LEADERSHIP IN ACTION (CAMPS & SLEEPOVERS

EDUCATIONAL VISITS

Lower School pupils visit a number of exciting and educational places of interest during the year. Learning outside of the classroom is about giving our pupils opportunities, providing them with challenging, exciting and different experiences to help them learn. Year group teams plan a wide range of educational opportunities to broaden and highlight the pupils’ learning. Trips and visits provide ‘hooks for learning’ at the start of a new theme, or involve taking part in experiences linked to learning which enhance our curriculum.

LEADERSHIP IN ACTION (CAMPS AND SLEEPOVERS)

The Leadership in Action programme in the Lower School is designed to present pupils with wonderful opportunities and challenges that cannot be replicated during a typical day at school. The programme develops in length and challenge each year from Year 1 to Year 5, building on previous skills acquired and offering new environments and challenges through which pupils learn, develop and thrive.

The Years 1 and 2 sleepover engages the children in a range of fun activities such as a fun swim, a talent show, a torch walk and an evening film with popcorn and finally sleeping in the classroom together under the watchful eye of their year group staff team. For some children, this will be the first experience of being away from their families overnight and it is a great way to begin cultivating some independence whilst the children feel safe and at ease with their school friends and staff that they know and trust.

Year 3 is the first year group in the Lower School who are able to go on camp, also known as the Young Adventurers challenge at Mount Davis and Deep Water Bay, both situated on Hong Kong Island and both areas of outstanding natural beauty. Pupils take part in a giant SUP challenge on the water at Deep Water Bay, enjoy a hike in the same area and learn about local flora and fauna.

They will experience team challenges, work together in shelter-building activities, learn some basic knot tying skills and will take part in root climbing. Accommodation is provided in dormitories for one night at the Mount Davis Youth Hostel, which is booked for exclusive use by Harrow.

The Year 4 camp encourages pupils to be young explorers and is held at Tung Tze, Tai Po. The pupils will experience the beauty of Tai Po country park, whilst taking part in a walk through the Bride’s Pool, a hidden scenic gorge which is only accessible by foot. They will learn some fundamental map reading skills, learn spotting techniques, go on a treasure hunt and complete a river boat challenge. In addition to the Bride’s Pool explorations, children will be transferred to Tai Mei Tuk by bus. Once there, they will design and build a full-size raft and then race it on the water in teams. Children will also be encouraged to take part in a pier jump challenge before finishing the day with hot chocolate and a review. Accommodation is in tents at the campsite, which has been booked for exclusive use.

Year 5 pupils have the opportunity to be Wilderness Explorers at the Gilwell campsite in Kowloon, where they will be staying in tents for two nights at a scout camp, which has been booked for exclusive use by Harrow. Whilst there, pupils will take part in High Elements activities, scaling the climbing wall and navigating Jacob’s ladder. They will experience real-life team-building challenges, working together on the Baranium Tank activity and pioneering skills such as more complex knot tying and fire building. Children will make lifelong memories as they go on a night hike to witness the city skyline and perhaps see some shooting stars.

On every camp or sleepover, pupils will be encouraged to take calculated risks, assimilate and adapt to unfamiliar environments and to show compassion to their classmates whilst demonstrating initiative and teamwork. All of these are essential elements of leadership and embody the school’s Leadership Attributes, seeking to build our future leaders.