Our Year 4s have had an incredible start to the week on their residential at Braeside. Many struggled to pick a favourite part as they enjoyed it all so much!

They started with a gloriously sunny walk along the canal- where every child had the chance to help open or close a lock gate on the famous Caen Hill.

Climbing featured highly in many recounts- with tales of the low-ropes, bouldering and slack line. It was great to hear how children overcame their fears and managed to let go of supports on the slack line, as well as tales of races on the wall.

One of the most memorable Braeside experiences is the 6 mile walk- which actually became an 8 mile walk this year due to diversions in place! The children did so well- they enjoyed beautiful views of the Wiltshire countryside, tales of its history, as well as a delicious picnic lunch!

They came back a little soggy after a bit of drizzle on Wednesday morning but this didn’t dampen any fires- literally. Wednesday morning was a time for building their own fires to cook their own lunches, and the rain didn’t put a stop to this. Many stated that this was indeed the best meal that they had ever eaten! It was a time to try new foods as well: someone trying out a mushroom for the first time led to a rendition of ‘I tried a mushroom and I liked it’.

The other members of Beech and Chestnut classes weren’t left out though, as they joined forces for a trip to Bristol Aquarium. It was a mesmerising trip that had a very clear highlight- an axolotl with 5 legs.

And the excitement didn’t stop there this week, with the whole school taking part in the Mosaic Skipping Challenge- 12 schools across the academy, every child with 30 seconds to see how many skips they can do! It was great fun and our sports leaders did a fantastic job of counting and recording the scores. After the holiday, we’ll see which class across the academy had the highest average and which children are in the top 3 of their year groups.

Have a fantastic half term and we’ll see you back on Monday 3^rd June.