OUR YEAR
Summer 2026
HEADLINES
Since September, we've been speeding through the terms. It's hard to believe our 'new' Year 7 students have been with us for a year already and our Year 11 students have sat their GCSEs, attended their prom and are awaiting their results.
The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that this year we haven't published a print edition of our newsletter Making Waves, and we're sorry about this.
We have Wavelength, our monthly summary of diary dates and reminders for parents, but the aim of Making Waves has always been to share our news more widely, to give a flavour of life at The Swanage School not only to those with a direct connection to it, but also to anyone in the local community who cares to read.
To be honest, creating a printed magazine is both time-consuming and expensive. So, here we are with an experimental digital version. Bear in mind this is a bumper issue though - a whole year in review! The intention going forward is for a shorter digital newsletter to be released every term or half-term. Let us know your thoughts!
Our core business is of course teaching and learning, focusing on academic excellence in delivery of the curriculum and to set students up for success in their next steps beyond school. The past year has seen a relentless focus on this as we move forward with our school development plan.
But, it's not all we do. We may be a small school, but we are able to provide an impressive range of opportunities for students to learn through experiences and to develop wider interests outside of the taught curriculum. Whether in local technology tournaments or national maths competitions, poetry readings or Parliament trips, fieldwork in Swanage or fieldwork in Sicily, rocket car racing or racing at Goodwood, planning behind-the-scenes or performing on stage, students have done themselves proud.
We have many reasons to be immensely proud of our students. Their attitude, their progress, their achievements and their high standards of conduct during the kind of trips and activities we're showcasing here are just a few examples.
Please enjoy this snapshot of our year.
Jenny Maraspin
Headteacher
OUR YEAR...
September
A warm welcome
We were so oversubscribed for our 2025 intake that we expanded the year group by nearly 20 places, creating a whopping cohort (for us!) of 90 students.
A two-day off-site induction trip at the Cumulus Outdoor Centre got things off to a cracking start, and we witnessed outstanding attitude and behaviour as our intrepid new students tackled high ropes, tunnelling, paddleboarding, kayaking and archery!
[My daughter] had a great time on the induction trip. She has never done anything like this before so was scared and even though she was hesitant at first she joined in and faced her fears. Thank you so much. A fantastic start to Year 7.
Back at school, they quickly settled into new routines and slotted right in.
Behind the scenes at Bournemouth University
Year 11 Creative Media Production students spent an inspiring day working with tutors in the media department at Bournemouth University.
Students were able to showcase their learning by producing a two-minute live TV programme, which they critiqued with thoughtful evaluation. A tour of the university campus rounded off a fantastic day.
A show-stopping start
Tickets for our annual production of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory were launched, selling over 600 in the first weekend!
October
Hello Yellow!
We started the month by raising over £300 by dressing in yellow for World Mental Health Day, supporting Young Minds and #WillDoes.
Bringing myths and legends to life
Year 7, 8 and 9 welcomed author Nick Jubber who spoke about the connections forged across the world by myths, legends and folktales. Our thanks to The Swanage Literary Festival organisers and Purbeck Sounds radio for organising his visit and especially to presenter Fiona Sturrock for facilitating the talk and Q&A session.
Etches sketching
Our Year 10 artists visited the Etches Collection in Kimmeridge, where they captured the collection in high quality drawings to use as inspiration for printed designs back in the classroom.
Local jobs with global impact
We ended the month with a fantastic Green Economy Careers Event for Year 10 and 11, organised by Planet Purbeck. Speakers from across the environmental and nature-based employment sector gave talks and networked with students.
Great honesty from the presenters, showcasing local jobs with global impact.
November
Poets take to the stage
Students gave an incredible performance as they opened the Swanage Literary Festival with a poetry recital, reading their own compositions.
Congratulations to all our readers. Local poet Jo Tatchell and Swanage Librarian Peter McCarthy crowned Margot the winner and Lizzy and Lottie the runners-up. The prizes were awarded by author Nick Jubber, who had visited the school the previous week.
