For three days, Oak Class swapped the classroom for tents, climbing challenges, campfires and plenty of adventure at Cuffley Camp.

Our residential was a chance to try new things, work together, face a few fears and make some brilliant memories along the way. From the moment we left Tewin Cowper, there was a real sense of excitement about what lay ahead.

There were challenges, laughter, muddy shoes, creepy-crawlies, some very memorable activities and plenty of moments that we will be talking about for a long time to come.

This is the story of our Cuffley Camp adventure…

Wednesday – And We’re Off!

 

Our Cuffley Camp adventure began on Wednesday morning at Tewin Cowper, with a school full of very excited Year 6 children ready for the journey ahead!

Once everyone had arrived, bags were packed and final checks had been made, we gathered together for a briefing from Miss Wilson. There was definitely a mixture of excitement and a few nerves, but everyone was ready to get going.

Before long, it was time to board the coach. We waved goodbye to Tewin, our families and the parents who had come along to see us off, and then we were away!

The journey to Cuffley had begun, and our residential adventure was officially underway.

When we arrived at camp, we were welcomed by Chloe, Dani and Liam, who gave us our orientation and explained the important rules we needed to follow to keep ourselves safe during our stay.

We also learnt one of the most important Cuffley traditions: the call and response.

“Who you gonna call?”

“GHOSTBUSTERS!”

It did not take long for everyone to get the hang of that one!

Next, it was time to find our tents and settle in. The tents were small and cosy, and before long everyone had claimed their sleeping spaces, unpacked their bags and started making themselves at home.

Of course, camping also meant sharing our accommodation with the occasional creepy-crawly. Thankfully, this was all part of the adventure — even if some members of Oak Class were slightly less convinced!

Rock Climbing

Our first activity was rock climbing — and we certainly jumped straight into the residential with a challenge!

For many of the children, this was a completely new experience. Some had never climbed before, while others had very little experience of moving at height, so there were understandably a few nerves at first.

Working with the instructors, the children took turns tackling both a sloped climbing wall and a much steeper straight wall, rising an impressive 35 feet from the ground.

What followed was a brilliant display of perseverance. After several attempts, and with plenty of determination, many of the children managed to reach the very top of the climbing wall. The sense of pride when they came back down was wonderful to see.

Just as impressive was the way the children supported one another throughout the activity. There was constant cheering, encouragement and positivity, with everyone willing each other on and celebrating every small success.

Even Miss Tyler had a go and managed to climb all the way to the top of the wall!

Day 1 Lunch

After all that climbing, we were definitely ready for lunch! We headed back to camp and enjoyed sandwiches together, with a chance to rest, chat and recharge before our next activities.

Axethrowing and Archery

For many of us, both activities were completely new, but the instructors carefully showed us what to do and how to take part safely. We learnt some of the more technical skills, including how to nock an arrow correctly and how to throw an axe with control and care.

The children quickly grew in confidence and really enjoyed the challenge. There was plenty of friendly competition, lots of encouragement and more than a few determined attempts to hit the target!

It was another brilliant opportunity to try something unfamiliar, learn a new skill and discover that, with a little patience and practice, we were capable of much more than we first thought.

Day 1 Dinner 

Our first day ended with a well-earned dinner after such a busy afternoon.

Night 1 - Our first campfire

When we returned to camp, however, we discovered that we had already had a rather cheeky visitor. A pheasant had taken a particular interest in our bins and had even gone after Mrs Bedford’s vegan cookies before apparently deciding that the packaging was much more appealing!

With the wildlife encounter behind us, we finished our first day with games around the campfire. It was a lovely chance to relax together, laugh about the day and enjoy being out under the evening sky.

Eventually, it was time to head back to our tents and bunk down for our first night at Cuffley, sleeping under the stars after a very full and memorable first day.

Day 2 Morning & Breakfast 

Our second day began with everyone waking in the early hours after a peaceful night in our tents.

