ADVENTUROUS King’s Ely students reached new heights during an action-packed half term break.
Several expeditions were organised through the Ely Scheme, which is unique to King’s Ely, offering boundless opportunities for pupils to explore and learn through outdoor education.
Year 9 students travelled to Yorkshire to take part in the annual Ely Scheme Yorkshire Three Peaks Expedition. The challenge involves a circular walk bagging the summits of Penyghent, Whernside and Ingleborough in the Yorkshire Dales National Park – covering a distance of just under 25 miles and all within twelve hours, which the team successfully accomplished.
A separate group of King’s Ely students were in North Wales practising for their upcoming Picos de Europa expedition in Northern Spain. The three-day expedition had a very wet start as the team traversed over the most northern mountains of the Carneddau, however the weather improved long enough to provide a dry but humid ascent of the classic scramble up the north ridge of Tryfan and Bristly Ridge.
The Ely Scheme aims to build important life skills that cannot always be taught in the classroom. While most independent schools have an outdoor pursuits programme, the Ely Scheme is both unique and central to the whole King’s Ely experience, as young people are given tangible opportunities to push themselves to achieve beyond anything they ever thought possible.
The aim is to develop each individual student through outdoor education and adventurous activity, concentrating on eight major elements: personal skills; self-confidence; teamwork; leadership skills; social and environmental awareness; problem solving; ability to cope with difficult situations and healthy respect for nature and the outdoors.