What an amazing Aylmerton adventure our Year 5 and 6 pupils had during the summer term 2023!  Since 2011, our pupils have been visiting the Aylmerton Field Study Centre in Norfolk for a fabulous residential trip of learning, group activities and fun.  This year 64 children bounded onto the coach, along with their terrific team of staff and volunteers and buckled in for four days of making the most fantastic memories.

During their stay, the children took part in pirate activities (including dressing up as pirates) and were taught bush craft skills;  they also took part in a twilight safari and hunted the coastline for fossils and gemstones.  They learnt lots of facts about all sorts of birds and reptiles at an evening talk and were even able to hold some of the reptiles!  They enjoyed a great visit to Cromer Museum and whilst walking along the shingle beach and sand dunes, they gained knowledge about the seaside creatures that lived there and their habitats.  They even had time to build some very creative sculptures in the sand.  The children gathered lots of information about the nature and history of the local area during guided walks through the beautiful countryside and, squealed with excitement, as they waded through the mud flats at Blakeney Point.  On the final day, all the children donned their lifejackets and set off on a boat trip to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Norfolk Broads.  In between all their activities and adventures, the group were looked after by the staff at the Aylmerton Field Study Centre, where they enjoyed the most wonderful hospitality and delicious meals together.  Finally, on their last night, the children (and some of the adults) let their hair down at the end of trip disco! 

The staff and volunteers were very impressed with how the children developed their self-confidence and team working skills during the stay and were delighted to share some of their stories from the trip with parents and carers at an Aylmerton Awards Service held back at school.  There was a host of prizes and awards handed out to the pupils and everyone really enjoyed watching the slide show of photographs taken during their stay.

It was sad for the 2023 Aylmerton Team to say goodbye to everyone at the Field Study Centre this year, but plans are already underway for Aylmerton 2024!