Once we were up and ready, we headed to the canteen for breakfast, where we were treated to delicious waffles with yoghurt and fruit compote. The children were genuinely surprised by just how lovely the meals at Cuffley were and, unsurprisingly, breakfast was devoured with great enthusiasm!

After breakfast, it was time for our first activity of the day: Gladiator.

Gladiators Ready!

Despite the name, Gladiator was nothing like the television show. Instead, it was a gruelling climbing challenge made up of swinging tyres, wooden logs and a series of obstacles that seemed to lead higher and higher into the air.

Once again, the children showed fantastic confidence, determination and perseverance. It was particularly pleasing to see them applying the climbing skills they had learnt the previous day, approaching the challenge with far greater confidence.

Many managed to reach the very top of the Gladiator course, with some completing the entire challenge in under two minutes!

It was a brilliant start to our second day and another chance for the children to prove just how much they could achieve when they kept going.

Day 2 Lunch 

After conquering Gladiator, we were certainly ready for another tasty lunch and a chance to recover from all that climbing!

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Sticks & Fire Building

Once we had refuelled, it was time for our next challenge: fire building.

Liam and Dani began by teaching us about the fire triangle and the three things a fire needs in order to burn. We also learnt how to use a flint safely to create the sparks needed to get a fire started.

Then it was our turn.

The children collected and organised different-sized pieces of wood, which Liam and Dani memorably described as breakfast, lunch and dinner sticks, depending on their size. We quickly discovered that building a successful fire was not quite as easy as it looked!

There were plenty of sparks, lots of careful adjustments and several attempts that did not quite go according to plan. However, once again, perseverance paid off. By working together, listening carefully to the instructors and refusing to give up, the children were eventually able to get their fires burning. It was another fantastic example of the children learning a completely new skill and discovering that sometimes the most satisfying successes are the ones you have to work hardest for.

Laser Tag in the Woods

Next up was laser tag, and this was definitely one the children had been looking forward to!

We strapped on our sensors, picked up our laser-tag equipment and headed into the woods for a battle amongst the trees. For many of the children, it was a chance to put all those video-game tactics into practice in real life — hiding behind trees, sneaking through the woodland and trying to outmanoeuvre the opposing team.

Things did not always go entirely to plan, but Dani and Liam did a brilliant job of keeping everyone involved, adapting the activity and making sure we still had a great time.

There was plenty of laughter, excitement and competitive spirit, and the children thoroughly enjoyed the chance to race around the woods together. It certainly made for one of the liveliest activities of the residential!

Day 2 Pizza Party!

After such an exhausting and action-packed day, we were more than ready for dinner — and Cuffley had a real treat waiting for us.

It was pizza party time!

Fresh pizzas were cooked for us in the stone pizza ovens, and they were absolutely delicious. After a full day of climbing, fire building and racing around the woods, sitting down together with hot, freshly cooked pizza felt like the perfect reward.

The children tucked in enthusiastically, and it was a lovely chance to relax, recharge and enjoy being together after such a busy day.

Ambush After Dark

Our second day ended with one of the most exciting — and slightly terrifying — activities of the whole residential: Ambush.

As the sun went down and darkness settled over the woods, the children split into two teams and took turns hiding amongst the trees while the opposing team tried to sneak up on them without being spotted.

With only the stars above us and the woodland around us, the game tested all sorts of skills: moving quietly, staying calm in the dark, listening carefully and, perhaps most importantly, not giving away your hiding place!

Meanwhile, Mr Seery remained at Home Base, guarding the camp and doing his best to keep a rapidly dying fire alive with the help of a small team of very determined children.

It was a brilliant way to end another packed day — exciting, atmospheric and just scary enough to make it memorable. By the time we returned to our tents, everyone had plenty to talk about.

 

Friday – Our Final Morning

After a hard night of ambushing, the children slept like logs, with most asleep within half an hour thanks to Mr Seery’s secret army trick!

