Trips and Visits
EACH ACADEMIC YEAR WE AIM TO PROVIDE ALL STUDENTS WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPERIENCE EXTRA-CURRICULAR TRIPS.
Departments are encouraged to organise trips and activities over the course of the year to enhance students’ experience of and enjoyment of their subject.
Department trips have included:
English
Trips to the theatre are a common aspect of English enrichment opportunities. Trips have included:
Year 7: to see ‘Romeo and & Juliet’ to enrich their study of the play in the summer term and offer a modern interpretation of a well-known love story.
Year 9: a visit to The Globe theatre to watch a Shakespearian play. Annually, The Globe produce a different play aimed specifically at young people to enrich their understanding of Shakespeare.
Year 10: a visit to the theatre to watch Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ and also ‘An Inspector Calls’ by J.B. Priestley to enhance students’ understanding of each performance text.
Year 12: a visit to Keats’ House to enrich students’ understanding of Keats’ poetry as part of their course unit on ‘Aspects of Tragedy’.
The Globe workshop – a tour of The Globe followed by a workshop led by actors delving into the language and stagecraft of ‘Othello’. This enriches students’ understanding of the play again as part of the ‘Aspects of Tragedy’ unit.
Year 12 and 13: a screening of the National Theatre’s ‘Small Island’. This enriches students’ knowledge and understanding of the political and social protest genre of writing studied in Year 13 as well as forming part of the celebration of Black history in Black History Month.
Maths
Year 7 and 8 Maths Ignition Club: students learn about ‘The Maths of Christmas’ at the Royal Institute, unpacking the mysteries of Christmas with a secret superpower – Maths!
Year 9: a trip to Bletchley Park, once the top-secret home of the World War Two Codebreakers. There’s the chance to see one of the Enigma machines, and hear stories of spies and strategic deception.
Year 10: AMSP Maths Feast is a fun educational challenge for students which tests problem-solving and teamwork skills. Teams of four students test their maths skills with an all-you-can-eat feast of problems!
Year 10 and 12: Maths Inspiration. Students experience Mathematics outside the classroom in the form of riddles, games and general Maths fun.
Science
The Science department take Year 7 students to London zoo each year to appreciate the importance of maintaining biodiversity and to study the interdependence and adaptations of organisms to their environments.
Art
The Art department run a number of trips across the year groups to inspire and motivate students, broaden their understanding of the role and contribution of the creative industries to society, and boost students’ cultural capital and promote critical thinking about the purpose and nature of art & design.
Year 8: British Museum. The purpose is to study artefacts through talk, writing and drawing. The objective is to learn how to interpret artefacts in museums and to understand more about their cultural heritage.
Year 10: National Gallery. The purpose is to study European painting tradition through talk, writing and drawing. The objective is to develop skills of recording observations of art directly and to broaden knowledge of their cultural heritage.
Year 11: Tate Britain and Tate Modern. The purpose is to study contemporary and recent art from the modernist and postmodern traditions in connection with Unit 1 and Unit 2. The objective is to record observations that develop ideas about art and the work artists as well as broaden their cultural heritage.
Year 12: Fine Art trip to Victoria and Albert Museum. The purpose is to develop technical skills for recording observations of artefacts and discuss critically. The objective is to develop critical thinking about the nature and purposes of art as well as deepen students' cultural heritage
Year 12 Photography trip to Victoria and Albert Museum. The purpose is to develop techniques for recording observations of artefacts and discuss critically. The objective is to develop critical thinking about the nature and purposes of photography as well as deepen students' cultural heritage.
Drama
The Drama department have close links with the Chickenshed theatre situated in Cockfosters. All Drama students across all years have the opportunity to visit the theatre to develop a love for the theatre and an understanding of the endless possibilities that can occur on stage.
Year 9: Workshops at the Chickenshed Theatre to develop Drama techniques and an understanding as to how meaning is created. Students also experience a live performance from a visiting theatre company to develop their knowledge and understanding of the application of Drama skills. Finally, students have a workshop with Frantic Assembly to develop their skills and build on the department’s ‘Practitioner’ scheme.
