Year 6 and Hallfield Seniors’ London Residential

Day 1

Well, we’re all safe and sound down in London having had a smooth coach journey and a great visit to The Natural History Museum! From simulator earthquakes to an animatronic T-Rex and many fascinating exhibits in between, the group spent an absorbing 3 hours in this fantastic venue. All are safely tucked up in their beds for the night following a lively evening quiz and dinner in the Hostel, the staff are being extra accommodating and pupils are a credit to the school. A long but very good day.

Day 2

All continues to be very well in London. The children are in good spirits, if increasingly tired! Yesterday was a packed day from start to finish. We started at the Cutty Sark, full of awe at the height of the masts and the complexity of the rigging before following one of two ‘trails’ which had the children hunting for various historical facts and objects. The crew’s bunk beds in the living quarters gave the children a new-found appreciation for their accommodation rooms!

Around the corner, at The National Maritime Museum, we had a great time through a series of really interesting galleries, from a simulation bridge of a modern ship to learning about ship’s surgery during the Napoleonic wars and just how many of our phrases and idioms come from sea faring.

A short walk to Greenwich Pier saw us onto our  Uber boat trip up the Thames on time, which the children loved. Under Tower Bridge, past The Shard and we were back on dry land at Embankment. A quick visit to the Science Museum later and we were heading on to The Rainforest Café for a cracking dinner. The evening finished with an outstanding performance of the brilliant ‘Matilda’ and a coach of very tired children wended its way back to the accommodation.

Day 3

Today, we head to Hyde Park for a bit of leisure time before the V&A and Madame Tussaud’s. A great start with football, frisbee, capture the flag and relaxing in Hyde Park then a good ‘bracing’ walk to the Victoria & Albert Museum…

We followed culture trails at the V&A, then had  lunch before battling with a bit of traffic to reach Madam Tussaud’s. The children loved this visit and were just brilliant in managing their disappointment that the gift shop only took card payments! There was lots of posing with the array of celebrities. A yummy dinner at Bubba Gump’s rounded things off and ask are safely tucked up in bed and asleep now. The children are being an absolute credit to the school and have drawn several compliments over the days.

Day 4

The children were excellent this morning in the way they tidied their rooms and prepared for departure. After a hearty final breakfast in the Hostel we headed to St Paul’s Cathedral for a tour of the building whilst learning about its rich history; the pupils particularly enjoyed gazing up to the roof to find clues to a hidden story. The trip concluded with a tour of The Globe Theatre before setting off home with a coach full of happy but exhausted children.