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Residential Trips Overview

Years 8–13 Music Tour to Europe

The music tour is held every two years and the invitation is open to all instrumentalists and singers from Years 8 to 13, regardless of whether they currently study music. In 2016 we went to Lake Garda, in 2018 Barcelona. The 2020 trip to the Rhineland was cancelled due to the pandemic. 

In July 2023 the Music Department took 45 students, ranging in age and musical ability, to Leysin, Switzerland. The trip was offered to those who love music and were prepared to play an instrument or sing as part of a group. The trip cost of £750 covered coach travel, half board and all excursions. The trip lived up to its promise and was full of wonderful experiences, including beautiful natural scenery, a number of excursions and the opportunity to perform to a variety of audiences.

Year 7 Overnight Bushcraft Trip

All Year 7 students are encouraged to take part in a residential trip, typically held in July during All Round Excellence Week (formerly known as Activities Week) when the whole school is off timetable. Such trips are an opportunity for students to challenge themselves and make new friends. In 2023 all Years 7 were invited to take part in a two-day, one-night camping trip run by The Bushcraft Company.

Away from screens and technology, students take part in activities to encourage team building and give them the chance to develop new skills and interact with their peers in a fun, creative environment. Students learn first-aid techniques, how to build shelters and tackle SOS scenarios, along with lots of other activities. Students stay at the Penshurst Bushcraft Centre situated in the heart of the woodlands. Each camp comprises a large yurt and cosy campfire for mealtimes and talks, its own field kitchen and safari-style bell tents in which to sleep.

Bushcraft Camps are run by a team of experienced instructors, who remain with the students and take care of the activities and mealtimes. Form tutors and support staff also accompany students for the entire stay.

Every meal at camp is freshly prepared on-site by a field cook, using locally sourced ingredients wherever possible. The students also have the chance to cook their own food, using traditional bushcraft methods.

In June 2023 the cost of this trip was £145, and included transport, accommodation and food.

Year 9 Overnight History Trip to the Ypres Salient

The visit to Ypres reinforces the classwork related to the fighting that took place on the Western Front, and should also develop a sense of the scale and intensity of the battles that occurred within such a small geographical area.

The itinerary usually includes the Hooge Crater Museum, Tyne Cot Cemetery, Langemark German Cemetery, Ypres and the Menin Gate, and much more. The students are accompanied by teachers from the History Department.

The accommodation is at the CJT de Lork in Kemmel.

The cost of the trip in 2022 was approximately £210, which covered the cost of transport, accommodation, insurance and entrance to the museums.

Year 10 Ski Trip

The ski trip is offered to the whole year group and places awarded by ballot. The Easter 2023 ski trip cost approx £1,400. The 2024 trip is costing around £1,650.

Ski Trip 2023 Presentation

Year 10 French GCSE Trip to Paris

The aim of the trip is to allow the GCSE French students to experience some of the history and beauty of Paris and return home feeling more confident and full of enthusiasm for learning French.

The itinerary includes:

  • A day in Disneyland Paris
  • A visit to the Château de Versailles
  • A trip on the river Seine
  • Time for photos around the Eiffel Tower
  • Visiting the Montmartre area for views of the city from La Basilique du Sacré Cœur.

The June 2023 trip cost of £490 included travel, half-board accommodation, entry to Versailles and Disneyland (meal voucher for Disneyland evening meal).

Year 10 History GCSE Trip to Berlin

The History Department typically organises a four-day trip to Berlin every year during All Round Activities Week. This trip is open to Year 10 students who have opted for GCSE History and many of the sites visited are directly relevant to two of the modules that students study in KS4. The trip focuses on sites and museums that shed light on the rise and fall of the Nazi Party as well as the tension that gripped the city during the Cold War. The travel company is Anglia Tours. The proposed itinerary includes:

  • Brandenburg Gate
  • Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
  • Fuhrer Bunker
  • Topography of Terror Museum
  • German Historical Museum
  • Bebelplatz (site of Nazi book burning)
  • Neue Wache (memorial to the victims of fascism)
  • Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp
  • Olympic Stadium
  • Berlin Wall
  • Stasi Prison
  • DDR Museum
  • Checkpoint Charlie
  • Glienicke Bridge (famous from Bridge of Spies)
  • Blochplatz and Pankstrasse nuclear shelters

Activities are organised for the students in the evening, including a visit to the Reichstag and bowling. The July 2023 trip cost about £700.

Years 10 and 11 Geography GCSE Trip to Iceland

The pandemic obviously had a huge impact on the school trips we could offer and the trip to Iceland, which previously took place every two years, last ran in 2018. The trip is due to run again in July 2024 and will cost approx £1300. This trip is open to Year 10 and 11 GCSE Geography or Geology students. While this is an optional trip, it is an invaluable educational opportunity for all students to experience at first hand the processes that shape our planet. The travel company used for the trip is Rayburn Tours. The proposed itinerary includes:

  • Return flight to Keflavik Airport
  • Secret Lagoon – swim at one of the world-famous geothermal spas
  • Lava Centre, featuring an interactive exhibition on lava properties
  • Solheimajokull Glacier Hike (with crampons)
  • Ferry to Heimaey Island. This amazing experience includes a climb to the top of the active volcano, which devastated the island in 1973 and a visit to a museum
  • Vsits to the Reykjanes Peninsula, Golden Circle and South Coast regions to experience black sand beaches, Gulfoss waterfall and active geysers.

Year 12 Geography A Level Residential Field Trip

Year 12 geographers stay at Juniper Hall, near Box Hill in Surrey for a Field Studies Council course. The purpose-made study days cover the elements of the curriculum requiring primary data collection and natural processes otherwise difficult to reproduce in class. The trip involves a day on site, a day in Dorking and a day on the coast. The 2023 trip cost £438.