An excellent event, the children's poems were incredible, so much talent.
Lest we forget
The school was represented at the Remembrance Service in Swanage by a group of students who have links to the armed forces and in school we honoured those who have lost their lives in conflict with a two-minute silence.
Rich learning on our doorstep
We are blessed to be on the Jurassic Coast and each year our geographers undertake fieldwork on Swanage beach and at Lulworth Cove. In the first such trip of the year, Year 11 students surveyed the beach in Swanage to investigate the effectiveness of coastal management strategies.
From Star Wars to The Swanage School
We were delighted to welcome Hollywood Art Director Pippa Punch to speak with Year 10 and 11 Creative Media students. Over two sessions, Pippa shared her experiences of working in the film industry.
Her talk highlighted the wide range of career opportunities in the industry, from writing, design and set building to art direction, acting, cinematography, film editing and production.
Pippa's experience on major productions, including Star Wars, Fantastic Beasts and Blade Runner, was inspirational! Students were suitably impressed as Pippa spoke engagingly about the film sets she has worked on, the stars she has met, and the expectations placed on film crews on set and on location.
Moved by movement
In support of their GCSE Drama studies, Year 11 spent the evening at Southampton's MAST Studios watching the award winning Frantic Assembly in their production of 'Lost Atoms', a roller-coaster of a play defined by dynamic movement, stunning technical design and engaging performances.
December
Go Lionesses!
Students and staff witnessed the 8-0 victory of the Lionesses against China at Wembley!
Playwright visit
Al Smith, writer of Sycamore Gap - the school's play for National Connections - visited the cast to watch a rehearsal and to discuss the play's staging and characterisation.
Festive fun
Year 7 saw a panto and performed a panto, visiting the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton to see Cinderella, before performing their own version of this Christmas classic to an audience made up of local primary school pupils.
Maintaining traditions...
Christmas Crafts Club decorated a tree for the Emmanuel Xmas Tree Festival and the kitchen cooked up a storm for our whole-school Christmas lunch.
...and reviving old ones
We resumed one of our favourite pre-Covid annual traditions and welcomed 70 or so elderly neighbours to a Christmas Tea Party.
Students had baked gifts and written cards and pen-pal letters for all our guests to take home. These were truly appreciated if the lovely replies we received are anything to go by.
Others served tea and chatted, and members of Year 7 took to the stage to perform scenes from their pantomime and to lead a Christmas sing-song.
As ever, we were incredibly proud of students' kindness and community spirit.
Generosity in abundance
Our collection for Swanage foodbank received a record number of donations, with over 700 items collected - an astounding total from a fantastic inter-Crew challenge!
HIGH QUALITY LEARNING
HIGH SUPPORT, HIGH CHALLENGE
Day-to-day, the core business of the school is, of course, teaching and learning in lessons. Our teaching team practice 'Quality First Teaching' - a pedagogical approach for high-quality teaching using clear modelling techniques, small group work and independent study in a highly interactive environment.
Relationships between the teacher and students is key, encouraging higher expectations through higher levels of support and higher challenge for all students to succeed in their academic achievements.
January
Master mathematicians
34 students from across Years 9, 10 and 11 took part in the UK Mathematics Trust Intermediate Maths Challenge.
Taken by talented young mathematicians from across the country, the Challenge is a 60-minute test that encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought and fluency to make students think.
High scorers receive a Bronze, Silver or Gold Certificate, and Gold winners are in with a chance of going through to the next round: the Maths Kangaroo or Olympiad!
Congratulations to all who participated and especially to our Bronze, Silver and Gold Award winners.
In Year 9, four students scooped a Bronze Certificate: Lewis (Best in Year), Logan, Peyton and James.
In Year 10, Ruaridh got a well-deserved Gold and scooped the 'Best in School' accolade, with Isla, Ellen and Arnold gaining Bronze.
In Year 11, Rufus (Best in Year) also got Gold, Iris got Silver and Fiona and Grace gained Bronze.
