Residentials

Y2 Residential Experience

Whiteley Woods

 

Dates

This residential takes place in the first half-term of Y2, just before the October half term holiday.

Introduction

Our 2 night, 3 day residential takes place at Whiteley Wood Outdoor Activities Centre which is owned by the Girlguiding charity.  We stay in the Renwick building; you can visit the website for details of the site at http://www.whiteleywoods.org.uk.

This residential experience is a great opportunity for your child to learn a whole range of social, physical and self-awareness skills in a safe and enjoyable environment.

 

Travel

 

We leave school shortly after registration and the minibus will drop us off in the countryside at Houndkirk Moor, where we will walk to Whiteley Woods.  Our bags will be taken straight to Whiteley Woods, so please make sure your child arrives at school suitably dressed for walking, with a warm coat and wearing sensible footwear.

On the day they return, children will be back at school ready for their normal collection time at 3.15pm.

 

Food and Drink

Healthy food and drink is important to us at Watercliffe Meadow, and this is no different on our residential visits.  Whilst we aim to provide children with healthy, balanced meals, our main concern is that the children are happy and relaxed. With this in mind, we will try our best to make sure that all children have something to eat which they like and enjoy.

Dietary needs can be catered for, so please let us know if you are worried about this.

 

Costs

The cost for the visit is £40 (2024) - this includes travel, food and drink, and all costs for activities.  The actual costs are substantially more than this but we think it important that this visit is available to all children who want to come and so school are subsidising the cost.

 

Kit List

• A packed lunch for Day 1 in a back pack
• Coat
• Hat and gloves
• Nightwear
• Sleeping Bag
• Slippers
• Pillow with pillow case
• Toiletries
• Towel
• 3 changes of warm clothes
• 4 pairs of thick socks
• Wellington boots or walking boots
• Trainers
• Cuddly teddy (optional)
• Torch
• Maximum £5 spending money

 

Medication (including inhalers) LABELLED with name and instructions/dosage. 

Please see information on the consent and information form.

                       

Other Information

Staff cannot be held responsible for any damage or loss of property. 

For this reason, please do not allow your child to bring jewellery, electronic games, phones, expensive cameras or any spending money over £5. 

Please don’t send anything that is valuable, you will be amazed how easy things can get lost, and make sure you label all your child’s things so that anything that gets mixed up can be returned to its rightful owner. 

Finally, if you do have any concerns or queries please contact us at school.  The main aim of this visit is all about enjoyment, and any worries you or your child have may be easily settled with a chat with a member of staff, or you can email any general question to office@watercliffe.sheffield.sch.uk

 

 

Camping at Thornbridge Outdoors

 

Introduction

 

We are offering our Y3 children the experience of a two day/one night camping experience in the beautiful Derbyshire countryside.

We will be camping at Thornbridge Outdoors, outside of Bakewell.

Children will sleep in tents overnight. The site is safe, and the residential will be highly staffed.

COST

The cost for two days and one night is £35 (2024)

This includes transport to and from Chatsworth and Bakewell, entrance to Chatsworth Gardens and the cost of camping and food.  The actual cost is more than this, but we have subsidised the cost from our school budget to allow all children to take part.

 

Dates and Accompanying Staff

Camping takes place around the last week of June/first week of July on a Thursday and Friday.

We will have plenty of staff with us, both during the day and even more for the evening and night, meaning we are able to do a lot of small group activities.

 

Travel and Activities

 

We will be travelling to Chatsworth Gardens by coach.  We spend a lovely day in the gardens at Chatsworth and then walk to Thornbridge Outdoors Centre, where our tents will be ready and waiting for us.  We have plenty of open space where we will play group games. We will have a fish and chips tea, followed by a supervised fire pit at the campsite.

On the second day, after breakfast at the campsite, we will walk along the Monsal Trail into Bakewell, explore the market town and then have a picnic lunch, before our coach comes to pick us up and take us back to school.

 

Kit List

• Children do not need to wear school uniform on this camping visit but need suitable clothing for walking in and a waterproof jacket.
• Sensible shoes and a coat are essential.  We will be doing a lot of walking!

• Please don’t buy new clothes for this visit  – they may get dirty. 
• Please label all belongings with your child’s name – you may borrow a clothing marker pen from the office if needed.

 

     Items to Bring: 

These items can be packed in a case or holdall and will be transported to the campsite by minibus:

• sleeping bag
• a towel        
• water bottle             
• nightwear
• a change of underwear and socks for Friday

 

These items should be packed in a small rucksack that children can carry themselves:

• A packed lunch for Thursday
• A water bottle
• Inhaler if needed
• Waterproof jacket

Other medication if needed should be LABELLED with name and instructions/dosage, and handed in to the Group Leader upon arrival at school. They will keep it safe until required.  If your child does require medication, please talk to Mrs Bibby, who will arrange this.

