Adventurous Activities

Outdoor education and the spirit of adventure are fundamental to a well-rounded education. At St Dunstan’s, Adventurous Activity is a key part of our broad and ambitious co-curriculum. At a time when Covid has so disproportionately affected the nation’s young people, it is outdoor education and adventurous activities that will have a vital role to play in helping to restore and rebuild confidence, mental and physical health.

As we manoeuvered through the everchanging regulations of the past 12 months, it became clear that whilst we would not be able to offer our usual programme of activities, we needed to make every effort to afford students the opportunities they deserve. It did not take long before we encountered our first hurdle. As the students returned in September, Year 7 would have been expecting to embark upon their first residential trip. The Bushcraft week has become a highlight of the school calendar, offering the children a chance to meet their new classmates and start building relationships in the freedom of a unique outdoor environment. However, a ban on residential trips meant that our usual visit to the Oxfordshire countryside was not possible. Undeterred, and given our strong belief in the importance of this trip, we relocated to a more local scout camp – meaning that the new students did not have to miss out on a great experience. As the year progressed, the possibility of journeying to different activities was becoming increasingly unlikely; so, what better reason to recertify our own onsite climbing facility. The popularity of the climbing wall has been nothing short of incredible; even with 5 weekly clubs, the demand for more time on the wall meant that we needed to branch out further! Support came from the Friends of St Dunstan’s, who kindly funded a brand-new climbing facility, in the form of an interactive bouldering station!

We have also launched our very first Sixth Form ski trip to the Western Alps, an additional ski opportunity available to Year 7 and 8 students, as well as summer climbing packages to France for Years 9, 10 and 11 – all part of the exciting expansion of the Adventurous Activities programme. All these additional opportunities, against the backdrop of an already well established DofE programme, mean that outdoor education has a bright future at the College. As we recover from this pandemic, all the benefits associated with a high-quality outdoor education programme, such as increased self-confidence, enhanced peer-to-peer relationships and improved physical health, have never been more important. At St Dunstan’s, we are extremely proud of what we have been able to offer the students throughout a turbulent year, although the best is certainly yet to come.

Mr T Telford

Head of Adventurous Activities