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Camp Out!

As part of our mission to make the final weeks of school as fun as possible we invited the year 6 pupils to spend two nights at Camp RAPS...

Excitement began to build on Wednesday whilst preparation for the production was underway, as the children could see the campsite being assembled on the playing field. Once the performance was complete, the children were collected and went home to gather their survival essentials before returning at half six.

Upon their return, they settled in to their new surroundings and 'unpacked' (made the tents messy) before a tradition BBQ cooked expertly by the 3 Michelin starred Mr N Budge (head chef). With stomachs full we headed to the hall to watch the mighty three lions march through to the final of the European championships - surely a once in a lifetime event!

The sheer euphoria of England's achievement can be the only explanation for the lack of sleep that followed. The children's tents finally fell silent around half one before a series of toilet trips ensured no member of staff could happily fall asleep before half 3! The joy of herring gulls then proceeded to wake up the camp at around half 4.

A packed day followed! After a lovely fry up or cereal, we played a series of team building games such as crossing the river, rob the nest and flag tag before a packed lunch and a walk to the station. After a short train ride to Broadstairs and a leisurely walk we arrived at the Palace cinema to watch 'Raya and the Last Dragon', during which some of the children tried to fall asleep (who would have thought only 3 hours wasn't enough!?!). Staff busily ensured children remained awake so they could sleep properly later that evening - without any hint of revenge or enjoyment for their own lost sleep the night before.

After returning the school there was time for a pizza party (delicious) and then a series of team games of hide-and-seek in the school building. Who needs to spend lots of money on days out when you can give them a flashlight and a large mostly abandoned building to run around in? It was great to see the frantic, desperate searching as the clock ticked down towards victory for the remaining hiders!

What followed that evening was an undisturbed night's sleep all round (whoop, whoop) and nobody stirred before half seven the following morning. Following another delicious breakfast the task was to pack up their belongings so the campsite could be dismantled. Having seen the children's efforts at 'packing' and 'tidying' the tents, it became clear that the bags that were originally packed when the children arrived had been done by parents and carers - the difference was staggering.

To be fair to the children, despite obviously being close to exhaustion, they proceeded to complete the final preparations for their business enterprise project and run the fayre in the afternoon.

On behalf of all the staff, I would like to thank the children for making the Camp Out a huge success. Hopefully it will be a great memory of their time at RAPS and will stay with them forever!