This week Yr 9 students, accompanied by Mr Ellis and Mrs Wade, visited Belgium and France on the Battlefields Trip. When Mr Ellis joined us in 2018, one of the first things he raised was the possibility of setting this trip up. At previous schools I was fortunate to have taken students on the same tour, so was keen for our students to have the same opportunity.
After a very early start on Monday morning – thanks to parents for getting up at 4am! – The group travelled via Dover to Calais and then on to their base for the next 3 days , Heuvelland, Belgium. Over the next few days students visited Tyne Cot, the largest Commonwealth war graves cemetery on the western front with over 11953 burials, then on to the Passchendaele Museum, Essex farm and Ypres. During one visit some older British visitors commented that they had been touring round the War Graves for 3 days and seen many school parties. However they specifically took the time to say how impressed they were with the attitude and respectful behaviour of our Wensleydale students and that they were the best behaved that they had seen. This is true testament to our key behaviours of Positive, Hardworking and Respectful.
On Tuesday students attended the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate. This happens everyday and students laid a wreath on behalf of us all, in remembrance. Thiepval is a very evocative memorial and students learned that it is dedicated to the missing. Carved on the stone panels are the names of 73,077 British soldiers who fell in the Somme in 1916 and 1917 and whose bodies could not be identified.
No trip to Belgium is complete without a visit to Leonidas chocolate shop in Ypres.
Thankfully, tired and a little travel weary, all returned safe and sound on Thursday. For Mr Ellis no early stack though, as it was Open evening! For the second year in a row the Hall was packed with potential new yr 7 students and their families, keen to see what we are about. My thanks to staff , students and our visitors for making the evening so amazing – the positivity was everywhere.
