Building Skills Beyond the Classroom at Skern Lodge

Before half term, Year 6 set off for Skern Lodge in North Devon; full of excitement as to what would lie ahead. It proved to be a fabulous week, with many incredible memories made and new friendships forged. Skern Lodge is in a stunning part of Devon, close to beautiful beaches and walking distance to the picturesque village of Appledore.  Waking up every morning to blue skies and a view over the sea was a delight. A long-standing tradition, we have been taking girls there for many years, although this year’s trip must be one of the best on record as far as the weather was concerned; the sun shone down on us the whole week! The activities at Skern Lodge included climbing, archery, kayaking, surfing, high-ropes, abseiling, quay-jumping, crabbing and more.

The instructors were brilliant at encouraging everyone to challenge themselves and push beyond their comfort zone.  All pupils should be proud of their efforts and achievements in each activity, striving to reach their personal best.  Watching pupils stand up on a surfboard for the first time, boulder across rocks or climb to the very top of the climbing tower (even when nervous of heights) was a highlight for all the staff.  Even the staff had a go at the activities; Mrs Rigby was proud of herself for managing to sit (not stand) on the leap of faith platform and Mrs Newton for climbing to the top of the tower despite a fear of heights! For many, a highlight was the Hartland Day with its breathtaking coastal views and scenery; we explored the beach, clambered over rocks and paddled in rockpools. On our last night, we enjoyed a fun swim in Skern’s outdoor pool, followed by toasting marshmallows and sharing our campfire songs.  

The residential is a unique opportunity for building self-confidence and resilience as well as encouraging the girls to make new friendships or deepen existing ones. Pupil Eli felt the best part about Skern was the dorms, “I really liked getting to know people better and the best activity was quay jumping, even though the wetsuits were really hard to get on!” Pushing themselves out of their comfort zones gave all pupils a sense of achievement and a feeling of pride.  Pupil Niloufer was proud of “climbing up to the very top of the climbing tower and then abseiling down whilst singing!” We focus on building on the skills listed in our Learner Profile and at Skern everyone has the opportunity to be problem solvers, good communicators, independent thinkers, robust learners, leaders and team workers.   

On our coach journey back to school, the girls were quiet as they were exhausted after a week of action-packed activity, much laughter and learning. Instructors commented on how well-behaved, polite, smiley and enthusiastic our pupils were.  Even some of the locals in Appledore watched us crabbing and jumping off the quay, commenting on the girls’ excellent behaviour and manners.  

Skern Lodge is a trip that the girls will remember for years to come and we would like to thank all the pupils for being such a pleasure to spend the week with.