Duke of Edinburgh Overnight Expedition

On Wednesday 4th June Cedar Class pupils and staff embarked on an amazing Duke of Edinburgh Expedition. They started off their day by arriving at school, where they packed all their bags onto the minibus. Great teamwork was seen and great organisation by all. Cedar Class pupils then made their own packed lunches ready for their adventure; it was lovely to see how their confidence had grown over the weeks due to their life skills lessons. After this was completed, they travelled to the activity centre in Roker Beach to complete a group canoeing activity, and everyone embraced this with such a calm and positive attitude, excited to see what was going to happen. After everyone was kitted up, everyone made their way up the River Wear. Excellent teamwork was witnessed as they paddled, ensuring everyone was confident in their travels. After this, everyone then had time to go in the sea at Roker Beach accompanied by staff, where they fully enjoyed splashing each other and their staff.  

Then it was time for lunch. After lunch, Cedar Class began their walk. Everyone used their fantastic navigating skills to find which direction they needed to go. Then it was time to arrive at the campsite ready for their overnight stay. Everyone embraced their new environment, ensuring they had the right equipment and resources. After a short time, everyone was ready for a snack all prepared and cooked by Cedar Class. After this, everyone had some downtime where they could ring home to say hello to parents and carers. 

To finish the night Cedar Class pupils and staff had some social time where they played games and even had marshmallows around the campfire. They then had a go at the jellybean challenge that Sarah had bought for everyone to try. They could not stop laughing as some of the flavours were disgusting like blue cheese, chili, and rotten garbage! 

After a good night's sleep, everyone was ready for day two, where they started the day by making their own breakfasts using the camp stoves, seeing even more brilliant independence and problem-solving skills. After this everyone took off on the next walking adventure, where they used navigation skills to travel to Seaburn Beach. Everyone did very well. They even had time to have a pit stop to get some chips whilst having lunch. They then set back off to return to camp to get ready for home. It was a beautiful walk where they saw the stunning fields of crops and the beautiful nature of Whitburn. Then they also encountered some very unsettled weather, where one minute it was sunny and the next it was very heavy rain. Everyone agreed that they had certainly witnessed the four seasons in the two-day break. 

Once they got back to the campsite, they prepared for the trip home, ensuring all the equipment was cleaned and stored ready for the next group. Then off they went on their journey back to school. 

From all the staff at Cedar Class, they would just like to express how proud they are of the pupils. They have powered through the elements and completed their expedition with smiles on their faces.