School Trips and Swimming
School Trips (including Swimming)
We believe that every young person should experience the world beyond the classroom as an important part of learning and personal development, whatever their age, ability or circumstances.
Life is full of challenges and we owe it to our children to equip them with the skills to recognise risks, assess them sensibly and react positively.
While it is possible to learn some basic concepts in class, there is no substitute for real experience in the wider world. School trips provide a great opportunity for pupils to gain such experience and face a range of challenges that can contribute significantly to their personal development.
Residential Trips – Year 4 and Year 6
Pupils may feel that they know their classmates and teachers well from day-to-day contact in school, but the experience of living with them in a residential community can add a completely new dimension. It raises the whole area of interpersonal skills, including leadership, team work and trust and respect.
The experience also helps improve children’s self-confidence, self-esteem and resilience. We often find that pupils who do not normally shine in the classroom have excelled on a residential trip. This can all help to improve performance and relationships back at school.
Our Year 6 children take part in a three night residential trip to a Kingswood centre in Staffordshire whilst our Year 4 children visit Juniper Hall in Dorking for a one night stay for their first experience away. The children thoroughly enjoy these adventures away from home! Go to our October 2023 school news page for pictures of Year 6’s latest visit and March 2022 for pictures of Year 4’s visit.
Swimming
Since 1994, swimming and water safety has been a statutory element of the national curriculum for physical education in England. This means that learning to swim is as compulsory a part of the national curriculum for key stage 2 as maths is. Every 11-year old child should leave primary school with the skills to keep themselves safe while enjoying swimming with friends and family.
The three national curriculum outcomes
Swimming is the only sport to be included within the national curriculum physical education programme of study. All primary schools must provide swimming and water safety lessons in either Key Stage 1 or 2.
Each pupil is required to be able to do the following:
- Perform safe self-rescue in different water based situations
- Swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres
- Use a range of strokes effectively, for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke.
Our Year 3, 4 and 5 children swim at Sutton High School with a rota of termly lessons. Year 4 swim during the Autumn Term, Year 5 during the Spring Term and Year 3 during the Summer Term. Year 6 children, who have not met the expected level, have booster lessons at Cheam Leisure Centre in the summer term. All swimming lessons are paid for by the school at no charge to parents/carers.
Health and Safety
School trips can make a major contribution to the acquisition of knowledge and development of skills. Studies of the natural and man-made world, the present and past, science and arts, language and music can all be enhanced outside the classroom. Adventure activity and sports skills can form the foundation of life-long interests, as well as address the health and obesity agendas.
At Manor Park we have an exciting programme of enrichment trips planned each year for all year groups. The safety of pupils and staff during all trips and visits is paramount. We have a detailed policy on school trips and journeys and all visits and school journeys are extensively planned and risk assessed.
No assessment can cover all eventualities, but experience and awareness are equally part of any planning. Depending on the venue and activity, you will be informed of any particular clothing required for the trip and you should always make sure your child has a waterproof coat for the journey. In the warmer months, please apply sunscreen to your child before the trip and provide a sun hat. Following any trip, as with any outdoor activity, please check your child for insect bites, stings, tics etc. as we will do throughout the day.
Funding
Although part of the curriculum, trips to external sites would not be possible without parental payments being requested. Under our charging policy we detail how we will request payment. We realise that the costs of trips are rising and we are fortunate to be able to support costs from FOMP and pupil premium funds. We are able to help parents with costs in some cases. Please talk in confidence to Mrs Wilkins. Sadly if we find that parents are unable to support some trips they will have to be cancelled.
And Finally…
All children at Manor Park should fully access every aspect of the curriculum. If you have any concerns regarding a school trip or swimming lessons please make an appointment to discuss these with your child’s class teacher.
