IoW 2023 blog

IoW 2023

Expand each day to find out what our year 6 have been doing on their residential.

Monday 22nd May 2023

What a brilliant first day! After a traffic free journey, we arrived in Portsmouth for the ferry in good time and crossed over to the Isle of Wight. Once we had docked, we went straight to the beach. We enjoyed a very relaxed picnic by the sea in the sunshine before walking a few yards up the shore to start our sea sports activity. Once we had finished wrestling ourselves into wetsuits, we went into the water for nearly two hours of crazy fun. We played lots of games, splashed each other like mad and leapt from enormous paddleboards into the sea.

It was a short journey to the hotel where we settled into our rooms. Dinner followed quickly; we were all very hungry! After dinner, a quick walk took us to the nearby park for some free time before coming back for showers and bed.

We're also very proud to report that even though it is only the first day, three members of the public have already approached the group to compliment them on their exemplary behaviour.

We're all looking forward to exploring Robin Hill Park and Osbourne House tomorrow!

Some highlights from the day:

Freddie E for overcoming his fears and having an amazing time in the sea.

Milana for making sure the instructors were thoroughly splashed.

Ellis, Dolcie and Erin going the extra mile to help others.

Quotes of the day:

When asked if they'd showered, a child responded - 'kind of!'

While facing the sea after lunch, a child asked - 'which sea are we going in?'

Tuesday 23rd May 2023

Everyone slept really well and was up and ready for day 2 on time. After a hearty breakfast (bacon and eggs!), we set off for an adventure round Robin Hill Country Park; an amazing open space with an awesome 4d cinema, breath-taking toboggan run and challenging treetop trail. The Jungle Heights nets were really funny too! We all agreed that it was a brilliant place that offered lots of thrills!

Quotes at Robin Hill:
'That was an amazing funtivity!'
'The toboggan ride was extraordinary!'
'This is just the best ever!'
'The Isle of Wight so far is a 9.5 - I took off half a mark as I don't much like the wallpaper in my room!'

In the early afternoon, we made our way to Osbourne House. After lunch on the lawns, we enjoyed a tour of the house, left just as it was when Queen Victoria lived there, and a trip round the beautiful grounds. We saw Swiss Cottage, a whole timber built house, shipped in from Switzerland just for Queen Victoria's lucky children! We even made time for a quick rest and a snack on the beach.
So far the weather has been perfect too.

Quotes at Osborne House:
'The chandeliers are beautiful!'
'I wonder how many times the toilets have been used here?'
'The Durbar room is mind-blowing!'
When asked what does VR stand for, several children replied in chorus 'Virtual Reality!'

This evening we're looking forward to dinner and a show full of magic and Isle of Wight history at the hotel.

Wednesday 24th May 2023

Last night we watched a brilliant show by magician Greg who came to our hotel to entertain us after dinner. The children really enjoyed watching his captivating show and joining in with his bamboozling tricks: there were lots of amazed and staggered faces! His mind-reading was definitely mind-blowing!

After a good sleep and another massive breakfast, we headed off to Carisbrooke Castle. We climbed the battlements, visited the museum and learned about the famous donkeys.

'Oi Mrs Whipps, wassup, can we sit down the front?'
'There's a plant of the week? Get in there!'
'Mr Brierley, is there a Primark at Allum Bay?'
'All the donkey's names start with a letter J.'
'It was interesting seeing all the artefacts.'
'From the highest point in the castle, you can see almost all of the Isle of Wight.'
'Amazing defences.'
'The battlements were really high - it was a bit scary!'

Despite only being at the castle for just over an hour, we were approached by six different members of the public who complimented the children on how polite, courteous and considerate they were. We must make a special mention of Arthur, who was especially pointed out due to his exemplary manners. We are very proud of all the children for this.

Before long, we were off to the picturesque Allum Bay for another picnic in the sunshine. We walked down the hundreds of steps to the beach and boarded the boat for our trip out to the needles. We learned all about the cliffs and the unique sand that can be found there, the massive needles battery and the rocket testing facility that's hidden in the cliffs. We were even treated to a spitfire roaring overhead! The sea was perfectly smooth and calm and the sky was clear; a perfect trip!

