As part of the Enrichment Day on Friday 4th November, a small group of Year 8 and 9 students took part in a series of outdoor challenges set by Assistant Headteacher Mrs Greenwood. The challenges took place in Ashridge Forest and were designed to build students’ resilience, teamwork and leadership skills.

The Navigation Challenge consisted in a 3 mile walk using a map and the National Trust waymarkers. The walks took students through ancient woodlands and commons – and lots of mud! Along the way, they had to photograph themselves and the flora and fauna around them. Many of the students reported back that they really enjoyed the walk. The group with Bushey Meads SENDCO, Mrs Seed were feared lost – but it turned out that they were just having such a good time climbing trees, they took longer than expected!

The Cooking Challenge was eagerly entered into by the very hungry students. With only trangias and an assortment of food items, the teams had to cook themselves a main and a dessert. Cheesy baked beans was a favourite dish and the biscuits and marshmallows were made into s’mores. Lots of ingenuity was on show as Assistant Headteacher Mr Mitman had forgotten to pack any utensils!

The final challenge was den building. Under the supervision of experienced den builder – AQA/Prince’s Trust teacher, Mrs Isles – their structure had to be big enough to house the whole team and provide adequate shelter from the rain. Competition was very strong in this challenge, with several students exhibiting excellent engineering skills and leadership qualities.

The day was a huge success with all our students experiencing a strong sense of success and personal achievement.