Year 5 trip to Burwell House
In Year 5, children all take part in a short residential visit to Burwell House. They enjoy a variety of activities whilst there, including making their own short films in a professional film studio as well as a host of team building exercises. Everyone thoroughly enjoys this great trip and the children all talk enthusiastically about the new skills they learn whilst away.
Burwell November 2026
11/11/25 - 8:45 - The children arrived with enthusiasm and excitement for the trip ahead! Suitcases wheeled up the drive and safely stored together... now just for the coach!
01/10/25 - 9:00 - A final briefing before going... an opportunity to focus on the amazing opportunities that await.
01/10/25 - 9:40 - We've been loading the coach and are now on our way!
01/10/25 - 10:30 - We have all safely arrived at Burwell... our bags are safely stored in one room, whilst we acclimatise to the site!
01/10/25 - 10:45 - time to listen to Sharon's briefing for our visit ahead... objectives, aims and expectations! Before a moment of silence for Remembrance.
11:15am - the Snail Game! We enjoyed playing a game where we had to find questions hidden around the Burwell site. We then worked in small teams to find the answers to the questions, which were all about the physical and human features of the Burwell House site. We then rolled a large dice to add to our question number to find our next question to answer. We did this with lots of enthusiasm, learnt about Burwell House and familiarised ourselves with the Burwell site.
1200pm-- time for lunch! We enjoyed sausage rolls and a selection of cheese, ham or tuna sandwiches. These were accompanied by salad and crisps. Afterwards, we enjoyed sticky toffee pudding and custard! The golden candelabra was awarded to a table for being particularly efficient with their tidying up, despite not having an adult on their table!
1:00pm - a little free time either in the lounge or outside. Everyone is in very good spirits and excited for the next activity.
1:30pm - we have been finding out all about our exciting Smuggler's Mystery activity. This is based on the work between the former house owner, Mr Ball, and the former Burwell police officer, Mr Peake. The children used 4 digit refences to solve the puzzle using a map of the Burwell site.
3:00pm - Studio familiarisation - we visited the TV studio to see the control room and studio floor. We learnt all about the green screen, cameras, roles and the details for tomorrow's recording and performing.
4:00pm - Time to hear about making our beds and we are getting ready to visit our rooms for the first time!
5:00pm - most beds are made and the children have settled into their rooms! Now time for a fire practice. The first one showed great walking, but we heard a few chats... so tried again and the second practice was excellent!
5:30pm - a lovely tea of pasta with tomato sauce, cheese, garlic bread and salad was enjoyed, followed by jelly!
6:15pm - a short period of time to check those remaining beds are made!
6:40pm - we came down to the lounge to hear instructions for the evening.
7:00pm - we returned with our toys, ready for the soft toy competition! We heard about Rangy, Choco, Lander, Shakesbear, Yuki many more prized toys. The competition rounded off with the bonus elimination round... results are to be announced tomorrow!
8:00pm - we watched a short episode of Dramarama, before heading up to brush our teeth and get ready for bed.
9:30pm - Time for lights out! Everyone is starting to settle down.
12/11/2026
12:00am - It is mostly quiet... and there are definitely a few snores coming from some rooms, after a few of us found it harder to drift off!
3:15am - a little knock from one person just to check-in... but all is OK!
6:00am - the first early-risers are stirring, showering and getting ready for the day ahead.
7:15am - the Shelford wake-up courtesy door knock has commenced!
7:30am - pupils are awake and getting ready for the busy day and big breakfast ahead!
8:00am - a lovey breakfast of toast, cereal and yoghurts was enjoyed ... along with an adequate amount of coffee for the adults!
9:00am - we are gathering in the lounge for the TV studio presenting, TV studio control room and low ropes activities, which will take place throughout today.
10:30am - the activities are well underway! We have amazing team work in group 3 with the low ropes. Meanwhile, we are enjoying rehearsing the TV show. Group 1s script includes a feature on palm oil; animals mysteriously turning to plastic and a recipe to make banana bread! Group 2 performed an amazing job in working the cameras, sound effects and control room equipment. A special shout out to Wilf for his amazingly timed sound effects. Group 1 managed it in one take!
