D of E Cycling expedition

Well done to the 7 year 11s who completed their bronze cycling expedition on Thursday and Friday (27^th and 28^th April).

Successful DofE cycling practice.

Well done to the group of year 10s who completed their Duke of Edinburgh (bronze) cycling expedition practice over the weekend (Sat 8^th – Sun 9^th Oct 2016)

The group spent the weekend cycling along the canal tow paths in and around Wolverley, Kidderminster, Stourport and Stourbridge.

Pictured below is the group dealing with a first aid scenario. Well done to Sam for his excellent acting skills.

On Sunday they even had a tour of Mr Cartwright’s (Miss Cartwright’s dad) canal boat. 

Duke of Edinburgh: Cycle expedition

Year 11 DofE cycle expedition - Mon 30th - Tue 31st March 2015

During the Easter holidays, 10 of our year 11 boys completed their DofE cycle expedition around Brecon.

We departed THOA on Monday morning after the final checks were made and travelled to Merthyr Tydfil. The pupils then set off on their 1^st day’s journey, battling through the wind and rain, cycling through the Brecon Beacons along the taff trail, making it to the camp site in good time. After finding it extremely difficult to set up camp due to the awful weather conditions, the pupils prepared their evening meal which soon warmed them up.

After a reasonably early night the wind and rain continued throughout the night and early morning, making sleeping extremely difficult. 
The next morning began much more pleasantly with the sun trying to make a welcomed appearance. The young people were in good spirit considering the lack of sleep and began to organise themselves for day 2; food was prepared, tents were taken down and bicycles were ready. Day 2 would see the boys cycle along the Monmouth and Brecon canal, from the camp site in Talybont to the checkpoint at Gilwern. 
After leaving Gilwern they continued to cycle along the canal passing Llanellen, Llanover and finally finishing at Goytre Wood.  

The whole group were fantastic and a pleasure to take on the expedition. They had  all cycled an impressive distance over the 2 days, through some difficult conditions.

Below is some pictures taken from the expedition.
Day 1-

A well deserved warm drink

 Preparing their evening meals at camp

Day 2-

 Checkpoint 2 at Gilwern

D of E Cycle Practice

During half term we took 10 Yr 11s cycling for their Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition. The idea was for them to: get used to cycling in groups, along a pre planned route, carrying all their kit and using the trailers and panniers.


They started in Stourport on Monday and soon found the old railway line which met the canal. They followed this through Stourport and cycled into Kidderminster and then Wolverly. After a short stop at the Lock in Wolverly the boys had a bite to eat, adjusted their kit and had to fix their first puncture.
Soon after they continued onto Kinver.

Tuesdays route began at Kinver where we met up with Mr and Mrs Cartwright (Miss Cartwright's parents) and the boys had a tour of their boat. Mr Taylor and Mr Morris had a cup of coffee and a bacon sandwich in the glorious Staffordshire sun.

Miss Cartwright explained to the boys how the locks work and then demonstrated how they should be opened. Following this, the boys cycled onto the next lock where they met the boat and had a go themselves at opening the lock.

The next part of the journey involved them cycling on through to the outskirts of Wolverhampton where they had a glimpse of the Wolverhampton Wanderers Academy. During this phase of the route they had 4 or 5 punctures to repair. Practice makes perfect!

All 10 pupils are now eager to complete their final expedition, around the Brecon Beacons, which we plan to do around the Easter holidays next year.

Overall it was a lovely 2 days and the boys learnt a few things that will be essential for their final expedition.

Year 11s Cycling D of E expedition in Brecon

This week (Mon 14th & Tue 15th April 2014), the small group of Yr11s who completed their practice expedition last week, travelled to the Brecon Beacons to complete their final expedition.
Having learnt so much during the practice expedition it was now time for them to put it all into practice.
Over the two days, they completed 29 miles on Monday and 31miles on Tuesday; cycling along the Brecon Taff Trail, passing a number of reservoirs and gaining some fantastic memories on the way.

The boys were absolutely fantastic and were a real credit to the school.

Well done boys!

Here is a collection of pictures.