RESIDENTIALS PROGRAMME

Developing a lifelong love of physical activity and the great outdoors!

RESIDENTIAL DATES FOR 2022-2023

Year 6 5-day residential:

Monday 13th March - Friday 17th March

Information session: Thursday 2nd February

Year 5 3-day residential:

Monday 27th March - Wednesday 29th March

Information session: Thursday 9th February

Year 4 2-day residential:

4LJFC: Thursday 18th May - Friday 19th May

4LC: Thursday 25th May - Friday 26th May

Thursday 30th March

INTENT

Children at Clavering Primary School have the opportunity to attend THREE residentials during their time at Clavering:

  • a two-day / one-night residential in Year 4 (for which preparation begins in Year 3);
  • a three-day / two-night residential in Year 5;
  • a five-day / four-night residential in Year 6 (as part of our John Muir Award Programme).

The Clavering Residentials Programme provides the opportunity and experience of living with others which transforms relationships and develops a strong sense of community and belonging between the staff and children involved. This sense of community supports a wide range of positive social and learning outcomes long after they return to school, including further developing the ten Clavering Family Values (see below).

Although they are "only" an optional part of our extra-curricular offer, we believe that brilliant residential experiences are a fundamental part of a well-rounded education (playing an important part in our children's personal, spiritual, moral, social, physical and academic development) and that the Clavering Residentials Programme creates life-changing experiences that have an impact back in school and influences the futures of well over a hundred of our children every academic year. 

The memories Clavering children take away from our residentials stay with them forever!

IMPLEMENTATION

THREE PROGRESSIVELY CHALLENGING RESIDENTIALS

Our children have the opportunity to attend THREE residentials during their time at Clavering, totalling TEN days away from home:

A two-day / one-night residential in Year 4 (for which preparation begins in Year 3), based at Pybus Campsite at the foot of the Cleveland Hills in the North York Moors:

During the 2012-2013 academic year, we launched our Middle School Residential Programme in conjunction with the West View Project. Our children spend two days in Year 3 learning a range of camping skills on the school site and in a wild environment, followed by a preparation day at school in Year 4 where the children plan their meals and ensure they have all the necessary camping skills to survive! It is then off to a local supermarket and then Pybus Campsite for two days of fun and adventure!

Our Year 4 Residential is designed to provide an affordable and safe (yet very challenging) introduction to adventure and teamwork activities in a wild environment with the children developing a huge range of skills and attributes. 

A three-day / two-night residential in Year 5, based at Dukeshouse Wood Activity Centre in Northumberland:

During the 2011-2012 academic year, we launched our Year 5 Residential which gives participating children the opportunity to spend three fantastic days away from home, participating in lots of different activities from ‘a’ for archery to ‘z’ for zip-wiring.

A five-day / four-night residential in Year 6 (as part of our John Muir Award Programme), based at Carlton Adventure in the North York Moors:

During the 2011-2012 academic year, we launched our John Muir Award Programme which quickly became one of our most popular extra-curricular opportunities. As part of the programme, Year 6 children have the opportunity to participate in a 5-day residential. The extended time away from home gives children the opportunity to further develop all of the attributes that have been enhanced during our Year 4 and Year 5 residentials whilst challenging them in a variety of outdoor and adventurous activities in a range of environments!

As part of our intent to develop in our children a lifelong love of physical activity and the great outdoors, exploring a range of environments in our nearest national park encourages our children to continue adventuring in this wonderful location long after they leave Clavering.

IMPACT

CHANGES THAT CAN HAPPEN DURING BRILLIANT RESIDENTIALS

The below model  (adapted from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation) illustrates the changes that can happen to learning through brilliant residential experiences:

Residentials bring...

Overnight stays and an intensity of experience: 

extended time away from home; a new environment and routines; fewer distractions; opportunities to work intensively and be immersed in learning; a collaborative community environment; unstructured time.

A new context for relationships: 

opportunities to break down existing barriers, hierarchies and power relationships; children and teachers work more collaboratively in unfamiliar surroundings on unfamiliar tasks; the teacher is not automatically the expert; residentials are a leveller for children and staff; opportunities to develop and practise key social skills.

