Adventure Awaits: Year 5 Residential

Year 5 started the new school year in adventurous style with a fantastic four-day residential at PGL Liddington. It was a brilliant opportunity for the children to get to know one another even better, build their independence and throw themselves wholeheartedly into the challenges of residential life.

From the moment we arrived, the children impressed us with their enthusiasm, positivity and willingness to have a go. Throughout the week, there were plenty of opportunities to step outside their comfort zones, work together and discover just how much can be achieved with a little perseverance and encouragement from friends.

One of the real highlights was seeing the children support one another. Whether cheering on a friend, working as part of a team or tackling something that initially seemed daunting, Year 5 showed resilience, kindness and a wonderful sense of camaraderie. There was certainly plenty of laughter along the way too!

Of course, a residential is about much more than the activities. Sharing meals, spending time with friends and taking responsibility for their own belongings and routines gave the children a valuable taste of independence. They embraced the experience brilliantly and returned to school on Friday with tired faces, plenty of stories and, we hope, some very happy memories.

We were incredibly proud of the way Year 5 approached the residential and represented CJS. A huge well done to all the children for embracing every opportunity with such enthusiasm, and thank you to the staff who accompanied the trip and helped to make it such a memorable start to the year.

"I really enjoyed the drop during the giant swing - it felt like you were just free-falling. I loved it!"

"Zipwire was great because it felt really scary when you were at the top but when you were off it was like you were flying. I'm proud of us all!"

"It was my first week at CJS and suddenly it was our residential trip! I was a bit nervous beforehand but now I'm so glad that we went because I made lots of new friends."

"The silent disco was so fun because you could dance to whichever song you wanted."

"I think the abseiling was amazing. I felt like a superhero!"

"The food was delicious. Burgers for lunch was the best!"