YEAR 4 pupils at All Saints Marsh Church of England Academy and Dunsford Community Academy, both part of the Learning Academy Partnership, enjoyed an exciting adventure during a joint residential trip to Dartmoor.

One of the trust’s beliefs is being ‘stronger together’. Children and staff exemplified this recently as they joined forces for a fantastic three days at Pixies’ Holt Outdoor Learning Centre.

The children quickly made new friends from across the two academies and worked together during the course of the trip to embrace an array of challenging activities.

They didn’t let the weather dampen their mood as they showed great resilience and courage to undertake some exciting new opportunities, including archery, caving and even a night walk on the moors.

For many of the children it was their first time staying away from home and facing such challenges, with each pupil taking this independence in their stride.

All Saints Marsh Church of England Academy and Dunsford Community Academy, both part of the Learning Academy Partnership, enjoyed an exciting adventure during a joint residential trip to Dartmoor
All Saints Marsh Church of England Academy and Dunsford Community Academy, both part of the Learning Academy Partnership, enjoyed an exciting adventure during a joint residential trip to Dartmoor (-)

The trip gave them a chance to broaden their horizons, with another trust belief being ‘You cannot be what you cannot see’. The pupils came back from their trip to Pixies’ Holt with a renewed appreciation of nature and adventure, as well as plenty of inspiration to think about future careers in the environment and sustainability sector.

Ensuring new opportunities for pupils to experience are a foundation of the Trust Charter, and the teams at All Saints and Dunsford truly went the extra mile to enable more pupils to attend by seeking community funding. Family Support Lead, Rebecca Webber, successfully applied for vital funding from the local Community and Locality Fund from Teignbridge District Council and Devon County Council to reduce the cost for parents and carers.

Evie Semmens, Interim Headteacher at All Saints Marsh Church of England Academy said: ‘The children thoroughly enjoyed their time in Pixies’ Holt Outdoor Learning Centre. It was wonderful to see the excitement on their faces and hear about the wonderful activities they got involved with during the trip.

‘At All Saints Marsh Church of England Academy, we believe that providing children with the chance to challenge themselves is a critical part of their development into confident, independent young people.

'It is also important that our pupils are given the opportunity to experience the wonderful natural beauty right on our doorstep in Dartmoor – we cannot wait to see which pupils have been inspired to become the cavers, rangers and environmentalists of the future.’