Why Residential Trips are Important

Hear about why residential trips are important from the perspective of one of our Year 6 pupils.  

This week has been a chance to finish our time at Cricklade Manor Prep in style. We have all had an amazing time with many of us, ‘securing lifetime friendships’, ‘leaping out of our comfort zone’ and ‘enjoying our final whole week together as Year 6’.  

Day 1

On Monday we went into school with suitcases, pillows, many sweets and a lot of heavy items – just ask Vincent. Mr Davies then gave us the task of setting up our tents which was an adventure, to say the least. Our first trip saw us head for Bowood where we met Phil who gave us an insight into the history of the house and estate. The best part about our visit was definitely the Death Slide,

“it was almost addictive, we couldn’t stop”.

Emma conquered her fears and Anusha enjoyed exploring the adventure playground. We then headed back to school for some free time and an incredible BBQ which prepared us for our visit to Ten Pin bowling. The bowling was fiercely contested with a number of high scores, however, Mitchell was crowned champion with a top score of 117. We then headed back to school for our first night of camping.  

Day 2  

On Tuesday, we were geared up and prepared for Ninja Warrior, a river walk and plenty of games on the field. I think we could all agree that our time at Ninja Warrior couldn’t have been a better start to the day, the collaboration from our class was awesome, with a number of us being able to complete some difficult challenges. Drew was definitely the ultimate Ninja, whilst Advik was recognised for his determination. We then enjoyed a river walk which included Jimmy and Dougie the dogs taking a dip, we think Ben also wanted to dive in with them. Upon our return to school we got stuck into some camp games and enjoyed marshmallows around the fire, never trust Siri to toast a marshmallow, it was cremated! 

Day 3  

On Wednesday we packed our bags and tents and headed off to Cherhill Monument for a walk and picnic lunch. Mrs Heywood raised our hopes by telling us that this was the highest point between London and Bristol; we knew we were in for a serious hike. On route, Gabor had a chance to commune with nature, discovering cinnabar and marbled white moths, whilst Zachary admired the breathtaking view. We arrived at Braeside for an afternoon of activities which included crate stacking, a leap of faith and mountain biking. This was an action-packed afternoon with a number of highlights, Bethan learned that she shouldn’t let go of her handlebars when going downhill and Elvina tested her faith by taking the leap. Kayaan was a little disappointed not to find cricket in the Braeside programme however, we did find an hour between activities for him to practice his batting. We then had a chance to use the 25m slip and slide for our evening activity which saw Jess shoot down the slope like a rocket.  

Day 4   

On Thursday we woke up to an amazing full English breakfast which prepared us for our low ropes and problem-solving activity. The low ropes gave everyone a huge buzz, we worked as 2 teams to try and win the challenges. Diya became very efficient at conquering the course whilst, Maddie utilized her amazing balance to dodge the balls in our dodgeball game. Our evening activities saw us take on the match stick challenge, where Anjola was able to lead her team in solving several puzzles. We then finished with a hot chocolate and some time to relax and Rio discovered a newfound appreciation for toasters.  

Day 5  

Our final day saw us travel to Devizes Wharf where we enjoyed Canoeing on the Kennet and Avon canal. It was a great experience, where we put all of our skills from the Cricklade Award to good use, ‘the instructors were very impressed with how advanced we were’. We then headed back to school to be reunited with our parents.  

Our residential has been a complete success with many fun challenges and opportunities to overcome fears. We would like to thank Mr Davies and Mrs Heywood for giving up their week to celebrate our time at Cricklade Manor Prep. 


“Every trip my son undertakes with Cricklade Manor, he comes back emotionally bigger.  We’ve really enjoyed listening to all his stories of fun, achievements and overcoming obstacles.  Sounds like everyone got something out of it, so really well done.”

Year 6 Parent