Year 7 & 8 Trip to Hill End

Trip to Hill End by Year 7 & 8 Students

Bea

Sometimes I wonder how the teachers can do a such a great job at picking our residentials – it’s like they read our minds! Why was Hill End so amazing? Maybe the freedom we had, how mouth-watering the food was or our amazing friends and teachers who went on the trip. Let me break it down:

– The room choices were amazing (even though I don’t think many people slept), and you were put with your friends.

– The freedom we had to roam around the grounds was the best. It was a beautiful landscape and the rolling hills made it feel like the countryside went on forever.

– The barbecue was beyond my expectation and I think everybody else thought it was the best barbecue they had ever had on a school trip.

– Finally the activities were amazing, building a den and trying to survive the storms. To not get wet in this activity was much harder than the whole of Year 7 estimated. Everyone’s dens were amazing, some better than others – but in the end I think everyone got soaked , even Miss Clark.

All in all, I think that this trip was one of the best and I hope that the upcoming Year sevens and eights will have as much fun as this year’s group of girls did.

Faith

From hearing about this trip at the start I wasn’t so sure I wanted to go. But then after I heard that we were going to make marshmallows at the campfire as a whole year group as you probably think, that sure made me change my mind! So, the days leading up to it started creeping by and I was getting so excited, I was basically bouncing in my seat, even when it was exam week! So as Thursday morning came, we were all packed and ready to go. We arrived at school with our sleepover stuff of course, and we all put them in the sports hall. And so, we got cracking with our final exams, and then it came the time we couldn’t wait for… HILL END! So, we all collected our stuff and got our phones back for the coach journey. When we arrived at hill end, and we were all bouncing out the coach so excited for the time ahead of us. We all saw the massive hill end sign and immediately ran over to it, taking photos, having fun and climbing the sign, little did we know we weren’t really meant to! So, then our phones got taken off us and then after a while and we headed up the massive hill, up to where our dorms were. We got to explore and fight over who’s bed was who’s and then we got our phones bac. After taking pictures of the fantastic views we had outside our windows, we then went to have our dinner which was burgers or hot dogs! And then best of all we headed down to the camp fire where we got to roast marsh mallows. After we went straight back to our rooms ready for a goods night sleep…or at least we thought. In the big dorm it was so hard to get to sleep but definitely one of the funniest parts of the whole trip! So, we woke up the next morning, some with a whole 9 hours of sleep and others with maybe 2 hours max. But we all got up and packed our bits up, ready for them to be taken down for us. We then had some breakfast and had some great choices. After that we split into our years and started doing our activities, the year sevens were making fires and den building. We all especially loved the den building because at the end when we finished building, we got tested to see who’s was the best at staying dry, and it was very funny! We then came out of the woods ready to eat lunch, which was crisps, sandwiches, cookies and juice. And then our trip had to come to an end. So, we all put our bags in the coaches and headed back to school. And for anyone not knowing whether to go, we all recommend it so much, and you will make memories you will remember even when your old!

By Daria and Jessica – Year 8 students

At the end of exam week, Year 7 and 8 went to Hill End Outdoor Education Centre in Oxford. When we arrived, we were given the opportunity to explore the site and take in the breath-taking countryside views. We relaxed in our dorms with our friends before we enjoyed a delicious barbecue of burgers, hot dogs and vegetarian equivalents made by the generous Hill End team. We had (Year 7) Grace’s birthday to celebrate so got to enjoy dessert x 2! After dinner, both Year 7 and 8 had their own exciting campfire where the staff taught us many new amusing games, leaving us in fits of laughter, and we finished off the night with toasting marshmallows over the campfire. A highlight of the evening was Year 8 going to see a real World War 2 crater on the site!

In the morning, after a very tasty breakfast, Year 7 and 8 split off and were led by a member of the team into the woodland to do some survival activities. Firstly, we were split into groups to build a den that would not only withstand heavy rain and string wind but also included a ‘special feature’. All the groups were very creative; special features ranging from hunting tools to gardens, from campfires to weather detectors. As part of the judging process, the teachers poured water onto our dens whilst we were inside them to test just how weather resistant they were! Next, we all paired up and the knowledgeable instructors taught us how to set cotton wool on fire using flint and steel. It was difficult to make sparks at first, but eventually everyone had successfully started a small fire and safely put it out. Finally, the whole year group joined in with a hilarious game of ‘Jailbreak’, in which everyone had to hide amongst the woods and if they were called out, they had to come to a jail by a tree. The aim was to break everyone out of jail and stay hidden. At the end, we thanked the instructors and headed out of the woods.

Following this, both year 7 and 8 settled on a field for some much-anticipated lunch and as a special surprise, we all sang happy birthday to Abi – year 8 – and Mrs Roberts – year 8 form tutor as they cut into their cake (which was delicious). Soon after, not before taking some photos by the Hill End sign, we gathered our bags and climbed onto the coach – exhausted and happy – for the journey home.