Our Gold winners, Ruaridh and Rufus, scored so highly they made it through to the next stage, the Kangaroo, where they also performed outstandingly, gaining Silver, putting them in the top 3-6% nationwide! A tremendous achievement.
Cultural capital
Year 10 and 11 Philosophy, Religion & Ethics students travelled to Bhaktivedanta Manor in Watford to learn from the Hare Krishna community who live there. They were welcomed with a tour of the Manor and the grounds, visited the Goshalla and learnt about Hindu dharma and practices.
Speed networking even
We are hugely appreciative of the 20 volunteers who joined us to talk about their job roles and career paths with Year 10, at our inaugural 'Speed Networking' event!
With each sounding of the 5-minute 'clacker' students rotated to the next person for a new conversation!
We were joined by people representing a wide range of employment sectors including engineering, film-making, primary teaching, IT, outdoor adventure, conservation, PR and marketing, psychology, finance, hospitality, marine biology, theatre tech and project management.
The event not only gave students the opportunity to explore potential career paths, but also to practise conversational skills. Many said they found it useful or came away inspired!
February
A delicious month!
After many months of rehearsal, it was finally show time for Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, our 10th annual production.
Good luck video messages poured in from former students to the cast - each very much appreciated! We also received one from Lucy Hutchison who played Cherry Sundae in the 'Charlie' UK and Ireland Tour!
Show week was phenomenal, with fabulous performances from cast and crew and a super atmosphere in the theatre.
This sweet chocolatey feast of a production was another testament to the high quality that the school achieves year in, year out, steered by Director of Performing Arts Harry Peake and with the support of The Mowlem's staff.
With the help of The Friends of The Swanage School (our Parent, Teacher and Friends Association), the Golden Lucky Dip and Golden Hamper games raised almost £1,200 for the school. Huge thanks to the Searle family for the donation of the Golden Hamper and to all local businesses who kindly donated prizes.
March
VALLEYS TO VOLCANOES:
THE BIG TRIP TO SICILY
GCSE geographers flew to Sicily for a week-long exploration of this beautiful volcanic island. From sunny lemon groves to snow-capped mountains, they toured a huge diversity of landscapes and saw first-hand examples of geographical and geological features they'd learnt about in class.
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, sitting just off the southern tip of Italy and known for its beautiful coastlines, ancient Greek and Roman sites and the highest active volcano in Europe, Mount Etna.
Taormina
During a guided tour of Taormina, our geographers saw the astounding Greek-Roman Amphitheatre, Corvaia Palace and the Cathedral. From scenic vantage points, they were able to appreciate the stunning natural landscape that surrounded them, with views of Porta Messina, the mountains and the Mediterranean Sea.
​Mount Etna
A visit to Sicily would hardly be complete without a trip to Mount Etna. Regularly producing Strombolian volcanic activity - categorised by steady lava flows and ash plumes - rather than explosive eruptions, Mount Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe.
Taking the cable car to the second stop at 2,500m and from there using the jeep service to reach nearly 3,000m altitude, the group walked over the snow for views of the crater and the surrounding landscape.
Alcantara Gorge, Botanical Gardens and the Cyclops Rivera
Switching their cold-weather gear for warm-weather attire, the group left behind the snow-capped mountains and hiked along the valley floor in the beautiful Alcantara Gorge during a full day excursion that also took in the Cyclops Riviera.
A sunny morning was spent walking the trail through citrus trees in the Botanical Gardens, picking Sicilian lemons and oranges, before heading down to the gorge.
Etna's geological influence on the surrounding countryside is evident, where its lava flows have travelled into the river valley, cooled rapidly and solidified. The Gorge itself has been carved by the erosive power of the Alcantara River, leaving behind 50m high walls of hexagonal basalt lava pillars.
The protected coastline, with its spectacular scenery and dramatic rock formations, has inspired countless legends including that of Acis and Galathea and the story of Odysseus, which gave the region its name.
