All children have the opportunity to take part in a range of trips throughout their primary years at St Mary's from an outing on foot in our local village to a residential away from home. We believe that educational visits play an important role in a child's learning and can be used to bring learning to life. Children develop a sense of responsibility outside of the classroom and it gives them opportunities to put into practice and build on the content that has been learned in the classroom. Recent trips have included the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, Ludlow Castle, Shrewsbury Prison, The Hurst writing retreat and The Sidney Nolan Trust. We also invite a range of visitors into school both in person and virtual such as our favourite local author, Catherine Cooper, a Greek Theatre Company, the Jorvik Viking Centre and a storyteller. Every summer term, Years 5 and 6 take part in a careers afternoon and meet adults from a range of professions to inspire them to explore lots of career options in the future.
We regularly take part in sporting activities both as part of the Blue Hills Federation but also alongside other schools at local and county tournaments and competitions. The Federation Choir is invited to sing at a selection of public events throughout the year and finish the summer term off with an incredible end of year performance at Bedstone College.
All pupils in Key Stage 2 have the opportunity to take part in a residential visit at an activity centre in years 4 and 6. Depending on the location, a range of outdoor and adventurous pursuits are offered including rock climbing, raft building, orienteering, gorge scrambling and fencing. We value these opportunities for our pupils to participate in physically challenging land and water-based activities, believing they are beneficial for children in many ways: developing independence and essential life-skills like decision-making and problem solving, improving confidence and self-esteem as well as making lifelong memories alongside their friends.
