School Trips and Outdoors Education

There are a wide variety of school trips organised as part of our pupils' curriculum and beyond. Our girls get the chance to travel on day visits within the UK, to support the academic curriculum with practical and experiential opportunities. Our pupils also get the chance to stay away on residential visits to provide cultural experiences and personal development. Girls of every age get the chance to spend time together beyond the school grounds, encouraging their curiosity, independence and empathy. 

Language trips to Europe, skiing trips and other long distance trips take place regularly, and are optional. These trips provide an excellent opportunity for our girls to bond, to experience brand new places and cultures, to challenge themselves, and to try something new.

With all our trips, we ensure our parents have access to all the trip information through regular communications via email and a specific trips page on our intranet Firefly.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award aims to provide an enjoyable, challenging and rewarding programme of personal development for young people.

The Award is a four-part programme with three levels:

• Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award (starting in Year 10 during secondary school years)
• Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award (starting in Year 11)
• Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award (starting in Year 12 or 13)

The four sections involve:

1. Service (helping people in the community)
2. Skills (covering almost any hobby, skill or interest)
3. Physical Recreation (sport, dance and fitness)
4. Expeditions (training for, planning and completing a journey on foot or horseback, by boat or cycle)

• Residential Project (Gold Award only) – a purposeful enterprise with people not previously known to the participant

Whilst taking part, participants develop:

• self-belief
• self-confidence
• a sense of identity
• independence – of thought and action
• a sense of responsibility
• Teamwork and collaboration
• new talents and abilities
• an understanding of strengths and weaknesses
• the ability to plan and use time effectively
• the ability to learn from and give to others in the community
• new relationships
• skills including problem solving, presentation and communication

• the ability to lead and work as part of a team

And it’s a popular choice for our students…

Each year around over 150 girls participate in the D of E awards across the school. In the Spring and Autumn terms, we can often be seen out in the Peak District on training and qualifying expeditions.