Avon Tyrrell 2008

Contact: D R Clarke | R D Worrallo

I hope that your sons will have told you all about their time away at Avon Tyrrell but just in case they haven’t, we thought you might like to see the evidence of what they were really doing during their two day stay away.

Each year group has its own characteristic and from Day 1, the distinctive feature of this year’s First Year seems to be their ability to get on with whatever task they are given to do with a real sense of teamwork and determination. They are a really unfussy and competent year group and this was evident at Avon Tyrrell from the start.

I thought I would start this evening by giving you a selection of comments which the boys wrote about their time away. And I can assure you that surprising though it may seem, these really are their words and not mine…..

They include:

• ‘All of the High Rope challenges sounded easy, but that is only when you are standing on the ground. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and we were happy to flop down into a nice warm bed in the evening and prepare ourselves for the next day of brilliant activities.’

• ‘I think that Avon Tyrrell is a great way to get to know the class that goes with you. We have learnt each other’s strengths and weaknesses and how they fit into a group.’

• ‘The Avon Tyrrell staff were great as they encouraged us to work together and taught us many amazing tricks on the night walks such as the disappearing head which was scary!’

• ‘So overall I had a really great time and learnt how important it is to communicate with others.’

• ‘The whole trip brought us closer together as friends and also helped us find out more about each other.’

• ‘When I arrived at Avon Tyrrell I didn’t know what to expect, but now I feel more confident in myself and my classmates. From high ropes to “Roll out the Barrels”, they all helped me.’

• Avon Tyrrell was meant to be challenging and a fun experience that helps you to make lots of friends: it delivered exactly that.

• The Avon Tyrrell experience to me was a challenging and action-packed adventure which taught me many things I didn’t know about the 122 boys that make up the First Year. However the trip also taught me many things about myself, as well, especially the High Ropes!

There we have it: the purpose of the trip is to help the boys to get to know each other better, not only in their form group but also to meet boys from the other forms. But as you have heard, it is not only about making friends, it is also about giving them a chance to develop other important life skills, such as communication, co-operation and independence.

They also have a chance to get to know their form tutors better, as well as their mentors and the two senior prefects, Oliver Lyth and Michael Craddock, who you can also see in  action playing the part of Sweeney Todd next week in the School Musical.  It was also an opportunity to get to know other members of the School community, including Mr Clarke who heads up our adventurous activities programme which includes over 100 boys who are currently taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, an area of genuine interest to last year’s royal visitor Prince Edward. This of course works both ways and we, the staff, are also pleased to get to know the boys better in a relaxed but challenging setting.

Mr Clarke and I accompanied both trips with the Form Tutors and some of the Upper Sixth boys who act as Form Mentors came with us too.  In addition, Mrs Cash, the School Nurse, also came down to take part.

Whilst the boys were away, they did a variety of different problem-solving activities, all of which were designed to help them to work with other people, and in so doing to develop their communication, and perhaps most importantly, their listening skills!

The boys spend the first day working in their form groups before being mixed in with boys from the other forms on the second day. As a result they widen their circle of friends and gradually discover the importance of working together as a team. At the end of each activity, they have the opportunity to evaluate how effective their efforts have been and how they could have improved to achieve a better outcome.

R D Worrallo