New Starters on a Mission for Adventure!

August 2016

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Some of our new Year 7s pictured here with Mr Laybourn at Winmarleigh Hall.

Each year at King James I Academy, we organise an action-packed programme of activities to ensure the transition for our new starters is smooth and stress free.

This summer, our new Year 7 students enjoyed two days of fun, 'Mission Impossible' themed activities in school, followed by a three day adventure holiday to Winmarleigh Hall.

The adventure began in school with a group challenge called "Destination Unknown'. Students took on the role of secret agents and began by selecting a disguise and visiting our photo booth to create their own "Spy Passport'; they then learned how to take fingerprints and became experts in comparing patterns to identify and match staff profiles to their fingerprints.

Next, groups worked together using their passports to travel around the world by solving various riddles. Each correctly solved riddle led the team to one of six global-themed destinations around the academy where they were able to collect a number of items including stamps, flags, landmark photographs and currency. At the end of the challenge, each item collected was converted to points and a grand total announced for each King James Secret Agent Team.

On day two the investigations continued with a Cleudo-inspired murder mystery activity called 'Who Killed Mr Grieveson?!' There were a number of staff suspects for teams to consider, from the disgruntled Mr Raitt, who got into trouble for walking through the school with his muddy bike, to Mr Saunders, whose beloved car was scratched by Mr Grieveson in the staff car park, and Mrs Bainbridge, who was very upset at being disturbed during one of her meditation sessions! This hilarious activity had our groups of secret agents interviewing suspects and searching for clues around the academy to ascertain what had happened to our Head Teacher, before analysing their evidence to identify the culprit!

Groups also took part in a fun 'Mission Impossible Knockout', which saw students conquer various physical challenges on our specially designed obstacle course.

The fun didn't end there however; over 70 students attended this year's free three-day adventure holiday to Winmarleigh Hall in Lancashire, where they enjoyed organised challenges such as Raft Building, Giant Swing, Climbing Wall and Zip Wire. This annual trip is hugely beneficial for our new starters; not only does it build independence and reinforce new friendships, but it also builds confidence in their ability to succeed, as they quickly realise that they can achieve anything with an open mind and a little determination.

At the end of an action-packed week, our Year 7s returned home with an abundance of new friends and a level of self-belief which will benefit them immensely in the next stage of their education. We look forward to helping them fulfil their potential and achieve their personal goals as they progress through the years with us at King James.