Teachers Speak Out About Their Frustrations & The Barriers to Learning We recently had the opportunity to meet with the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, and Tony Foot, the Director General for Strategy Group at the Department for Education (DfE), at the Sanctuary Building in London. On a Mission: It was a […]
Time to celebrate – awards night has arrived After 12 weeks, the mini troopers put on their uniform for the very last time. After checking each other to make sure all their pockets were all closed, collars were turned, boots cleaned and t-shirts were tucked in, they stood in front of us. They were slightly […]
Week 11: Preparing for the celebrations I can’t believe we are already on Week 11! Today was all about preparing the mini troopers for their awards celebration where they have an opportunity to showcase their skills to parents and friends. Looking at them all standing so tall on parade, I felt quite proud to stand […]
Pupils from Palace Fields Primary School participate in vital conservation project Week 10: Conservation & community week is one of my favourite weeks on the Challenger Troop core programme. This is the week when we give back to the community and play a part in being good citizens. Over the last 9 weeks, we have […]
Week 9: Residential Week We pulled up to Palace Fields school gates at 3:30pm on Tuesday to be faced with 15 mini-troopers, all standing tall and eagerly waiting to climb aboard our mini-bus and set off on their residential adventure, along with teachers Mrs Huff and Mr Beech. We loaded up; judging by the size […]
Week 8: Preparing for the Residential. The residential is nearly upon us, this is the moment when we see the results of the last 7 weeks come together and see the mini troopers put their new skills to the test. In one week’s time, they will be setting out on their big adventure where they […]
Week 7: Navigation. It was a lovely day, the sun was shining, the trees stood tall and we were ready for our mini-troopers. However, as they stepped off the bus and formed into three ranks, we could see straightaway that they were a bit flat after the half-term break and needed re-energising. So, after a […]
Week 6: Adventure Training We are at the halfway point of the 12-week core programme with Palace Fields Primary School and as a reward for the mini troopers’ commitment and enthusiasm so far, we had planned a different type of training day. This day was to be filled with adventure but would have a focus […]
Week 5 – Bushcraft It was an overcast day and Storm Henry was looming…perfect weather for teaching bush craft. The mini troopers gathered together under a giant parachute and listened intently as we told them what we had in store for them that day before splitting them into two groups. My group were going to […]
North West Team Instructor Sgt Bowen, describes how we channel feelings of anger and frustration and use them in positive ways. Team Building We have spent the morning outside on the activities field, where the mini troopers had to undertake a series of team building tasks. Each task required different skills and testing their communication, […]
Our North-West Team Instructor, Sgt Bowen, shares how camouflage and concealment encourages creative freedom and helps to stimulate the imagination, as we follow the progress of pupils from Palace Fields Primary School. Blending In Hide and seek was a game I used to play with my siblings for hours, it was great fun! Finding a […]
Our North West Team Instructor Sgt Bowen recounts the activities undertaken by pupils from Palace Fields Primary School on week 2 of their 12-week primary programme. We have all been there with our children. Asking “How was school today?” “What did you learn?” Almost always with a grunt or a shrug of the shoulder or […]
"Outdoor learning is giving them back their childhood wonder and curiosity at new things, allowing them to experience the marvel of discovery and the learning that comes from taking risks"