Years 10 and 11: a live theatre performance and a series of workshops about the themes presented within a piece from Chickenshed Theatre Company. Students develop drama techniques and their understanding of how meaning is created for an audience. Students also visit theatres throughout the course as they have to write a theatre review as part of their exam.
Year 12 and 13: Students experience a series of workshops from visiting Theatre Companies. These include workshops on: ‘Lysistratra’, Bertolt Brecht, Dario Fo and Commedia, approaches to ‘Accidental Death of an Anarchist’, and ‘Equus’. These workshops link directly to the demands of the A level course, upskilling and developing students’ knowledge. Students also attend various theatre trips throughout the year at various venues to develop their knowledge and understanding of theatre. Shows have included; ‘Ground Hog Day’, ‘Pinocchio’, ‘War Horse’, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time’. These visits form part of the requirement of the written exam where students are required to write a theatre review.
Design and Technology
Year 10: Disneyland Paris. This trip brings alive classroom teaching through an exploration of the working practices at Disneyland Paris. The trip covers key material from the AQA GCSE and A level examination specifications. During the visit, students work in small groups with experts from Resistant Materials, Graphic Products and Food Preparation & Nutrition in workshops and cover some of the topics that are directly linked to the curriculum.
Year 12: The New Designers Exhibition in the Business Design Centre. Students get a glimpse of what a future in design could look like and the opportunity to speak to university courses leaders to help select which course is for them. Graduates are also on hand to give them an insight into their experience in taking a degree course in design.
Geography
Year 7: Walton on the Naze - students study the effectiveness of the hard engineering strategies in protecting this part of the Essex coast. This ties in with the unit on coasts they are studying at the time
Years 10 and 11: Students have 2 days of fieldwork spread throughout Year 10 and 11. This fits in with the GCSE specification requirement for students to complete two days of fieldwork off site. The Physical Geography fieldwork is based on rivers. Students visit the FSC centre in Epping Forest and spend the day in Debden Brook measuring how channel characteristics change downstream. For Human Geography students contrast the social, economic and environmental differences between an area that has not been regenerated (Caledonian Road) with an adjacent area that has (Kings Cross/ Coal Drops Yard).
Year 12: Students spend 5 days at a Field Studies Centre; recently, Slapton in Devon, Nettlecombe in Somerset and the YHA South Downs in Sussex. Students spend their days developing the skills they need to complete their own 4,000 word NEA investigations over the summer holidays. For example, measuring carbon sequestration in soil and trees, investigating changes in deprivation across a city, calculating factors that affect the water cycle such as infiltration, interception, land use, and calculating the efficacy of a variety of coastal flood protection schemes.
The department have also run a range of trips in the holidays, allowing students to experience different countries and cultures. The most recent was to India. Sixth Form students were able to visit significant cultural sites including the Golden Temple and Taj Mahal. A camel trek and overnight camping in the Thar Desert was a highlight, as was staying with local families in the village of Sahauli in the Punjab, experiencing life in the local school as well as spending time in The Unique School for Girls in Jalandhar.
History
Year 7: Tower of London. All students visit this historic site to see the Crown jewels, the legendary Yeoman Warders and of course the ravens.
Year 9: Holocaust Education Trust/. Students have the opportunity to meet a Holocaust survivor, hear their story and have the opportunity to ask questions about their experiences. This supports work completed in class on the Holocaust.
Year 11: Frontline History do a virtual talk with Year 11 in preparation for their mocks. They dress up as soldiers and talk about medicine on the Western Front.
Physical Education
The ski trip gives students the opportunity to experience something new and exciting, igniting in many a desire to travel and try new sports. All skiing destinations and resorts come with their own unique personality and culture; previous years have seen students travel to the USA and Canada, and the next trip will be to France. Students return with a real appreciation of the culture of the country they have travelled to; they experience the diverse cuisine, landscape and local residents.
