the afternoon learning the fundamentals of self-defence. Under the expert guidance of an instructor from personal safety specialists Actively Safe, students gained practical skills in self-defence and also an understanding of the law when it comes to keeping themselves safe. 

Year 12 & 13 

• Taking a well-earned break from studying, our Sixth Form headed to historic Canterbury to take in the architectural beauty of Canterbury Cathedral. Lauren in Year 12 summed up the day for us: 

In January, Sixth Form took a trip to Canterbury to learn about its incredible history and religious background. The main attraction of the day was the beautiful Canterbury Cathedral, adorned with some of the grandest stained-glass windows in the country, which they recently invested £5 million in restoring!  

The breadth of history held in the Cathedral was immense: from the infamous death of Archbishop Thomas Becket (killed by four knights who misinterpreted Henry II’s ill-fated cry of ‘who will rid me of this turbulent priest?’), to the mystery surrounding the death of the Black Prince and his burial (did the sailors throw the bad omen of a dead body overboard? Perhaps not…).