Q&A with Great Oak Multi Academy Trust

We welcome schools from Great Oak Multi Academy Trust each year, and recently had the pleasure of talking to Heather Rowe, one of the teachers of their Year 6 group. Find out more about their experience at Kingswood, what they gained from their stay, and their thoughts on Kingswood West Runton.

Listen to Heather's full interview, here

Where is your school from?

We're from Debden and Great Chesterford. We're two schools that are in an Academy together from Great Oak Multi Academy Trust. We come up together every year for the residential so our Year 6 kids can get to know each other ready for secondary school.

What do you think the benefit of bringing children at the end of July is?

As it's our last week of school, it gives Year 6s a real chance to say goodbye to all of their friends, but also to gain those really important skills ready for secondary school, like resilience and independence. For some of them, it's their first time away from home, so it's lovely that they get that chance to really spread their wings and have fun.

Is there any benefit for you as an Academy to visit Kingswood?

I think it's a really great chance for us to come together because we don't often see each other when we're very busy in the school year, for example, getting ready for SATs. It means that the the children get to meet because they'll be going to secondary school together so they'll get to know some of the people they'll have at secondary school and make new friends.

How did you feel prior to coming to Kingswood on your first residential?

I was definitely really nervous on my first year as an ECT coming on a residential knowing that I'd be in charge of the children. But it was really lovely. All the staff were really nice, really supportive and I knew that if there were any problems, I could always go to them. We did have a girl who got quite sick on my first residential, but Kingswood handled it fantastically. I didn't need to stress at all. It meant that it was very, very calm and relaxed for the teachers, which is just what you want. So we love Kingswood because it's really supportive. We always know that there's someone there if there's an issue, and they organise all the activities. So we really are just there to have fun with the kids and make sure everything's going smoothly. But it takes a lot of pressure off of the teachers having the activities run, and the food's great as well, which is always, always useful.

Why did you choose Kingswood West Runton?

And we always come to West Runton because we've got the beach, we've got the sea. It means that we can see all of that in all its glory and it's just a really nice centre. The staff are always lovely. As we live in the UK, the weather is not always perfect, but there is always something to do at West Runton. There are so many activities that we can get involved in, even if the weather is not great.

Is a trip like this beneficial for both teachers and students?  

I think a trip like this is a really brilliant opportunity to say goodbye to your Year 6s, but you really get to bond with them and really get to have fun. I always take part in the activities and the children love that. So we're always playing games, we're having fun, and we get to bond. I get to spend time with the teachers from the other Academy too, and I get to spend a lot of time with my Year 6s; we've been through a lot together across the year and it's a nice farewell.

During your time at Kingswood, what has been your favourite activity?

I love the the zip line. I always think the zip line is heaps of fun and always goes down well with the children. But the leap of faith was the first time we did that and it was scary, but it was a great way for the children to conquer some fears and me too. It was very tall, very wobbly, but perfectly safe and lots of fun. I felt like I'd really conquered some terror after I did it and the children were all cheering so that was lovely. Abseiling is something I’m looking forward to. Definitely love going up the tower and coming back down.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking about booking?

If you're thinking about making a booking, I would just ring up and ask any questions that you have because the staff are brilliant and they'll be able to to give you any advice. But I would just do it, because it's fantastic.

What three survival skills do you think are most important in life?

The key survival skills I would give are having resilience so that you can always conquer whatever life throws at you. Independence, being able to handle things on your own, and I think learning how to be a kind and good person.

Have you noticed any of the children have gained any of those whilst at Kingswood?

I've definitely noticed them gaining all those key skills. I see them conquering their fears and feeling really nervous to do the zip line or to go in the cave. But with all the support and kindness that are shown from the staff, they can conquer those fears, and in doing so, gain that resilience.

I also noticed them getting a lot more independent, being able to wake themselves up on on time and things like that without our our support all the time, which is lovely. And they're always being kind with each other. If someone's feeling a little bit upset or a little bit homesick, it's really nice to see the children group together wanting to support and help the person who may be struggling.

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