Different and varied opportunities to experience success: 

a wide range of cognitive, emotional, social and physical challenges; opportunities for everyone to be successful at something; opportunities to overcome fears; immediate opportunities to revisit and build on learning experiences.

New ways of learning: 

a safe space to explore new ways of teaching and learning; a focus on real-life activities and experiences; increased levels of child responsibility.

...which in the short-leads to...

Enhanced relationships: 

children and staff trust each other more; children feel more able to ask staff for help; children feel more comfortable with each other; children are more able to empathise; the sense of community is sustained.

Improved engagement and confidence in learning: 

increased motivation and engagement; improved behaviour and attendance; increased participation in lessons; more enjoyment of learning; enhanced confidence, resilience and wellbeing; increased ability to overcome challenges and try new activities.

New and developing skills and understanding: 

new learning continues to develop, including skills in independent learning, study and research, self management, communication, team working and problem solving; deeper and better understanding of specific subjects/topics; developing vocabulary; improving creativity; meaningful opportunities to develop and practise leadership skills; increased ability to apply learning and skills in new contexts.

...which in the longer term lead to:

improved achievement, progress and attainment;

improved knowledge, skills and understanding;

improved relationships;

improved engagement;

improved behaviour and attendance;

mores successful transition experiences;

raised aspirations;

greater cohesion and a sense of belonging;

enhanced trajectories to further study and employment.

HOW THE CLAVERING RESIDENTIALS PROGRAMME SUPPORTS DEVELOPING THE CLAVERING FAMILY VALUES

Curiosity

'I have discovered that the most curious people have the best adventures! The Clavering residentials have taught me that the most exciting adventures are done by people who adventure with curiosity, enthusiasm and passion.'

We believe that learning is most effective when it is fun and stirs our children’s curiosity. Using our range of carefully chosen and designed activities throughout the Clavering Residential Programme, we hope to make our children passionately curious – motivating and inspiring them to be the best they can be. Curiosity leads us down new paths, which can be most apparent in our more challenging activities, where our children may need to dig a little deeper to stay enthusiastic and put more effort in to benefit later.

 

Collaboration

'I could have not achieved what I have experienced on the Clavering residentials without working successfully with others. I have seen how when there is genuine teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.'

Being able to collaborate with others is a key ability, not only in school, but in life. All of the activities completed throughout the Clavering Residential Programme involve an element of teamwork, and – of course – the close proximity that we live together during our three residentials means that it is impossible to avoid working with others. Many of our activities are deliberately aimed at developing collaboration skills, giving our children the opportunity to involve themselves in working towards a common goal whether that is, for example, building a buggy, solving a complex orienteering task or cooking a meal in the wild.

 

Resilience

'The Clavering Residentials Programme has emphasised to me the importance of being resilient and finding the mental strength to go on because the results often astound me. If I FAIL, it is merely the First Attempt In Learning. What matters is that I have the resilience to keep going and never give up.'

Building resilience from a young age helps to equip children for setbacks in their studies, work and all aspects of life. Sometimes called ‘stickability’, the ability to learn from failures and view them as positive opportunities for learning are key to our approach throughout all three residentials. We believe that children equipped with a higher level of resilience find that they enter new situations with more confidence. Through our residential experiences and our activities, we impart new skills and support our children to face new challenges which require determination and perseverance, encouraging them to realise that the most successful people are those who know that when life get really hard and other start to fall away, that is the time to dig deep and give that little bit extra.

 

Respect

'There is no getting away from the fact that having respect for myself, my teammates, my instructors and the equipment that I am using is key to the best and most successful residentials. I have also discovered that when you have respect for nature, you are able to find beauty and adventures all around you.'

Our golden rule while adventuring on our residentials is to show respect to all the people, places, and equipment we encounter. Whether it be a new instructor, a set of climbing ropes, fellow team members or the accommodation facilities, respect is a foundational value within the Clavering Residentials Programme, and we expect nothing less from all our adventurers. Throughout all of our residentials, children are expected to respect themselves, others, equipment that they are using, and the environments in which they are adventuring. In particular, children realise that without appreciation and respect for other people, success on our residentials becomes very limited, if not impossible.