Also in March...
World Book Day
Students and staff again excelled themselves with their dressing-up efforts for World Book Day, which has an important part to play in raising the profile of the joy and benefits of reading.
Throughout the day, reading was given priority at the start of lessons and during an extended assembly there were presentations and Q&A sessions with teachers and students about their love of reading.
At the castle
GCSE historians took a trip to Corfe Castle, the site of their examined case study. With a guide from The National Trust, they toured the ruins and cemented their understanding of the castle's significance, design and operation.
Anyone for darts?
Darts Club is proving popular and we are grateful to Swanage Royal British Legion and the Swanage and District Darts League for donating dart boards, lights and flight tips.
Bingo Night!
The Friends of The Swanage School has had new life breathed into it with an influx of new members.
In the first event this year, Bingo Night raised £360 towards an outdoor basketball post.
Good news from 'The Friends' bids too - our thanks to Perenco who funded two new outdoor benches.
Learning from the best
Catering students visited The Pig on the Beach to learn about home-grown and local food provenance. Meeting gardeners and chefs, the group were treated to a tour of the gardens, greenhouses and kitchens.
The team from The Pig on the Beach took part in our speed-networking event too.
The partnership between The Pig on the Beach and the school has been recognised by the BH Area Hospitality Association as part of 'Hospitality Connect'. This recognises partnerships between hotels and schools which help students learn more about careers in hospitality through practical workshops, hands on encounters and careers events.
Character Pillar Day
Throughout the year, we've held special days dedicated to each of the 'Four Pillars' of our pastoral curriculum - character, productivity, ambition and community.
For Character Pillar Day, students spent time in Crew discussing the attributes of integrity, respect, responsibility, resilience and courage and working through potential responses to a range of scenarios.
Year 9 students were off-timetable for the day and embraced the opportunity to learn different things. They earned their Food Hygiene Certificate, cooked spicey fajitas, came up with a business idea for only £5 and contributed to a CV workshop.
BACK ON THE WATER
The glorious weather after Easter got the rowing season off to a good start and it stayed that way! Huge thanks to Swanage Sea Rowing Club for making this happen.
April
National Connections
April saw Year 10 GCSE Drama students give two performances of National Connections play Sycamore Gap, first at The Mowlem in Swanage, then at MAST Studios in Southampton.
With strong performances all round and an interpretation of the story welcomed by writer Al Smith, the cast and crew were impressive.
Monsters at The Mowlem
In a competition run by The Etches Collection and The Mowlem, five students won tickets to see documentary Pliosaurus - The Discovery of a Monster, at an event hosted by TV star Emilia Fox.
Technology Triumph!
Student teams scooped 1st, 2nd and 3rd place at the Rotary Technology Tournament with an impressive display of design, application of logic and solid build techniques!
Congratulations to all who took part!
Inter-Crew tug-of-war finale
April saw the grand finale of the inter-Crew tug-of-war that had started a month prior. In a show of strength and determination, Mr Dallimore's Crew were declared the victors and in the process decimated the staff team!
Parliament tour
A visit to London's Palace of Westminster for the first of two Year 9 cohorts. The group toured the UK parliament and participated in a workshop to develop their understanding of national politics.
The second group enjoyed a visit in May.
More master mathematicians
After the success of older students at the Intermediate Challenge, 45 talented mathematicians from Year 7 and 8 took part in the UK Maths Trust Junior Maths Challenge.
Congratulations to Liv (Year 7) who scooped a coveted Gold Award and the 'Best in School' accolade. Silver Awards were achieved by James in Year 7 and Finn in Year 8 (Best in Year), and Bronze Awards by Daisy and Hannah in Year 7 and George in Year 8.
UK PARLIAMENT TOURS
Year 9 students jumped on the train to London to visit the seat of the UK Parliament, the Palace of Westminster.
Having walked from the station across Waterloo Bridge they lunched on the Embankment before taking in the sight of the Palace with it's iconic clock tower Big Ben.
