Some of the pupils of Horning Primary School scaled the dizzy heights at the beginning of the new year, when members of Fox class had their first taste of wall climbing at Highball in Norwich.
This was the first of three sessions at Highball, and excitement ran high as the pupils aged 7-11 years geared up with the appropriate shoes and safety harnesses, before absorbing initial instruction. After practising their climbing techniques on the training wall, the children headed for the main challenge of the day. Once they had gained confidence with heights, it became clear that there was talent amongst the participants, and many of them climbed to the top of the wall and glided down the safety ropes to the bottom.
“Widening the children’s experiences ranks highly in our ethos, so excursions beyond the school boundary are something we try to incorporate into the curriculum as often as possible,” commented David Hopkins, Deputy Executive Head of Bacton and Horning Primary Schools. “It was most gratifying to see our pupils tackling wall climbing with such enthusiasm and enjoyment, while boosting their confidence to overcome possible initial qualms. They had tremendous fun, while gaining an important life-skill.
“We try to present as many new experiences and challenges as possible to the children who attend Horning school. These climbing sessions follow on from a visit to the Time and Tide Museum in Great Yarmouth late last year as part of the children’s learning based around the Romans. There will also be a visit to West Stow Anglo Saxon Village as part of this term’s topic.”