 

Honesty

'I have discovered that adventures are often unpredictable and, therefore, honesty is always important. Honesty with myself, teammates and instructors bring clarity, and clarity gives us the opportunity to make good decisions which is vital on adventures.'

We believe that honesty and integrity are values that are absolutely essential for success in life – in all areas of life. Our residentials help our children to understand that anyone can develop both honesty and integrity, and that developing these values – including in the toughest of challenges and most challenging of occasions – is vital. Children are encouraged to be honest and open about their fears and concerns – which we all have on residentials – because being brave isn’t the absence of fear; being brave is being honesty about that fear but finding a way through it.

 

Empathy

'Through the intense experiences I have had on Clavering residentials, I have learnt more about the power of empathy. I know that to be a true asset on an adventure, I need to be empathetic towards my teammates’ weaknesses, but also show them their strengths.'

Having the skills to empathise with others affect school cohesion, friendships and wellbeing. In many of our residential activities, children are required to take on both leading and supporting roles at different times. Individuals must consider the role they play within the team and how they best empathise and communicate with others, especially in sharing ideas or plans and developing positive relationships. The intensity of our residentials not only helps to develop our children’s empathy, it gives them the courage to display it.

 

Creativity

'My adventures have taught me that creativity requires the courage to let go of certainty. Coming up with new solutions to solve problems, trusting my imagination and creativity, and realising that life should be one big creative adventure has been one of the most powerful lessons of my involvement with the Clavering Residentials Programme.'

Many of our activities involve children having to think creatively and consider their ideas before then executing their plan. Likewise, many activities include a review session where children consider the strengths and weakness of their creative planning and action phases, and collectively what could be done differently or what learning can be applied to their next creative, problem-solving opportunity. Through this ‘experiential learning’ model, layers of learning are applied through continued cycles of plan, do and review.

 

Wellness

'I have discovered that being outside, adventuring in wild places with my friends is one of the best things I can do for my wellness. For example, on our residentials, I am more active; overall, I feel more relaxed; the outdoors helps my concentration to improve; and I know I am getting lots of vitamin D.'

Participating in the Clavering Residential Programme has obvious benefits to children’s mental and physical health; in addition, we believe that the supported and controlled risk-taking aspect of our residentials helps our children to prepare for challenges in life. All of our residential providers adhere to a clear philosophy of ‘challenge by choice’ and encourage participants to expand their personal boundaries in a safe and supportive environment. Quite often the residential experiences themselves poses children with the biggest sense of social risk or failing to complete a group problem solving task might be considered a risk too. By the end of each residential, the vast majority of our children say that their confidence to try something they wouldn’t have tried before has increased and they are able to understand the wellbeing benefits of taking healthy risks whilst making sure they can consider the consequences of their actions.

 

Self-Awareness

'My self-awareness has developed significantly during our residentials. By being self-aware, responsible, disciplined, prepared and believing in myself, it is AMAZING what I have achieved!'

Within the new environments and challenges of our three residential locations, children can find strengths they didn’t know they had and identify opportunities for reflection, boosting their self-awareness as well as their confidence and engagement in their home community and school life. Our children are often stunned by what they are able to independently achieve during our residentials, realising that our achievements are generally limited only by the beliefs that we impose on ourselves. Our adventurers realise that if they can replace doubt with hope, fear with courage and self-pity with a sense of pride, then they are able to achieve anything!

 

Citizenship

'I want to show positive citizenship in the world. I know that one of the best ways I can do this is to be an active conservationist: protecting the environment and – even better – creating a world where the environment doesn’t need protecting.'

A key citizenship aspect of our Residentials Programme is environmental awareness. We believe that a connection to the environment not only influences people personally, but environmental awareness and knowledge about our natural world also has global significance. Understanding the human ‘footprint’ on the environment is a core concern for global society and is a feature throughout the Clavering Residential Programme, resulting in our children having the opportunity to work towards and gain the prestigious John Muir Award. Reinforcing aspects of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural education, we ask our children to consider what their ‘footprint’ is in all aspects of their life and help them make good decisions for the future as active conservationists.