Over the course of the afternoon they toured the Palace and took part in a workshop to gain an insight into the composition of the UK government and the workings of Parliament.
For a number of students, this trip took them to London for the very first time, and for most it will likely be the only visit to see inside the UK Parliament building that they will make in their lives.
It was a great day out on both occasions. Sadly the first group were unable to see inside the House of Commons and House of Lords chambers due to sessions in progress. The day was historic though; it was the last day that hereditary peers were in the House of Lords following the Hereditary Peers Act of 2026 that effected their removal.
The second visit on 19th May took place in the week when it looked fairly likely that we'd see the resignation of Prime Minister Kier Starmer as leadership challengers circled. His resignation didn't come to pass that day, but it would have been quite something to have been touring the Parliament building at the time, if it had!
May
Aiming high with Olympian mindset coach
We kicked off May with a visit by former South African international and premiership rugby player George Fouche. He came to school for the day to share his story and to work with students on the transformative power of mindset, self-belief and seizing opportunities.
George inspired students by sharing his own story of pivoting from a troubled childhood, apathy at school and traumatic events to developing a drive to focus on education, discipline and embracing his dreams. This led him not only to elite level sport, but also to a teaching degree.
Now training elite athletes including Michael Phelps and Ronaldo, George also delivers his high-performance mindset coaching to schools across the country through 'Dare to Aspire', focusing on ten key characteristics for success which he workshopped with students throughout the day.
Great to see students engaged and appreciative of the sessions and sincere thanks to George, especially given his very early start to cover the five-hour distance to reach us in Swanage for a 9am assembly!
Exam season
For six weeks, Year 11 sat one exam after another as they approached the end of their time at the school. They were rewarded for their hard work with a trip to Dorset Adventure Park just before the half-term break, where the start of the May heatwave gave them a glorious day to enjoy the dunking.
A taste of work
All Year 10 students spent Work Experience Week with a range of local employers from sectors including engineering, adventure activity, healthcare, land management, teaching and hospitality.
Supported by Mr Dallimore, students arranged themselves some fantastic opportunities and many came back grateful for the experience and inspired for the future.
In training!
A day-long training session took place for our Duke of Edinburgh Award students, in preparation for their overnight expedition in June. They all made it back to base, so that's a good indication that their navigational skills were up-to-speed!
Another Night at The Mowlem!
With a medley of songs from We Will Rock You, students took to the stage again in a variety performance involving local groups including the Swanage Drama Company, Swanage Musical Theatre Company and Castle Voices to support The Mowlem's fundraising for new stage curtains.
Data collection by the sea
Year 10 geographers made the most of our local environment to complete data collection for their physical fieldwork enquiry 'How effective are the coastal management strategies at Swanage Bay?'
Back at school they analysed and presented their conclusions in preparation for their exams.
Purbeck Art Weeks
Following a Purbeck Youth Artists workshop in school with local artist Sophie Jenkins, students' work - on the theme of 'birds' - was exhibited at Rollington Barn as part of Purbeck Art Weeks.
It was another fantastic exhibition of children's work from across the schools in Purbeck, showcasing young talent and creative projects.
Back at Goodwood
A very early 5am start heralded another outing to Goodwood race circuit for the Race Team to compete in the Greenpower Education Trust F24 heat.
After successful practice laps, the drivers put in a very respectable mid-table performance. Unfortunate technical issues relating to the battery charge meant the team had to sit out the second race but it was nonetheless a great effort.
The students were fantastic ambassadors for the school, with exemplary attitude and behaviour all day.
NOT ALL CLASSROOMS HAVE FOUR WALLS
It's been an excellent year down in the Green Space at the bottom of the school field!
As the year has gone on, more and more students have had the opportunity to work in the Green Space, to support their growing confidence and better connect with nature.
Nature Heals...More!
Our successful funding bid from Dorset Council's Local Alliance Group (LAG) has enabled students to develop even more areas of the Green Space as part of our 'Nature Heals...More!' initiative in collaboration with local primary schools, to support youth mental health and wellbeing, a follow-up to last year's 'Nature Heals' project.