The next morning was noticeably colder, with temperatures dropping to around 11°C, and it is fair to say everyone was a little slower to emerge from their tents.

Once the troops had been roused, we gathered together at camp for our final day at Cuffley. We packed our cases, organised everything ready for collection and made sure nothing had been left behind.

There was still time for a few final games with our wonderful Cuffley team, who had stayed out through the cold night to keep us safe.

They had also come to our rescue during a rather dramatic house-spider invasion! Rather than simply removing our unexpected visitors, the team took the opportunity to teach us about the important role spiders, insects and other small creatures play in keeping the woodland ecosystem healthy.

It was a chilly but lovely start to our final morning, and a reminder of just how much we had learnt over the previous two days.

Final Breakfast

Our final day properly began with breakfast: delicious bacon rolls and sausages from the Cuffley kitchen team. After keeping us so well fed throughout the residential, we made sure to thank them for all their hard work — before devouring breakfast with great enthusiasm!

We then headed out for our penultimate activity: SOS.

SOS

This session was all about the basics of first aid and what to do when somebody needs help. Dani and Liam taught us how to place someone in the recovery position, how to treat simple injuries using bandages and how to remember the acronym DRABC when responding to an emergency:

D – Danger
R – Response
A – Airway
B – Breathing
C – Circulation

The session ended with perhaps one of the most memorable activities of the entire trip: a simulated plane crash.

The children had to put everything they had learnt into practice, helping a group of casualties with some rather gruesome-looking injuries. They absolutely loved the opportunity to role-play the emergency, particularly as the scenario involved an actual crashed aeroplane!

Lunch

After all that excitement, we enjoyed our final lunch at Cuffley — sandwiches eaten outside together. It was also a very special lunchtime as we celebrated Elena’s birthday with a song and shared cakes, which were, unsurprisingly, enjoyed with great gusto by the children.

Then it was time for our final activity: shelter building.

Shelter Building

Supported once again by Dani and Liam, the children headed into the forest to design and build shelters that could protect them if they ever found themselves stranded in the woods.

Working in teams, they gathered natural materials and constructed their own dens before putting them to the test. The shelters were shaken, inspected and even had water poured over them to see whether they would really keep their occupants warm and dry.

The children were genuinely surprised by just how sturdy and functional their structures turned out to be — although some groups did have some rather imaginative ideas about the furniture and luxuries they felt their woodland homes might require!

It was a brilliant final challenge and a fitting way to end three days of teamwork, perseverance, problem-solving and adventure.

Saying Goodbye to Cuffley

And then, rather suddenly, it was time to leave.

There was a real mixture of emotions as we packed away the final few things and said our goodbyes to the wonderful Cuffley team. Finn, Liam, Dani, Chloe and Ollie had looked after us brilliantly throughout our stay, encouraging us when things felt difficult, making us laugh and helping us learn so much along the way.

Over the three days, we had climbed higher than many of us thought possible, built fires and shelters, learnt first aid, explored the woods after dark and faced challenges that had sometimes seemed frightening at first. We had learnt a huge amount — not only about outdoor skills, but about perseverance, teamwork, courage and looking after one another.

We were sad to leave, but also incredibly pleased that we had been lucky enough to have the experience.

By this point, many of us were exhausted — physically, mentally and emotionally — and there was definitely something rather lovely about finally climbing onto the coach and knowing that we were heading home.

The journey back was filled with songs, jokes and plenty of reminiscing. We talked about our favourite activities, debated the best meals and shared the moments that had made us laugh most. We also had time to think about the things we had learnt and the challenges we had managed to overcome.

As we finally returned to Tewin and spotted our parents waiting for us at the village green, the excitement on the coach rose once again.

Cuffley had been an amazing experience for all of us. We came home tired, probably slightly muddier than when we left, and with a great many stories to tell.

We were sad that our adventure was over — but very, very happy to be home.