PLEASE NOTE                Staff cannot be held responsible for any damage to, or loss of property.  For this reason, please do not allow your child to bring jewellery, mobile phones, electronic games, expensive cameras or money.  PLEASE also don’t pack ‘midnight snacks’ or extra sweets!  There are children on the visit that have allergies and this could put them at risk. There will be a good selection of suppertime food and plenty for breakfast!  Thank you, we do need your co-operation with this so that all children do the same thing.

     

Other items:  

• Bin liner/carrier bag for dirty clothes, torch
• Inhaler/other medication if needed – please make sure you have completed a form with Mrs Bibby for your child.  All medication should be LABELLED with name and instructions/dosage, and handed in to the office upon arrival at school, and will be kept safe until required.

  

                       

  

                  

Science Night

A Night at the Museum

and Visit to London

 

Introduction

 

Our Year 5 children have the amazing opportunity to take part in a SCIENCE NIGHT at the Science Museum in London.

SCIENCE NIGHT is an all night extravaganza with a scientific twist!  We will enjoy an evening of fantastic science-based activities, all rounded off by camping in the museum overnight.

We will be travelling to London by train, from Sheffield train station.  Once in London, we will travel to the Leicester Square on the London Underground (Tube) then explore on foot, taking in many of the famous sights as we go.  We have lots of school staff taking part in this visit and the children stay in small groups.

At the Science Museum we will have the chance to take part in exciting hands-on workshops, watch a breath-taking 3D film in the IMAX Cinema and sleep overnight amongst the Science Museum’s amazing exhibits.

After our night at the museum, we will again do some more sightseeing in London, before catching our train back to Sheffield.

The Y5 Adventure is a great opportunity for your child to learn more about the science that shapes our lives in an exciting environment. 

Date and Cost

The visit date is confirmed each January and is in the Summer Term.

The cost to parents is £125 (2024).  This cost includes travel, food and drink in London and entrance to the Science Museum.  The actual costs are substantially more than this – almost double!  We think it important that this visit is available to all children and so school will subsidise the cost. 

Travel

We will be travelling to London by train from Sheffield.  Once in London we will be using the Tubes and walking.  We will have our lunch on the train (the journey takes just over 2 hours) – children will need to bring a packed lunch to have on the train.

Once in London we will catch the “Tube” to Leicester Square, and then walk to Kensington.  We will catch our train home from London at around 4.30pm, and will return to Sheffield at approximately 6.30pm.  Train times will be confirmed nearer to the time.

Itinerary

Friday

• The day will start with breakfast in the classroom at school at 8:15am 
• Bus to the railway station
• We will be travelling to London by train on the Friday morning, arriving in London at around lunchtime

When we arrive in London we will catch the London Underground (Tube) to Leicester Square, and then walk from there to the Science Museum, taking in a few of the sights of London on the way – Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park to name but a few!

• We will be having our tea in a restaurant near to the Science Museum, and then making our way to the museum to spend the night there. 
• During the Friday evening at the Science Museum the staff there have planned many exciting activities and events. 
• We will be sleeping in sleeping bags on camping mats amongst the exhibits! 
• There will be some children from other schools in the museum but we will have our own gallery as our “bedroom”.
• Girls and boys will have separate sleeping areas within our gallery, and children will be supervised by Watercliffe Meadow staff at all times.

Saturday

• On Saturday, after having breakfast in the museum, we will be again catching the Tube, and travelling to the area of Westminster in London, where we will see more sights including the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
• We will then be walking along the South Bank, having lunch and then making our way back to St. Pancras train station to catch the train back to Sheffield. 
• We aim to arrive back in Sheffield at around 6pm where all children will need to be collected from the train station by their families.

 

Kit List

Children need to wear school uniform - this makes them immediately identifiable as children from Watercliffe Meadow.  Sensible shoes are essential.  We will be doing a lot of walking in London.

Items to bring:  

• a packed lunch for Friday
• sleeping bag    
• water bottle                  
• nightwear
• a change of underwear and socks for Saturday would also be useful. 

Children will need to carry their belongings in a backpack / rucksack that they can carry themselves – there is nowhere in London to store our bags and so we will need to carry our belongings with us (including sleeping bags) for both days as we do our sight-seeing.

Food and Drink

All food and drink once we arrive in London will be provided by us on this visit. 

A packed lunch from home will be needed for the train on Friday.  We will have our tea in a restaurant in Kensington on Friday evening, and a snack and bedtime drink will be provided in the museum later in the evening.

