School’s out

Posted on: 24 May 2016 by Weston Green School

School is relatively quiet this week. Why? We have sent the top two year groups away to Devon! This is not something we do without a great deal of thought and planning; we do it because we deem it important. The Guardian ran an article which began thus: “As our society becomes increasingly risk-averse and litigious, we are in danger of suffocating our children in rules, regulations and cotton wool. Life is full of challenges and we owe it to our children to equip them with the skills to recognise risks, assess them sensibly and react positively.”

I totally agree: being away together raises the whole area of personal and interpersonal skills, including leadership, team work, trust and respect, resilience and courage. It also offers the chance to learn in a new way, to develop knowledge and skills and to build self-confidence and develop social skills.

I therefore expect the children to return on Friday weary from a full week of endless activity, full of stories and a little changed - more aware of themselves and others and more able and ready to face the challenges this world offers.

As we look to the next academic year, we are planning to grow this side of Weston Green, building a programme of residential experiences and thus helping to develop resilience, ingenuity, creativity, self-awareness and a more refined ability to work alongside, with and for others. It is good preparation for an increasingly demanding world.