Activities & Challenges

By Mr Richard Follett, Deputy Head Co-Curriculum

Looking back on the co-curricular year, we can see how far things have progressed from a year ago. The impact of Covid and lockdowns was greater on the co-curricular life of the College; the lack of opportunities to work with and for each other outside the virtual classroom was keenly felt by most.

The last year has very much felt as though we have been both making up for lost time, and also re-finding

the fun and enjoyment to be gained from such pursuits.

It is almost impossible to pick one highlight from the last year from a co-curricular perspective, as there is simply so much breadth on offer.

The Activities programme which all pupils at the College enjoy once each week has continued to develop

the breadth of opportunity outside the classroom. It has been lovely to see how willing the pupils and staff have been to try something new, from which new passions have developed for some.

Orienteering at the younger end of the College has flourished, with a waiting list for Key Stage 3 pupils

keen to explore our campus on a Friday afternoon in

search of the orange marker flags. At the other end of

the age range, the journalism and blogging activity has

gone from strength to strength, with a determined core of older pupils researching, interviewing and writing articles for the ‘Student Voice’ publication both in print

and online.

Alongside this, we have built and launched rockets, shot clay pigeons to a national competition standard and restored classic cars, to name but a few. The College’s rifle range has reopened after a number of years,

and plans are in place to participate in national rifle

shooting competitions in the coming year. Outside the Activities programme, Judo club has restarted and a committed group of boys and girls from Year 7 up to the Upper Sixth have trained each week and been assessed for their performance levels.

Sport has of course been a core aspect of the College week, with some notable team and individual performances alongside the daily training. Whilst the respective individual reports will paint their own highlights, some deserve particular mention here. Strong seasons were achieved for the senior girls’ hockey, the equestrian team, the 1st XI cricketers and

the Senior rowers, the latter of whom won the College’s first national title for eight years at the National

Schools’ Regatta this Summer. Our participation rate and percentage of pupils competing for the College

Wellbeing Day

In March we held our first ‘College Wellbeing Day’,

where pupils took part in many activities including yoga/pilates, meditation, walks, games, and relaxation

and anxiety reducing techniques. Four guest speakers

plus our own College experts spoke on a wide variety of wellbeing topics. We are looking forward to this becoming a regular event in the College calendar.

on a weekly basis far outshines the majority of other

schools, so it is great to see the enthusiasm for competitive sport remains really high.

The last two aspects of participation to reflect upon

are those of CCF and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, both

of which were hugely affected by the pandemic. As a result, the year just gone has very much enabled

a reset and the response from Pangbourne pupils has been tremendous.

It was wonderful for the College to return to Llangorse for the mid-Wales week of adventurous activities for

Year 9 just before the Half Term holiday. The week provides the perfect backdrop for the practice expedition and puts the weeks of learning camp craft skills on Tuesday afternoons into action. The Summer Term in particular is a busy one for the DofE staff, who within the space of just a month travel

from Wales with Year 9, up to the Lake District for the

final Gold expedition with Lower Sixth, and then back

South to the New Forest for the Silver expedition with

Year 10. Reports back from them have shown just how

much the pupils have responded to and gained from the return to normal.

Finally, the Combined Cadet Force has benefitted from

a renewed injection of energy this year, with many

new activities for them to experience in their weekly sessions, as well as a range of challenges in their Field

Days. Two of the key highlights have been the Field

Gun challenge, reminiscent of the Royal Tournament competitions (for those old enough to remember them!) and the military-issue laser weapons training.

These have both proved so popular there is the great news for the College that we have secured funding for our own kits for future use. In addition to activities on ‘home soil’, the return of adventure training and weekend camps has proved hugely popular, with large groups venturing off to military bases in the South of England for exciting residential experiences.

Having looked back on the experiences outside the classroom over the last year, I am grateful to all the staff who put so much time, effort and energy into providing such enriching experiences for the pupils. We can now spend the Summer months looking forward to further excitement and even more new opportunities in the year ahead.