Last week, Upper 4 enjoyed an interdisciplinary trip to the RNLI. Mrs Holloway, who accompanied the visit, spoke about the organisation: ‘I left informed, excited but also humbled at the incredible work that this charity does to save lives in waters in the UK and beyond, through their education programmes. Our Upper 4 pupils stepped into the roles of crew on the fantastically high-tech boats with great enthusiasm, having been given great insight into how the boats are manufactured and the properties that they have to protect the crew and the lives of those whom they are rescuing.’
The pupils said the visit was a ‘great experience to be educated about what the RNLI do day in, day out. We learnt about how the boats were made, and also how pupils could make a career in engineering and the pathway one needs to follow. It was also fascinating going inside one of the docked boats.’
Another Upper 4 stated: ‘It was an interesting trip where we learnt about the 200-year-old history of the RNLI, specifically looking into the amazing women and the impact they’ve had on the RNLI, especially Grace Darling. We also had the unique experience of going inside one of their boats, Shannon – all their boats are named after rivers.
‘We had a very interesting tour of the factory where they built the all-weather lifeboats. It was a very gripping tour and the staff were very kind and helpful answering any questions we had. We also had a talk about apprenticeships, work experience and university. It was a very interesting talk that will help us decide what we want to do for further education and helped to give us ideas on how to build up our university applications.’
Thanks go to Amanda Heath for organising the visit and to the RNLI team whose work is invaluable.
