Trips
At the end of the summer
term, a group of 30 lower
school academic scholars,
accompanied by Mr Mason, Mr
Smith and Mrs Cashmore, enjoyed a twoday visit along the Severn as far as the
Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire. En route
they stopped at the Slimbridge Wetlands
reserve, where they encountered
flamingos, moorhens fiercely defending
tiny chicks, and somewhat rarer swans -
all without needing binoculars.
In Shropshire, they visited Blists Hill
Victorian town, learning fascinating details about this period from the guides
working in the buildings. That evening
the scholars walked to the famous
Iron Bridge, the first ever built in the
world. Later they created their own
entertainment, including singing to the
accompaniment of Mr Mason's guitar -
which was also played very capably by
several members of the group.
The following morning, the pupils visited
the interactive Enginuity Museum (which
focuses on engineering), looking at
structures, materials and forces at work,
before visiting the neighbouring blast furnaces, the birthplace of iron smelting
and thus the industrial revolution.
On the return trip, they stopped at
Worcester for a guided tour of the
Cathedral, after which the cricket lovers
went to see county cricket at New Road,
kindly arranged by Charlie Morris, OA
and Worcestershire CC professional.
The Severn Valley is an area that was
not likely to have been on many of the
children's radar until they came on the
trip, so beyond the interest of all the
sites they visited, the expedition had
the double value of introducing them to
one of the most beautiful parts of their
country.
The Junior Scholars at Large
By Toby Smith
The Ironbridge
Ben O'Neill, Will Cashmore and Matt Thorne at
Enginuity
Scholars on the Ironbridge
From the glories of the industrial revolution to
combative moorhens at Slimbridge, the Junior
Scholars packed a lot into their trip along the
Severn
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