Year 6 London Trip Blog

SUNDAY 6th MAY - Day One

After a marathon twenty hour journey involving trains, planes and automobiles, our exhausted group finally arrived at the hotel. The flight took eleven hours but was not too unpleasant as there was plenty of entertainment available onboard. I was delighted when one of the air stewardesses complimented us on our wonderful pupils, demonstrating that behaviour was excellent during this long haul flight. It was good to see the Wellington values being put in to practice! When we were not sat down on a plane or bus, we were stood in long lines at both the Chinese and UK immigration desks. Thankfully, patience was a virtue amongst our pupils and they eventually made it through without incident. Just making it here feels like a great achievement. Tomorrow promises to be much more interesting and fun as we venture outside of London and head to Windsor castle in the morning, before visiting the natural history museum in the afternoon.

MONDAY 7th MAY - Day Two

Our first full day was very successful. After getting up early we had plenty of time to enjoy a delicious and filling breakfast before getting on the coach to go to Windsor. A collective gasp went up as the castle came in to sight, towering on a hill above us. Many questions about the age of the castle and its purpose quickly came up; I was able to answer most of them! Once inside, the sheer size of the engineering job became apparent as the huge structure of the main keep and the former moat came in to view. Whilst within the castle walls we also visited Saint George's chapel and the gift shop where the children happily spent their parent's money! After briefly returning to the hotel, we set out on foot to the natural history museum just over the road. The children were amazed by the sheer variety of exhibits; of course the dinosaurs were the highlight of our brief visit. Tomorrow, we will visit the Wellington academy to engage in a trilogy of collaborative workshops with their year six pupils.

TUESDAY 8th MAY-Day Three

Today we went all the way to Wiltshire to visit the Wellington Primary Academy. To get there early enough for all the planned activities, we had to wake up at 5:45am, get dressed, have breakfast and leave by 7:30am!

  

   

Upon our arrival we were greeted by two members of the academy's student council who led us to their dance studio so we could meet our year six counterparts. After an introduction by two council members and the year six teacher and a quick break time, everyone was split into groups for the activities.

    

   

Each group rotated around three activities: rounders, sewing and wellington boot painting! Mr. Bradley led the rounders while Ms Healey and Miss Sophia helped with sewing. In the rounders we played one academy/WCIT mixed game and one academy vs Tianjin game. I am delighted to announce that Tianjin emerged victorious in two out of three games!

    

   

The academy pupils were very welcoming and helpful to all our students. Many pupils from both sides became friends over the day and wanted to become pen pals. Hopefully we will be able to send and receive some letters and pictures over the next two months.

  

WEDNESDAY 9th MAY-Day Four

Another gloriously sunny day beckoned as we prepared for our journey to Crowthorne in Berkshire to visit the original Wellington College. We have been very lucky indeed with the weather so far with three beautiful hot, dry days out. After warning the children that it might be a little chilly and definitely wet, my motherland has made me look mightily pessimistic!

   

    

The morning was spent at Eagle House prep school where our pupils got involved in drama, English, history and art activities around the central theme of Shakespeare. Following that, we enjoyed a very well cooked BBQ next to the cricket pitch. Once again, the host school were very welcoming and both Tianjiners and Eagle House students mixed freely.

   

   

A tour of Wellington College followed during which the children learned a lot about the history of the school and got to see the physical manifestations of their houses. The master of the college, Mr. Julian Thomas, was able to spare a few moments to talk with our group and enjoy a photo opportunity in front of a bust of Copenhagen, the Duke of Wellington's battle horse.

    

THURSDAY 10th MAY - Day Five

After two days at the various Wellington Colleges, it was time to get back to some regular sightseeing. On the schedule today was the science museum and the London dungeons. I think it is fair to say that everyone was excited about the former while some were a little worried and scared about the latter!

   

   

The science museum in London is one of the most engaging that I have been to. Luckily, we were going during term time on a weekday but it was still busy with other school trips. Although many of the exhibits caught the imagination, it was perhaps the gift shop that garnered the most attention!

  

  

If getting a fright is what you're into, then the London dungeons are for you. Detailing some of the most horrific, and true, stories of crime in the capital's history, the dungeons are a must for gruesome tales. The exhibit explaining the deeds of Sweeney Todd, the 'demon barber of Fleet Street', and his partner in crime, Mrs. Lovett, was of particular interest.