After the boat ride, we enjoyed a fascinating demonstration and talk at Allum Bay Glass where we watched the immensely talented craftsmen blow glass vases and make solid glass ornaments before taking some time to look in the shops and buy some souvenirs and eat some enormous ice-creams!

'Is the butter not overpowering in your sandwich? Butter on one side, jam on the other, surely?'
'I won't get that chutney, it's £2 in Morrisons!'
'The rock that inspired the name The Needles isn't there any more.'
'The spitfire was amazing!'
'The glass blowing was very hot!'
'The ice creams were delicious!'
'The prices weren't too bad in the shops.'
'The sand shop was really interesting.'
'There was a good selection of sweets.'

After dinner tonight, we're very excited to be heading out for a show at Shanklin Theatre, just up the road from our hotel. We're very excited and having a brilliant time!

Thursday 25th May 2023

On Wednesday evening, after a very popular fish fingers/turkey drummers meal, we got back on the coach for the short journey to Shanklin Theatre to watch a rip-roaring musical extravaganza ; a crazy mix of action packed dance moves, very (very) loud music, a (fairly) lose plot about the Romans and Cleopatra and girl power! Our children absolutely loved it!

'Wow! Mrs Holland is eating turkey drummers!'
'Everything taste better when it's blue.'
'These are brilliant tunes!'
'The show was energetic! The mix of music made it so fun!'
'Loved it! Fabulous! Brilliant!'

When we got back the hotel we had hot chocolate and a cookie before heading off to bed.

Thursday started with a slightly later breakfast allowing lots of us to catch up on some sleep. Then we went fossil hunting at Dinosaur Isle in Sandown. We learned lots of fascinating facts about the geological and paleontological history of the island, then went down to the beach to hunt for fossils for ourselves. Very few people are lucky enough to actually find fossils, but we did manage to find some small fossilised pieces of wood, and lots of fossilised poo!

'Fossils are very hard to find!'
'It was very interesting finding different types of fossils'
'My mum and dad are going to love this massive fossil I've found!'
'Why is the Isle of Wight so fun?'

A 20 minute drive through the beautiful Isle of Wight countryside took us to the hugely anticipated Black Gang Chine. As thrilling rides begun to hove into view, the sense of excitement began to grow. Over lunch, the teachers flexed their bag holding muscles and children planned the rides they wanted to go on most. Before long, we were off for an afternoon of climbing, sliding, splashing, screaming, yelling and whooping!

'Is it really that scary? It must be, the screams are real!'
'That's the single most exciting thing I've ever done!'
'The Isle of Wight trip is better than all my holidays - combined!'
'Extinction was very scary! It melts your face off!
'The Waterforce slides were brilliant!'
'Brilliant, fun and energetic!'
'Ooooh yay an ice cream van is coming tonight!' (This was from an adult!)

Our last dinner was a very popular burger and chips. After, we did some packing, a simple task for some, more challenging for others, before getting ready for the disco later.

We're all looking forward to a dance to our favourite tunes and a party - especially Mrs Whipps!

Friday 26th May 2023

Our final night at the hotel was a fantastic party - the lights were flashing, music was blaring and the dancing was spectacular! We had a break half-way through to eat the most enormous ice-creams, from the ice-cream van that visited - an enlightening experience for all the adults who were reliably informed that everything does taste better when it's luminous!

'I give the Isle of Wight a 5 star review!'
'Nick from the hotel was a star and a lovely chap.'
'The food was incredible.'
'I've had an amazing time!'
'I really enjoyed it and would definitely go again'
'If you're in Year 5 you should definitely come on this trip!'
'Once you get here you'll never want to leave.'
'Best time of your life!'

This morning we were up early for some final last-minute packing and one last mighty breakfast.

We have left on-time for the journey home feeling very weary, but happy as can be safe in the knowledge that we've had a fantastic time. All the children have been absolutely brilliant. We are very proud of them all.

See you very soon!