Year 5 pupils from St Mark's Primary, St George's Primary and Swanage Primary were able to join us for weekly sessions led by Mr Johnson and supported by Year 9 students volunteering as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Being heard!
Opportunities like this allow young people to not only enjoy learning outdoors, but also gives them a chance for their views on environmental issues such as nature, wildlife and climate to be heard. Their voice matters.
A COMMUNITY EFFORT!
A HUGE thank you to the businesses that have supported us and our inspirational young people to create an incredible Green Space, and to keep developing it through sessions and clubs.
We couldn't do it without your support and we are truly grateful to all businesses and individuals who contribute.
Evolution not revolution
The design and use of our Green Space evolves with time. It's an ongoing project, supporting students' learning, confidence and wellbeing.
A second shelter, an outdoor learning space, a stage, raised vegetable beds and a new pizza oven are all on the plan!
If you own or work for a business that might be able to contribute - funding or materials - please get in touch with our Business Manager Andrew Thomas. We'd love to hear from you.
June
Duke of Edinburgh Award success!
Congratulations to all students who successfully completed their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award after camping out on expedition.
The hiking and camping expedition is the culmination of the award, which also sees students learning a new skill, completing a physical challenge and volunteering for the community, each over several months.
Thanks to staff for supporting students to complete the expedition, particularly to Mrs Taylor who leads the Duke of Edinburgh scheme for the school.
On the trail of dinosaurs
Over three days all Year 7 students visited the Etches Collection at Kimmeridge Bay to support their learning on evolution and fossils.
Goodbye Year 11!
On 15th June, with the final GSCE taken, Year 11 said an emotional farewell and started their long summer break. It was a week or so earlier that we held a final leavers' assembly, wishing them all the best for their onward adventures and embarrassing them with old photos. As it is every year, shirt-signing was taken to a whole new level.
Gifted mathematicians shine again
14 talented mathematicians from Year 7 and 8 spent a fantastic day at Bournemouth University, taking part in the Axiom Rising Mathematician Festival.
Joining other high-achievers from across the area they swapped their classroom for a lecture hall to delve into some problem-solving as part of a Maths Circle, tackling strategy games both competitively and collaboratively.
There was a light-hearted but fascinating talk by Barney Maunder-Taylor from House of Maths.
A tour of the campus was part of the day, giving students an inspiring glimpse of university life.
All in all a challenging, informative and interesting day! The group were fantastic ambassadors for the school, showing high engagement and skill.
Well done to all!
Prom Night!
Donning suits and posh frocks, Year 11 were an exemplary lot on prom night, looking fabulous, behaving well and enjoying their evening at Kingston Country Courtyard.
It was a lovely way to celebrate the end of the exams and to mark the end of their time as Swanage School students.
NEXT STEPS SECURED
Having diligently applied for sixth-forms, college places and apprenticeships, and performed well in interviews, Year 11 students have done themselves proud securing offers across the range of options post-16. We are delighted to say that this continues our long record of almost 100% of leavers securing employment, education or training, well above the national average.
Lytchett Minster Sixth Form
Lytchett Minster Sixth Form, the most popular choice for those moving onto A-level studies, tell us that Swanage School students are well-regarded for their maturity, engagement and positive attitude. Always nice to hear!
This year, we have students moving on to take A-levels in a wide range of subjects including all the sciences, Business Studies, Computer Science, Drama, Economics, Geography, Maths, PRE and Sociology. Level 3 courses in Business Studies and Health and Social Care have also been chosen.
Bournemouth & Poole College
For those embarking on technical or vocational courses, Bournemouth and Poole College is the choice of many. A huge variety of courses are offered including T-levels and Level 3 Diplomas and Certificates. Our leavers are embarking on studies including Applied Science (Biomedical and Forensic), Criminology, Digital Media, Law, Performance and Production Arts, Psychology, and Sport.
