Having just returned to the College from study leave after completing their end-of-year exams, Lower Sixth students took part in a Teambuilding Day to prepare them for life in the Upper Sixth.
This preparation for the students’ final year, when they assume leadership responsibilities within their Houses and more widely around the College, has been in place for a number of years. The training is seen as important for the students’ development, their ability to work effectively with their peer group, and to help them to become effective role models for pupils throughout the College.
Holman
The Holman Lower Sixth went to Whitstable with Mr Filbey and Mr Greenbury. In the glorious sunshine on the Kent coast, the boys showed leadership skills as they completed a treasure trail in teams, deciphering clues around the town as they went.
We then enjoyed a delicious fish and chip lunch on the beach, with some of the more adventurous even trying oysters for the first time.
It also wouldn’t be a trip to the English seaside without some crabbing, and the boys spent the afternoon having a highly competitive crabbing competition, off a jetty, before we returned to Epsom.
The Holman boys enjoyed the chance to spend time with each other outside of school and to start to think about how they will approach being the senior year group in the House next year. It was a lovely day and the boys were superb company throughout.
We rounded things off with the Crawfurd girls joining us for a relaxing and civilised barbecue in Mr Filbey’s garden, and the boys and girls reflected on their days and then played rounders on the playing fields as the sun set.
Crawfurd
The Crawfurd Lower Sixth travelled down to Brighton for a superbly sunny day of treasure hunting and crazy golf.
The teams were arranged on the minibus and after a slow start, they set off around Brighton armed only with their wits! An early clue, requiring knowledge of Roman numerals, allowed one team to take the lead and – after a little help from Mrs Skipper and Ms Bosa – the others were able to get going towards the North Laines.
Despite missing a couple of turns, the teams finished at almost the same time near Brighton’s original Workhouse. After a break for lunch, the fun continued down on the beach at Rumble Jungle, where in teams of four, they showed off their golfing prowess. Miss Bosa and Mrs Skipper put Tiger Woods to shame, with truly excellent scores. The same cannot be said of some of the Lower Sixth, whose totting up of scores provided some unexpectedly high numbers!
The evening saw Holman and Crawfurd join forces for a barbecue in the Holman garden. Thanks to Mr Filbey for risking permanent smoke damage to the eyes and cooking for us all!
Murrell
Murrell’s Lower Sixth began the day with some fun activities focusing on team work, communication and trust, as well as exploring different scenarios during their leadership training at the College.
We then departed for RHS Wisley, along will with Raven and Rosebery where all the pupils enjoyed a lovely picnic lunch before heading off on a scavenger hunt and photo challenge as they explored the gardens.
A barbecue back at Murrell proved to be the perfect way to end a lovely day.
Robinson
Robinson took on some Upper Sixth training in the morning before we headed to London for a treasure hunt.
The three teams did really well over a challenging course, before we travelled back to Epsom for dinner at Pizza Express.
Raven
After a morning spent in House discussing a variety of different scenarios relating to prefect roles and life in the U6, the Raven girls set off with Rosebery and Murrell to Wisley, armed with an amazing ‘high tea’ style picnic lunch prepared by the catering department. Once there we ate a leisurely lunch, before being released to explore and hunt out a huge variety of flowers, plants, vegetables, trees and the odd stone animal from a list of 50 nearly impossible clues, including a tiebreak question to consider where we might find our HMM. Some groups faired better than others, but it was lovely to spend time in the garden, shop and café, and the weather was beautiful. Many imaginative answers were devised, and the occasional use of a gardener proved useful. Those of less competitive nature simply enjoyed an afternoon in the sunshine in beautiful surroundings. We returned exhausted, and then headed over to Murrell for a BBQ which provided a lovely end to the day.
