We recently took 92 Year 13 students to the Lake District for a week. The trip has run successfully for a number of years and this year we took more students than ever. It is popular primarily because of the huge amount of work students complete on the trip. The focus is very much on revision and preparing for the upcoming A level examinations. We are grateful to the YMCA Lakeside staff for accommodating us so well and feel very fortunate to be supported financially by the Walter Bigg Trust.

Huge credit must go to students who made the most of the opportunity to concentrate on their academic work. They completed around 7-8 solid hours of work every day and did so with genuine enthusiasm and a determination to achieve success this summer. By the end of the trip they understood the reason for taking them so far away from Wallingford - the lack of wifi, phone signal and distractions really paid off. Aside from the studying, students also took part in a few outdoor activities such as raft-building and a zip-wire, which helped to break up their week and maintain a high level of productivity in revision sessions. They also appreciated the opportunity to live together in lodges for the week, learning the importance of sharing, consideration and responsibility, all of which are vital for success beyond Wallingford Sixth Form.

Above all else, there was a fantastic feeling of togetherness on the trip: staff supporting students; students supporting each-other. They worked that bit harder and were able to overcome challenges due to the philosophy that "we're all in it together". It was a fantastic way to end their time at Wallingford and their time in compulsory education - some have been together since age 4!

We look forward to celebrating with students and their families on results day this summer, knowing that the Lake District Trip has once again served it's purpose of having a very significant impact on progress.

Best of luck to all of our students in their exams.