To give pupils the opportunity to venture further than their local communities, a group of Year 10 pupils were taken to Devon for a summer break. We returned to Deer’s Leap retreat, a beautiful retreat in the heart of Devon. We had the 2 lounge, 9 bedroom cottage and the 5 glamping tents all to ourselves. On our way there, we were also lucky enough to drive past Stonehenge, which was an added bonus for the pupils.
When we arrived on day one, pupils were treated to a BBQ before they sat together to watch England beat Switzerland in the Euro’s semi-final (shame we weren’t together to provide luck for the final!).
On day two, we took a drive to a lovely local beach where pupils were able to sunbath or play in the sea. Many of them had never been to a sandy beach in the UK before so this was a real experience for them. They were all then treated to surfing lessons by a local surf school before having dinner at a local restaurant.
One pupil said: ‘I was really nervous about going on the trip as I haven’t stayed away from home before. I am so glad that I overcame my anxiety and it was an amazing experience. I have never been surfing before and couldn’t believe that I manage to stand up on the board, during my first lesson. I learnt that if I give something a try, then I can achieve.’
On the final day, Heather who owner of Deer Leap, baked us fresh scones for our journey back. Thank you to Heather and her family for really looking after us as always.