Hundreds of QE boys have been enjoying new experiences and testing their limits on a series of trips.
First, 72 Year 10 pupils headed off to Wales for a three-day weekend with the Outward Bound Trust and then all of Year 7 and Year 9 made day trips to the Stubbers Adventure Centre in Essex.
Crispin Bonham-Carter, Assistant Head (Pupil Involvement), said: “These trips, which are part of our QE Flourish enrichment programme, are all about boys getting out beyond the classroom and beyond Barnet.
“They can try out new activities, bond with their existing friends – and, of course, have lots of fun! For our incoming Year 7 boys especially, it’s also a great opportunity for them to make some new friends.”
Among the pupils on the Outward Bound trip to Aberdovey was Year 10’s Tuhin Mitra. “I really enjoyed it,” he said. “You can step out of your comfort zone and learn important skills, including how to safely do dangerous activities. It also boosted my confidence while undertaking scarier activities, as I became more comfortable around heights.
“Personally, I enjoyed the water activities the most: my favourite was gorge-walking, as I was in direct contact with nature’s forces,” said Tuhin, adding that he also relished the chance to spend more time with friends and the opportunities to talk with others, especially those in his dormitory.
During their long weekend on the Welsh coast, as well as the gorge-walking, Tuhin and his peers experienced canoeing, raft-building and horizontal rope climbing.
Mr Bonham-Carter said: “The boys leapt (often quite literally) into the different challenges – with the occasional helping hand from their friends or the instructors. They even survived the five-hour coach journey.”
A second group from Year 10 is due to make the trip to Aberdovey in May next year.
Activities at Stubbers, near Upminster, included climbing, canoeing, archery and laser tag, mostly enlivened by the injection of a little healthy competition.
The trip was for the entire year Year 7 and Year 9 cohorts. Each year group was split across visits on two separate days, with Broughton, Harrisons’ and Leicester forms heading east to Essex on one day, and Pearce, Stapylton and Underne making the trip on another.