July
Another EPIC sports day
Sports Day had it all! Team games in the morning - dodgeball, basketball, football and netball - and in the afternoon the track and field athletic events. With music playing and their Crew to support them, all students participated in at least one activity.
Year 8 were the overall victors when all the points were tallied up!
Full circle: Transition Day
We were reminded of how quickly time flies in early July when our next cohort of students joined us for the day!
Taking part in a carousel of activities including cooking, science, art and drama, our new Year 7s had a great day getting to know each other, their Crew Leaders and other staff.
Roll on September!
Rocket cars fly!
Jack and Jonah were the victors in the Race to the Line competition, in which Year 7 students on DT rotation designed and manufactured a 'rocket car'.
Launched by a C02 gas canister, the cars flew down the track in the Sports Hall, reaching super-speeds as they powered to the finish line with its Microbit-controlled timing gate.
Our thanks to Poole-based C3IA who provide sponsorship funding for the school via The Learning Partnership, enabling us to run this event.
Celebration Assembly and end-of-year awards
As usual, our end of term assembly was a combination of award-giving and open-mic slots.
For each academic subject, there was a Key Stage 3 and a Key Stage 4 winner, nominated by teachers and chosen to reflect achievement, progress or commitment.
The pastoral awards reflect the four pillars - character, productivity, ambition and community - with a winner from each Key Stage for each, based on the number of Crew Points awarded during the term.
A number of special annual awards recognised students whose academic success, personal achievements, behaviour for learning or character have been exemplary across the year.
Congratulations to each and every winner. A full list of achievements will be published on our social media feeds.
Challenge Week!
As ever we ended the year with our unique Challenge Week, with all students away on residentials, out and about on trips locally or engaged in activities at school.
Deserving of a whole Making Waves issue on its own, this year's Challenge Week had the usual mix of super-charged options for adrenaline-seekers or more relaxing choices for those preferring a calmer week!
'The Swanage Surfers' took off to St David's on the Pembrokeshire Coast for a week of surfing, coasteering and kayaking with The Real Adventure Company.
The 'Adventure Activities' and 'Triathlon' Challenges were also for thrill-seekers; the former involved climbing, coasteering, kayaking, paddleboarding and tag-archery, the latter took on the Dorset Adventure Park, Rock Reef and the pier to land zip-wire in Bournemouth as well as a paint-balling day. Sadly their final day at Thorpe Park was blighted by over-crowding and insanely long queues for rides (which teachers have raised with The Merlin Group), so slightly less singing in the coach on the way home than on the way there.
The 'London Theatre' Challenge saw West End shows Beetlejuice and Hamilton and braved the London Dungeons. The 'Media Without Walls' Challenge included a guided tour of Longleat Safari Park, an Escape Room experience and a trip to Legoland where they squeezed in a stop-motion animation workshop in between rides.
Closer to home, the 'Arty Safari' group visited Blue Pool and Studland Bay as part of their arts and crafts activities and the 'Eco'' group crafted monsters from newspapers, enjoyed pizza-making in the Green Space and pitched carbon-saving ideas to our 'Dragons'.
A lovely group of book-lovers opted for the 'Reading Retreat', exploring Dorset's links to famous authors such as Enid Blyton, Hardy and T.E. Lawrence and visiting bookshops in Lyme Regis, Dorchester and Swanage. Another group discovered 'Dorset's Military History', with trips to The Tank Museum, Blandford Signals' Museum, Nothe Fort in Weymouth and Studland Beach.
For the fourth year running, students on 'The Skatepark Grand Tour' spent a day learning new skills at each of four local skateparks: Swanage, Blandford, The Front in Weymouth and Prevail in Poole.
Exhausted? We were!
If you're still with us, thanks for reading! As mentioned at the start, our intention is that Making Waves will resume greater frequency (and therefore usually be much shorter!) but in this new digital format that you can read on any device.
We wish you all a super summer and will sign off with a few more images from Challenge Week.
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