On Saturday we will have breakfast in the museum, and then lunch in a fast food restaurant along the South Bank.   

Finally, if you do have any concerns or queries please contact us at school.  Any worries you or your child have can be easily settled with a chat with a member of staff. 

 

 

Castleton

 

 

Y6 Residential

 

Introduction

 

Our Year 6 residential visit to the Rotary Centre, Castleton is for 5 days, 4 nights.

 

The Rotary Centre is situated half a mile outside the village of Castleton in the Peak District, in a quiet rural setting. During our stay, our group will have exclusive use of the buildings and there is a large grassed area for playing games and other activities.  The Rotary Centre provides an ideal base for a range of activities in the surrounding area. 

 

The Y6 Residential Experience is a great opportunity for your child to learn a whole range of social, physical and self awareness skills in a challenging but ultimately safe and enjoyable environment.

 

Date

This residential is always the last week of the Spring term.

 

Travel

We will be making our way to Castleton by bus, train and walking!

Our adventure begins first thing on Monday morning.  Children need to be in school at their normal time.  We will be leaving shortly after this to catch a bus to town, where we will board a train to take us to Hope.  From there we will be walking on paths and over fields to reach our “home” for the week – the Rotary Centre. 

Most of the staff taking part in the visit will be accompanying the children on this first part of the experience.  Children will need to bring a packed lunch and a drink for this journey, in a backpack that they can carry themselves.  The main part of their luggage will be transported to the centre by minibus.

A coach will bring us back to school on the Friday.

 

Costs

The cost for the five days, four nights is £125 (2024).  This cost includes travel, food and drink, hire of all equipment and instruction for activities.

The actual costs are substantially more than this but we think it important that this visit is available to most children and so school will subsidise the cost.

 

Planned Activities

 

• Walks in the countryside
• Visits to Castleton, Peveril Castle and the local Caves
• Cycling at Derwent
• Swimming at Hathersage Pool
• Evening activities in the surrounding area (team games, outdoor challenges etc.)

 

Monday - Train journey to Hope then walk to Castleton.  Evening activities in the park.

Tuesday – Walk up Mam Tor and cave visits.  Tuesday night is quiz night!

Wednesday – Higger Tor walk to Padley Gorge then swimming outside in Hathersage Pool.  Wednesday evening is the Castleton Talent Show.  

Thursday – Cycling around Derwent Dam.  The evening is made up of team games and challenges.

Friday – The big clean up followed by a walk up to Peveril to eat lunch overlooking Castleton. 

 

Accommodation

The Rotary Centre can sleep up to 40 children, typically in 4 bedded rooms. To enhance the experience for our children, we also aim to offer them the opportunity to spend one or more nights camping in tents if they want to, in the grounds of the Rotary Centre right next to the main building.  2 members of staff will also be camping in tents in this area with the children.

 

Food and Drink

The catering for this residential is all done on site by our very own chef.  There is always lots of choice and plenty of food to keep us full. Please let us know if your child has any special dietary needs, allergies or has a problem with any specific items of food.  We will try our best to help.

 

Kit List

Children do not need to wear school uniform.  Please don't buy new clothes especially for this visit  – they will get dirty! Please label all belongings.

 

Items to bring:

• Packed lunch for day 1             
• Sleeping bag
• Pillow with pillowcase
• Trousers/jeans                                    
• Jumpers/sweatshirts                
• Nightwear
•  Underwear                               
• T-Shirts                                               
• Sun hat/cap
• Thick socks                                         
• Outdoor shoes/walking boots
• Coat/warm fleece jacket                       
• Plimsolls/slippers for indoors     
• Torch                                                  
• Towel
• Swimwear                                            
• Waterproof jacket
• Washbag including:
• Soap/shampoo             
• Hairbrush                                             
• Toothbrush                  
• Toothpaste                                          
• Sun-cream                                                                                
• Bin liner/carrier bag for dirty clothes
• Book/comics, disposable camera
• *Inhaler/other medication LABELLED with name and instructions/dosage
• *Small amount of money for souvenirs (£10 max) in a named purse/wallet.

*These items should be handed in to the Group Leader upon arrival, and will be kept safe until required.                            

 

Please note

Staff cannot be held responsible for any damage or loss of property.  For this reason please do not allow your child to bring jewellery, electronic games, expensive cameras or large amounts of money.

 

Mobile Phones

Children are not allowed to bring mobile phones to Castleton.  Any phones will be confiscated and taking a phone could result in your child being sent home.

 

Finally, if you do have any concerns or queries please contact us at school.  The main aim of this visit is all about enjoyment, and any worries you or your child have may be easily settled with a chat to a member of staff.