10:45am - time for a break - some fruit and an opportunity for some fresh air!
11:00am - we have started our next activities - Group 1 are outdoors with the low ropes; meanwhile, Group 2 are performing their scripts, which include interesting items relating to Koalas vs Moles; The Balan D'or Awards and a mysterious item about a giant guinea-pig thief! Again they managed it in one take!
12:30pm - we enjoyed an amazing lunch of lasagne with salad and garlic bread, followed by chocolate cake with chocolate sauce! Spirits are still high, despite having had less sleep than usual.
1:30pm - some free time before the next activity!
2:00pm - the final group performed their TV scripts - these included stories about a trip to space; a dog atack and a new species of owl that sports purple feathers. We particularly enjoyed a wide range of sound effects by the sound effects queen Beatrice! This group also managed theirs in one take!
4:00pm - we split into two different groups. 1 group completed an enamelling activity to make their own keyrings and the other completed team building games on the low ropes and the Burwell Challenge. We saw wonderful teamwork outside with the low ropes groups and some great creativity with the keyrings.
5:30pm - Time for tea! Lovely homemade chicken nuggets with wedges and peas. This was followed by brownie!
7:00pm - the shop is open! Children enjoyed buying different sovenirs from the Burwell shop!
8:00pm - TV Studio film screening - we enjoyed watching the hard work pay off in the finished articles of our own news performances.
8:30pm - Movie night! We watched part of a film together and enjoyed sharing small amounts of snacks and hot chocolates!
9:30pm - time for bed after a busy day. Whilst everyone is very happy with such an amazing day full of activities, we are all very tired and ready for bed.
Our first meal and first awarding of the golden candelabra
1/9
We are gathering together to hear about lots of special Burwell facts.
2/9
Smuggler's Mystery!
3/9
Pillow talk... bed-making briefing!
4/9
A visit to the TV Studios to become familiar with the roles and features of the studio!
5/9
Year 6 trip to Grafham Water
Every year our Year 6 class visit Grafham Water for a three-day residential trip. Whilst there, the children take part in a huge variety of outdoor activities such as raft building, climbing and tackling the challenge of 'Jacob's Ladder'! Each class thoroughly enjoys this wonderful opportunity and return back to school full of wonderful tales of their adventures (plus the odd bit of wet and cold washing...). Below is a link to the official Grafham Water website, where you can get a taste of the activities on offer.
Grafham 2026... we have arrived!
23/24
Year 6 Grafham Blog - September 2026
Monday 12th October
8:45am - excited faces arrived ready with bags bulging at the seams!
9:15am - off we go... by coach to Grafham!
10:10am - we enjoyed a tour of the site, to become familiar with what is where.
11:00am - some free time! We enjoyed exploring around the field.
11:40am - we headed over to the accomodation and "enjoyed" making our beds!
12:20pm - time for lunchtime in our new lounge!
2:00pm - first activities! We split into our three groups and started activities. One group sailed the funboats on the reservoir for the afternoon. This included a slip into the water from Leo and Ethan and a good swim at the end! The other two groups completed two shorter activities. One group climbed the indoor climbing wall and then undertook bushcraft of creating animal sculptures out of natural materials. The final group started on the highropes with a Jacob's Ladder challenge in teams. The winning team in this group was Grace, Peg and Mr. Grey - who made it to rung 6. The gauntlet has been thrown down and we will see who can top it! This group then took on archery - which was brilliant! They had to test their accuracy by shooting arrows in the correct order to 'build a pizza'!
5:40pm - Dinner time! Children chose either penne bolognaise with garlic bread or jacket potato with beans and cheese. This was followed by chocolate brownie or fruit salad. Everyone ate really well!
6:15pm - Grafham Challenge - this was a great hit. Children were geared up in their wet weather gear to undertake a blindfolded team challenge, following a guiding rope through challenges such as tyres, tunnels, trees and upturned boats! It was well set off by a variety of water additions and spooky exclamations from the adults!
