Education Scotland stipulates the journey through education must include opportunities for a series of planned, quality outdoor learning experiences. As a school we have a creative and coherent ‘Outdoor Learning Strategy’ and Activities Week is an integral part of this.

Due to the pandemic, for the past couple of years, we have not been able to hold our annual activities week, which is when our normal timetable is suspended to allow for our junior phase pupils to experience a range of activities which are not normally part of the school day.

However, our S3 pupils were clearly the priority this year and most pupils (166 of them!) headed off to Manchester for the week, visiting Chester Zoo, Alton Towers and Old Trafford.

Those who preferred not to go to away had a week jam packed with a huge range of activities with two full days in school and three days out to different venues.

In school, pupils experienced a number of activities including soap making, clay modelling, dance, Zumba, yoga, boxercise, mountain biking, climbing, segways and swimming games under the expertise of staff and outside providers.

Out of school, pupils headed off to Battleground in Banchory and took part in laser tag, archery and bubble football; they took to the slopes at Garthdee for an action packed day of skiing, tubing and snowboarding where some pupils managed to demonstrate their skills while most took part for the first time; and their final adventure was a day out at Wildshore Dundee Scotland’s largest Aqua Park, Wakeboarding and SUP Boarding venue.

Pupils had a fantastic time and joined in with every activity and got on amazingly well with each other, interacting with others that they might not have known very well beforehand. Our pupils have been extremely enthusiastic and well behaved prompting comments as “awesome” and “fabulous bunch of kids” from these establishments.

We look forward to creating more exciting opportunites for all of our junior phase in 2023.