For Trips Day 5, Senior School students immersed themselves in a range of cultural activities, from the local to the international - from Blackheath to Boulogne. 

Working hard towards their GCSEs and A-levels, Year 11 and 13 students benefitted from some intensive revision time, but with the end of exams in sight, there will be fun to look forward to afterwards! 

Year 7: Cutty Sark, National Maritime Museum & Greenwich Park 

Year 7 spent trips day in Greenwich undertaking a cross-curricular outing with the Geography and History departments. In a celebration of London, students visited the Cutty Sark, the National Maritime Museum and Greenwich Park to conduct fieldwork. 

Year 8: Boulogne, France  

Students headed to Boulogne for legendary Year 8 French day trip. Alexandra describes the experience: 

“For Trips Day 5 we went to Boulogne where we had the option to try snails, (which were delicious!) and learn a bit about them. We also had the opportunity to go to the bakery where we learnt how to make bread and croissants, and what ingredients are needed to make them. The man who taught us how to make croissants was both a bit scary and also very funny, and it was so fun to learn how to make these. Additionally, we also got to go to the supermarket and buy goods which was fun because no one could speak any English, so we had to use our French to communicate to the people who were working there. I think we are all so glad we could come on this trip, as it was so much fun and we absolutely loved it!” 

Year 9: Biology Fieldwork 

Year 9 students participated in a Field Studies investigation on Blackheath to assist in their study of Ecology – they made some good headway into investigating a range of environmental factors and living organisms, before the heavens opened and they headed back to school to continue with their written fieldwork. 

Year 10: Futures & ‘Dead Poet’s Society’ 

“The focus of Year 10’s Futures day was to consider how film directors use various production techniques to communicate meaning. In the morning, we watched Peter Weir’s 1989 film ‘Dead Poets Society’, starring Robin Williams in a serious dramatic role, at a private screening room at Greenwich Picturehouse. Then in the afternoon, we discussed the various production elements and how they helped to convey the atmosphere and themes of the film.  

Students also reflected on their experiences of our recent Super Skills event, using the language of evaluation to consider how what they learned can benefit them in their educational journey – and then recorded their reflections and individual areas for development on the Unifrog skills & development platform. 

Our ‘Dead Poets Society’ trips day was informative and enjoyable. We were able to explore and analyse different filming techniques whilst enjoying a classic film. I found it really interesting to learn about the use of different colour palettes and how they can help convey the mood of each scene. We all learned something new, whether it was our first or fourth time watching it although most of us were watching it for the first time.” 

Written by Ava, Year 10 

Year 12: Culture Day 

Sixth Form’s Culture Day started at the National Gallery, where students explored art from around the world, followed by a trip to the vibrant street food markets, performers and restaurants of Covent Garden. Ending with a short walk to the Phoenix Theatre and the spectacular ‘Stranger Things’ stage show, this trip provides the opportunity for our Sixth Form to spend a day together exploring art, food and performance.