Coven 2004

Coven Camp Final Report , Friday, 01 October 2004

Karen Spencer, Marg Jennings, Martin Tibbetts, Sara Ward and Liz Williams presented with medals by the Coven staff.
(Picture taken by Georgina Bradley from Knock out News)

This is the final official report, but many of the teachers have taken independent photos, not caught on the website camera, which we will add to the Coven section of the school website over the coming days. Keep revisiting the school website as more pictures from the week will be added.

I haven't enjoyed a school camp as much as this one. There were new Coven staff this year who were superb, a lovely Y5 and Y6 cohort and a very dedicated caring team from Cheslyn Hay Primary School.

It is a tremendous responsibility taking your youngsters away their parents for a week. I am sure many of you have hosted something called a "sleep-over" in Cheslyn Hay where your child invites friends over for a night. My children are in their 20's now, so it is a distant memory for me, but my wife and I used to call them "wake-overs" as the 'so and so's' never went to sleep!

Imagine a 4 night sleepover with 90 young Primary pupils in tents and a full range of activities during the day time! Once I have completed this report for the website- Mr Tibbetts is having a personal sleepover as will many of his staff who took part during the week!!

I am sure you will join me in thanking Mrs Spencer, Mrs Jennings, Miss Ward, Mrs Willliams, Mrs Flynn and Mrs White for leaving their families for a week (or significant parts of the week) to enable the camp to happen.

Your children will never ever forget their Primary School camping experience. Many I know had never been away from home before for such a period of time. If my own children are anything to go by, you will already have heard the headline stories of the week but over the next few weeks they will keep telling you something new that they've remembered.

Last night we did a shower check on all the pupils. After supper all the pupils were asked to have a shower before going to bed. Many did that on a daily basis throughout the week , but some needed encouragement! After every canoeing activity, that was built into that morning or afternoon programme.

After the evening meal on Thursday, packing started ready for the return to Cheslyn Hay. Some suitcases had to be sat on!

We then did the normal evening activities followed by a trip to the Coven souvenir shop (for those interested) , cocoa and bed.

Today started for the Headteacher at 6.30 a.m ,and when I stepped out of the tent the sun was just rising and the moon still giving competition. The camp site looked beautiful with a mist rising over the tents over a sleeping campsite. )Only Mrs Spencer and I were up at that point). Sadly that photograph hasn't come out on my camera.

Mrs Jennings overslept and needed a cup of camp tea served in her tent to re-charge her batteries!

Breakfast was followed by "Camp Muster" at the Fire Point where all the teams are briefed for the day's events.

It's Nicole's birthday!!

We all sang "Happy Birthday to you!"

After that lovely moment, all tents were cleared, teams did duties and morning activities started. I had a roving brief which meant that I could try and photograph every child for the Coven report.

Groups A,B,C were problem solving; D,E,F were firing arrows; G,H,I did the pond study; J,K,L attempted Mission Impossible followed by a rope Balance Course while M,N,O solved problems!

That was followed by lunch and then the Coven Presentations. (All pupils involved will receive certificates I next Friday's whole school assembly.)

After the presentations it was a question of getting luggage onto 2 coaches and a 12 minute drive back to Cheslyn Hay.

JKL get their Mission Impossible briefing in the Den. (The strange blue shape above the door is where the Coven Moose head should be. The famous moose is having a "nose job" done and will be back on the wall in November!)

ABC problem solving!

We don't much like holding hands with a boy or girl in this activity- but someone has to do it for the team to succeed!

I think Dan is trying to strangle Shannon!

Rachael thinks feet work as she's not allowed to use her hands to pass the rope around her team mate.

Ben appears to be in agony! (As a fellow Man United supporter missing many key TV Sky matches over the week , I made sure Ben had first delivery of a daily national newspaper to pass around to mates giving details of Man U games!)

This is how the outdoor archery complex looks DEF are briefed.

Outdoors, the teams sit on safety benches

More instructions

And then we load the bow

And fire!

Meanwhile.. JKL are doing the Impossible and wondering what lurks in the box!

Shock horror! A mouse in the box!

Today's Mission Impossibles were told to avoid enemy groups. They took it to heart and were seen hiding behind picnic benches to avoid enemy agents!

"Message to Mission Control. We have kidnapped an enemy agent called Nathan". They really did that in role in the nicest possible way! A Coven first!

JKL again

Meanwhile ABC's were problem solving. Spot the shark in the Custard waters!

Dan's team. Confident or stranded?

Don't like the look of the shark fin!

The plank wobbles!
(We are looking at introducing this activity during the school lunch hour on the playground)

Meanwhile Pond Study activities took place. Aaron Hatfield and Harvey Greatrex gained many points for their teams this morning.

Sarah and Vicky have found something interesting to identify

All teams have a classification chart

Pond life caught and awaiting classification

Found it

More web problems to solve

Oh dear Dan!

We only have these at school for 2 people not 6!

Meanwhile, the Mission Impossibles take on the rope balance challenge as their 2nd activity!

Help! My feet aren't allowed to touch the ground!

Richard concentrating hard

Nathan helps out his buddy

Wrong side of the rope!

The hard hat made the difference!

Not happy!!!!!

It's easier now

His buddy has the rope ready

And so to the final de-brief by the Head of the Centre

Experiences shared

Archery Experts Jordan and Georgia taken by a wobbley camera! Jordan Higgins won the Robin Hood award and Georgia Griffin won the Maid Marrian award. They refused to hold hands!!

All the teams competed for points doing duties and gaining points for activities. Could this team win it?

The score board as it stood on Thursday evening But would team G win it after today?

G team did it.

The teams then went on to vote for their best team member .

The special person in the team who they thought had done most to help everybody. It was a secret ballot and not yet counted by the Headteacher. Given the school's theme this term has been "teamwork", this will be a special award given out on next Friday's assembly.

The school staff have also selected two members from all the teams who we and the Coven staff had noted as pupils who had really excelled themselves during the week. The results of that will be announced at next week's Friday assembly.

To conclude this final report. Many thanks to you parents who entrusted us with your precious children for a week away from home. We hope that they have come to you as more independent and enriched individuals as a result. We have really enjoyed their company.

They have all done camp duties and there is therefore no excuse for an untidy bedroom!. They have mastered another step on the road to adult independence. They have learned something about being a member of a team and interdependence.

They will have learned a lot about their classmates and themselves.

They have also spent a lot of time with their teachers outside a classroom and probably learned as much about their teachers as the teachers have about them in a non-school context. We have all missed our families during the last week but it has been a week that both adults and pupils alike will not forget.

I speak for both myself and my staff involved when I say that it has been both a privilege and a pleasure to take your child to Coven Outdoor Centre, Stafforshire.

Martin Tibbetts
Headteacher
Friday, 01 October 2004