Activities Week 2026

Year 7 through to Lower Sixth have enjoyed a fantastic Activities Week at LP!

York Residential | Year 7

Our Year 7s ventured to York from Monday 22^nd to Wednesday 24^th June to explore the delights of one of the UK’s most historically rich cities. Our students took in the Gothic splendour of York Minster, the picturesque architecture of the whimsical Shambles and the wonders of the National Railway Museum. Each attraction offered a distinctive slice of history from the narrow eleventh century passages to the trains in the NRM ranging from 200 years old Stephenson’s Rocket to the 1960s Japanese Bullet Train. Founded by the Romans the city walls offer the longest stretch of walkable medieval walls still in existence and it is also considered one of the most haunted cities in Europe so it was apt that one evening was spent hunting the paranormal on a night-time ghost tour. Providing an insight into York’s existence at the time of the first millennium, the immersive Jorvic Viking Museum offered a journey through a reconstructed Viking-age city built on the site of an actual Viking settlement. Our students thoroughly enjoyed their trip with bowling, Pizza Express and Stan’s birthday all being part of their collective memories.

“I really liked how we could spend a lot of time with our friends because we don’t really get to do so much of that in school. I really liked the Harry Pot ter shop in the shambles!” enthused Leila.  “I loved the York’s Chocolate Story because you got to try loads of free samples and you got to make chocolate. I learned that Kit-Kat wrappers used to be blue during the war when they had no milk.” added Isla. Eleanor concluded: “I really liked the Jorvic Centre because I liked looking at the glass panels which had the old houses in them because it’s really cool to think that that was once lived in and the and then we found it hundreds of years ago. I liked going rounds in the carts and seeing all the mannequins. I liked Coppergate where they were doing the wood making where it was spinning because I have seen some people doing lathe turning in modern day and it’s interesting to think they are doing the same thing now and how it’s different.”

Dorset Residential | Year 8

The Year 8s enjoyed an unforgettable three-day residential trip to Dorset. The visit was packed with outdoor activities, beginning with beach games & splash in the sea at Knoll Beach, a walk to the campsite and settling into their tents. On the second day, pupils tested their aim in target sports, including tag archery and axe throwing on land. They also took to the water for kayaking and stand-up paddle-boarding, where they were joined by Head, Luke. The trip concluded with students and staff taking on the muddy trail at Dorset Adventure Park, rounding off a memorable adventure that encouraged teamwork, resilience and plenty of laughter.

DofE Bronze | Year 9

Year 9 began their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh expedition with a focused session on map reading, orienteering, kit checks, and essential briefings and training before setting off for Hungerford to take on forest terrain and an overnight camp.

Arriving at camp in the afternoon, students pitched their tents, cooked dinner, then headed into the shady woodland as the cooler evening temperatures settled in.

The following morning brought an early start, with the group up and walking by 7am, completing their route before returning home after a warm but rewarding few days outdoors.

Get Shirty Enterprise | Year 9

As part of the Leighton Park activities week, Year 9 enjoyed an entrepreneurial workshop, ‘Get Shirty’, where they enhanced their creativity and business skills.

Highly experienced volunteers from various business backgrounds guided students through creating their mock t-shirt company with a theme of sustainability. Each of the groups had to find out the target audience and contribute to ideas of buying and selling profits along with the market audience. They then continued to model their designs and pitch their companies to the cohort of judges. Teams were marked on nine areas, testing their skills for many parts of the project:  T-shirt design, mission statement, logo, production, packaging, advertising, finance, teamwork and marketing.

Volunteer Leslie Stuart explained that the event is “Really beneficial to young people, thinking about their work ready skills” whilst Charlie (Year 9) enthusiastically explained his team’s T-shirt design “Our floral design is based on eco-friendly initiatives and is called Footprints. The day is going really well!”.

Throughout the day, the classrooms were filled with enthusiasm as students shared suggestions, developed their concepts, and brought their designs to life. The event provided an opportunity for everyone to contribute their strengths, whether through artistic skills, organisation or presenting ideas to others in a different environment from their usual lessons.

Work Experience | Year 10

Year 10 students had an invaluable opportunity to immerse themselves in real‑world work experience across a diverse range of industries, allowing them to explore potential career pathways and develop a clearer sense of their future ambitions. Throughout the programme, students maintained a detailed learning log to reflect on their daily experiences, document new skills and track their personal and professional growth.

Clothing Factory Visit | Lower Sixth

A Level Business students dived into a behind‑the‑scenes tour of the Ethical Clothing factory in Haringey, London. Guided by an experienced Production Director, they explored everything from high‑volume production floors to premium bespoke garment studios and a buzzing repair centre serving brands like Gymshark, Orla Kiely and Savile Row retailers. The visit brought their course content to life, letting them experience production, supply chains, ethics, costs, economies of scale, AI, and real‑world industry challenges in action.

Museum Trips | Lower Sixth

Lower Sixth students enjoyed discovery and creativity during Activities Week, with museum trips that brought learning to life across London. Their visits to the Science Museum, V&A, and Natural History Museum offered a chance to explore everything from cutting‑edge innovation to world‑class art and the wonders of the natural world. Idil (Lower Sixth) said she loved seeing things “we wouldn’t normally get to experience in school, and I especially liked exploring the different exhibits. It was also a fun day out with friends and a great way to learn something new outside the classroom”.

Music Workshops | Lower Sixth

Our Lower Sixth Music and Music Tech students were treated to two workshops on Tuesday 23rd June! The morning was spent with the Jasmine String Quartet from the Royal College of Music, looking at composing and expanding their composition work. And in the afternoon saw them engage in popular songwriting with Chris Milne, a principal lecturer on the popular music course at Leeds Conservatoire.

The Jasmine String Quartet often work with composers, and today they came along to help our students better understand how to write for strings. They took them through hearing and analysing a high-level quartet right up to more contemporary pieces. The students also gave their own pieces to be performed by the quartet so they could hear them in a way they hadn’t before.

Then it was time for a change of tune with the second workshop focusing on pop music. Chris Milne did analysis with students on one of Sabrina Carpenter’s commercial hits, unpacking it and showing what makes it a catchy song. Following this were one-to-one sessions with some of our songwriters about their pieces, providing feedback on how their work has elements of commercial hits. And when students weren’t in one-to-ones, they were tasked with rewriting the chorus to the song they’d analysed.

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