Our extensive programme of trips and expeditions provides another world of activity and adventure. With over 140 trips taking place each year, ranging from small-scale trips within the UK to destinations further afield, there is something for every boy to enjoy.
Our outdoor activities programme starts in Year 7 with weekend hill-walking, climbing and caving trips. Whole forms of Year 7 pupils spend three days on ‘Shells Camp’ learning how to orienteer, abseil, camp out and work as a team. This is extended to a five-day hostelling trip in Year 8 to the Lake District and Wales called ‘Rems Week’.
The KES Expeditions Award begins in Year 9, which acts as preparation for the gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. A major expeditions programme is also available with recent destinations including Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, Guyana, and Madagascar.
A range of trips are provided across the curriculum to enrich the learning done in the classroom. These include a history trip to the First World War battlefields, classics trip to Rome, and a geography trip to Iceland. There are also lots of short and low cost trips within the UK to support learning, including visits to art galleries, the theatre, and RAF Cosford.
Our language exchanges are well established with schools in Grasse on the French Mediterranean coast, Palma on the Spanish island of Mallorca and Dorsten in Germany. Depending on demand and availability, we also take older boys abroad for a week of total immersion in European language schools.
Each year, at least one of our sports goes on tour abroad. Recent destinations have included rugby and hockey touring India, and the junior cricketers touring Dubai and the seniors touring the West Indies. Annually, four boys also go to a top school in Melbourne on a cricket exchange.
We run two cycle tours per year, one aimed at boys in the first three years of school, and one aimed at the older boys. Cycle tours offer a unique experience, combining the physical challenge of the riding with the historical perspective offered by the places through which we pass. The tours are also popular with parents, who can participate if they wish. In recent years, we have toured the Low Countries, the Danube, Holland and the classic journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats.