7:30pm - time to wind down and have some free time. Some are showering... we promise (!) Others are getting into their cosy gear. At the moment, children can choose between some free time in the common room or their own bedrooms.
11:30pm - most children are asleep... although not all!
Tuesday 13th October
4:30am - one room requested a time check... the time was graciously provided - but with the orders to get back to bed before the busy day ahead.
7:00am - most children are up now and will be preparing for the day ahead.
7:50am - we are just starting to get ready to head over to our common room, before breakfast. There are a few rumbling tummies from both children and staff! Although, after last night's generously portioned bolognaise, I am not sure how!
8:10am - Breakfast time - poached eggs, hash browns, toast, cereal and fruit on offer. Lots of happy faces and tales of the giant spider in the girls dorm. Mrs. Haigh came to the rescue, cape billowing in the wind and brandishing a cup to rescue the poor terrified arachnid!
9:00am - we are getting ready for today's activities: mountain biking for all groups at some point today. Sadly, the wind forecast doesn't look right for one group to sail, so we will take the powerboat out instead.
12:00pm - The groups have enjoyed their first activities! Group 3 enjoyed an amazing orientation trip on a powerboat across the reservoir. Children took turns driving the boat and successfully navigated to the bouys! Group 1 and 2 enjoyed their joint cycle around the whole reservoir!
12:50pm - Lunch time! We enjoyed a feast of either cream of tomoato soup or penne pasta with tomato sauce with an optional sandwich and salad. This was great to build up our energy for our next activities. The children are doing remarkably well with their table manners and polite discussions at the table together.
2:00pm - Afternoon activities! Group 1 took part in Jacob's Ladder highropes, followed by the archery. Meanwhile, Group 2 enjoyed the climbing wall and bushcraft. Group 3 settled in for their amazing bike ride around the reservoir. It was so brilliant that the group made it back with 20 minutes to spare and the instructor stated that they were one of the best groups he'd ever taken for mountain biking. In fact, the different instructors had said the same in the morning to the other two groups - what a credit they are!
5:00pm - a little downtime before our dinner of either vegetarian sweet and sour "chicken" with fluffy rice and prawn crackers or sweet potato, lentil and chickpea balti, with fluffy rice and naan.
5:40pm - we enjoyed a wonderful meal. Mrs. Smith and Mr. Grey were delighted that one of the kitchen team came up especially to say how polite and well-mannered the children are... what another lovely compliment!
6:30pm - a little time to pack and arrange things in our rooms, before film night!
7:15pm - a trip down to the lounge to enjoy a film, share snacks and visit the shop! We enjoyed Ron's Gone Wrong, which was a resounding success amongst our film critics! Lots of laughs and chuckles!
9:00pm - we have headed back to the dormitories to settle and calm for a (hopefully) peacefull night, ahead of the big departure from the rooms in the morning.
10:00pm - lights out and a few in the boys area already snoring! Girls have enjoyed some new hair-styles at the Smith Salon!
Wednesday 14th October 2026
7:00am - all of the boys are up and their beds are stripped, bags are mostly packed and we are raring to go for another morning of activities! We are awaiting an update from the girls! We are excited about the bacon baps / vegetarian sausage baps for breakfast!
8:10am - We all enjoyed a great breakfast of bacon baps, beans on toast, cereal and toast to set us up for the day ahead!
9:00am - Mr. Grey led a game of camouflage to warm us up for the next activity. Well done to Ari, who won!
9:30am - Group 1 set off for sailing on the reservoir; Group 2 enjoyed the Jacob's Ladder and Archery; Group 3 enjoyed bushcraft den building and rock climbing.
12:30 - Group 1 and Group 3 are back and getting ready for lunch... Mrs. Dawson and Group 2 are still to arrive, so we may polish of their lunch! Mwa ha ha ha! ;-) (Ps. Florrie and Isabella L said that)