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THURSDAY 25^th MAY 2023

Today was characterised by leaping, jumping, dangling, shuffling, building, cooking and walking, lots and lots of walking! 

Day 2 saw Group 1 with Chloe, Poppy, Hannah, Jacob, Alex and Callum build shelters as part of the bushcraft challenge, then complete the Air Jump and the assault course in the afternoon. Group 3 with Amelia, Summer, Martha, Charlotte, Melissa and Sophia did the same activities but the other way around. The buzz in the dining room this evening was about the excitement of the Air Jump. This involves climbing up a wooden tower to a platform about 4 metres off the ground, then leaping onto an enormous bag of air. The airbag itself is about 3 metres tall – so big it wouldn’t fit inside the classroom – so the first jump isn’t too challenging. But getting the technique right is key to moving up the levels; the children have to throw their legs out first then fall onto their backs with their arms held across their chests. Once they have mastered this, they’re allowed to go up to the next level, which is when things start to get really interesting. All of our children achieved the 5 metre leap, many overcoming their nerves to do so. Some of our children even progressed to the 7 metre leap – which feels like an enormously high platform to throw yourself off. Two of our children – Charlotte and Summer – made it to the very top – an 8 metre high platform – and, cheered on by the rest of the group, completed the Air Jump challenge. Charlotte said she just loves the feeling of falling and the smile on her face told the story. Well done all! 

Hannah said her favourite activity was the bushcraft: her shelter was almost completely waterproof and she cooking on a fire she had made herself. As part of the course, the children learn about things they can do to survive in the wild, and some of the dangers they would encounter. They learn about the Rule of Three: we can survive without food for three weeks, without water for three days, without shelter in extreme conditions for three hours and without oxygen for three minutes. Well, if they ever get caught out in a forest, they’ll now know how to build themselves a pretty sturdy lean-to. 

Meanwhile, Group 2, with William, Liam, Oliver, Scott, Arieanna and Betsy were getting stuck into the Tree Top Trail (or the Chree Chrop Chrail as most children have been calling it). This involves first learning how to manage the clever harnesses which ensure the children are attached at all times either to a cable or to a rope with a ring key on, then setting out on the trail. There are actually lots of different routes and the children, once attached, have lots of autonomy about where to go and which route to follow. This isn’t for everyone as it involves heights and wobbly bridges and cables strung between tall trees, but even the starter level offered a big degree of challenge, and the children had to work in pairs to cross two high wooden bridges and stay balanced on each step as they did. Some stopped at this point, but many continued. Sensibly, Betsy, William, Liam and Oliver chose to follow the lower course. Fearlessly, Arieanna set out with her new friends to tackle the higher ropes. These included a series of hoops called ‘the rib cage,’ wobbly beams, a cable with dangly buoys blocking the way and other dangerous-looking challenges. With gung-ho enthusiasm, she completed it twice. Meanwhile, the others made their way to the end and then went back for more. Most impressively, Oliver, who had made a slower start, decided he no longer had a fear of heights and set out on the higher course. I followed after him with my legs shaking and my heart in my mouth but he had no need of me and moved his way steadily from challenge to challenge and completed the course.  

This evening, as the children were playing Mad Hatters, the Room Inspectors went around. The standard was definitely ‘mixed’ this year, with Fressingfield children achieving a second-place finish in the girls’ category (well done Poppy, Martha, Hannah, Melissa, Charlotte and Chloe), and also two last place finishes in both the boys’ and the girls’ categories. Oh well. They might not be the tidiest this year, but their achievements have come in other areas.  

Lights out, which last night seemed exciting for some and worrying for others, couldn’t come quickly enough for some of our children this evening – it’s been a long, exhausting but very rewarding day. 

Well done Year 6!

WEDNESDAY 24^th MAY 2023

There were loud cheers as we came around the corner to Hilltop, then gasps and ‘ooooos’ as the children saw all the different activities hidden in the woods. Hilltop really is a magical, exciting place.

Once off the bus and reunited with their bags, the children made their way to their bedrooms to make their beds and start to unpack. Each room seems fairly set on winning the tidiest room competition and hoodies were soon hanging up with the names showing, trainers were paired and lined up tidily. Go Fressingfield!

After a picnic lunch on the green, the children had a chance to explore. Hannah and Alex loved meeting up with their footballing friends and a kickabout started in the time they had before the first activity.

At 1.30 we split off into our groups. For Arieanna, Betsy, William, Oliver, Liam and Scott that meant shelter building and bushcraft. They were shown how to make a lean too using Y-shaped poles, branches and brush and, over the course of the hour, their shelters took shape, including little seating areas, a bed, and fireplaces. The challenge was to make it completely waterproof using enormous handfuls of pine needles as roofing and, in due course, a thunderstorm appeared (in the form of a bucket of water) to test their waterproof qualities. Liam’s shelter – built with new friends from Laxfield and Stradbroke – unfortunately collapsed during the building, Oliver and Scott’s was deemed too unsafe to sit in by the building inspectors, but Arieanna and Betsy’s was impressively well-made, and almost totally rainproof, and William’s was built so solidly it took two adults to let it down safely. The session ended with the children making fires, boiling water for hot chocolates and cooking marshmallows.

Meanwhile, Callum, Alex, Jacob, Hannah, Chloe and Poppy were taking on the Treetop Trail Challenge. This activity, which is a little bit like Go Ape, requires the children to manage their own safety harnesses as they move from challenge to challenge. The trail starts at a low level, then slowly builds up, with some children opting to re-do the lower challenges, and others taking on the higher ones. The obstacles include giant rubber balls which block the way, Indiana Jones-style rope bridges, and other things the children had to push past or dangle from. Miss Cragoe, their group leader, was really impressed with them all. The group came back buzzing and full of enthusiasm.

The third group of Amelia, Summer, Martha, Charlotte, Melissa and Sophia meanwhile set off on ‘The Journey,’ a 7km walk to the coast via a ruined priory, up a hill to see the views of the sea, and along into Sheringham for an ice-cream. Apparently it was a long, long way – but the views were good and so was the ice-cream!

This evening we’ve played a wide-game in the woods called ‘The Enchanted Forest.’ I think it was designed especially to wear the children out – it involved lots of running up and down the hills searching for symbols and groups of numbers. After a short time in the games room, then brushing of teeth and hair, the children settled down to sleep. Mrs Tooley and I have been checking on the children and all the rooms seem quiet and peaceful.

A busy day awaits tomorrow!

Two weeks ago, the new books we had been waiting for were delivered to our library, so we now have every single book on each of the Essential Guides for our children to borrow and enjoy.

This mammoth operation has largely been conducted by our school librarians and it involved a lot of hard work.

Last year, the whole school took part in a sponsored walk around the village to raise the funds. The Librarians then conducted an audit of all the books in the school to find out which books on the Essential Lists we had and which ones we still needed. At the same time, they worked with Mrs Hare – one of our school governors – to ensure the guides featured inclusive main characters and heroes from a diverse range of backgrounds and these were added to the lists. Next, they liaised with FOFSA who bought the books we needed. And finally, over the last two weeks, they have been busy stamping, stickering and organising our books so they can be shared with the right year groups.

Well done Librarians and how fantastic to be able to share their work with the school on World Book Day!

A massive well done to almost forty children, who took part in the recent TCS London Marathon Challenge. Over a few sessions, children ran, jogged or walked around the playing field, each covering a distance of 2.6 miles. It was really impressive the way children helped and encouraged each other. Our youngest participants come from Reception and our eldest from Year 6.