FRIDAY 11th MAY - Day Six

The day started with a long coach journey through the heart of the city to HMS Belfast. This formerly active battleship is now permanently anchored on the Thames and is an extension to the Imperial War Museum. It was fascinating to see the internal workings of the vessel and the cramped quarters of the crew. Afterwards we had some spare time during which we were able to do some souvenir hunting. The man who owned the shop was very impressed with the behaviour of our pupils and refused to charge Miss Sophia for her purchases as a token of gratitude!

  

  

Next up on the itinerary was a river cruise from Tower Bridge to Westminster. The tour guide gave us all a good account of the various buildings and events related to the riverside. 

  

Our final excursion was to ride on the London Eye. It was great to be able to see for so far around and we took e opportunity to take many pictures. We were again blessed with excellent weather and beautiful clear blue skies allowing for fantastic views. Let's hope that the good weather holds for the second half of our trip!

SATURDAY 12th MAY - Day Seven

This morning was our final chance to see Buckingham Palace so we got up early and walked for nearly an hour down Knightsbridge and Constitution Hill to get to the Queen's primary residence. Because it was early, there were very few people around, allowing unobstructed views. The flag was raised so we knew Queen Elizabeth was at home. However, she did not come out to say hello.

  

  

Next up was the dull and complicated business of packing up and checking out of our hotel. After that job was complete, we went to Covent Garden to do some much anticipated shopping. Unfortunately, it started to rain towards the end of our time there and we had to dash to the Cambridge theatre to see Matilda and get some respite from the wet weather.

  

  

The musical was phenomenally good and the children enjoyed seeing the classic Roald Dahl tale performed with a twist. Following the show we enjoyed an evening meal at Pizza Express before re-boarding the coach to go to our second hotel in Wembley, the Premier Inn.

  

SUNDAY 13th MAY - Day Eight

Despite unpleasant forecasts to the contrary, we enjoyed another glorious day of weather to make up for yesterday's rain. It was perfect timing as we would be outside all day.

After an excellent breakfast, we embarked onto the coach and headed back to Windsor. However, instead of seeing the castle, this time we were heading to Legoland!

  

  

This theme park is about more than just plastic models. There were many rides to enjoy as well. Several of the rides had water features so many of us got a bit wet. Once again, that good weather proved to be helpful in drying us out! After a long day of rides and Lego purchasing, we were ready to go back and enjoy a traditional British meal of fish and chips to end the day.

MONDAY 14th MAY - Day Nine

A day of excitement, we took our breakfast before the much anticipated trip to Warner Bros Harry Potter studio.After our arrival for the tour, we were shown a quick film about the franchise with Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Grainger) and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley). Following this, the group were ushered into the great hall of Hogwarts. This was the actual set from the films. It had no roof and never had as this aspect would be added with the help of CGI.

  

After this awesome entrance, we made our way around the studio, seeing many different sets, costumes and props. One of the best parts had to be platform 9 3/4; the platform at King's Cross station that Harry, and other Hogwarts students use to get to the school.

 

Finally, the children found many delights they wanted in the shop, spending plenty of their parent's money. The magic wands were particularly effective; making £29 disappear quicker than you can say "expelliarmus"!

  

TUESDAY 15th MAY - Day Ten

After a late change of plans and a diversion due to Chessington being closed, we proceeded to our back up option of the London Zoo. We got there just in time to see the Penguins being fed!

  

  

Next up we went to the 'In with the Monkeys' exhibit where we could get up close and friendly with a dozen squirrel monkeys. They were very cute and had the tiniest faces! I was amazed at how I afraid of humans they were, the keeper even warned that they would steal cameras if we got too close!

  

  

After taking in the lions, tigers, giant tortoises, gorillas and giraffes, we were able to experience another up close encounter; this time with ring-tailed lemurs. Of course, the shop was another stop on our visit in what what's become a common theme of our trip.

  

  

This is the final blog of our 2018 Yr6 UK trip as we depart for Beijing tomorrow afternoon. Because of the time difference we will not arrive back in Tianjin until Thursday afternoon. I am sure that all the parents can't wait to see their children again. On a final note, I'd like to reserve special praise for the vast majority of pupils whose behaviour on this trip has been impeccable. Their positive attitudes have helped tremendously.