11 Before 11

Personal Development at Green Ridge is high-valued and we believe our children should broaden their horizons and have high aspirations for themselves.  REAch2 have developed a set of '11 Before 11' promises, to empower our children to take the driving seat in their own lives in a fun and inspiring way. All children starting with us in Early Years will have the opportunity to complete 11 promises by the end of Year 6, including: kayaking on a local lake, riding a horse in the stables nearby, and camping out and stargazing on our field overnight! Our eleven promises can be found in the overview document at the bottom of the page.

Children in Reception spend the half-term carrying out a range of acts of kindness. These include caring for our environment by litter picking, writing notes and delivering them to local residents, and creating gifts to share with our friends at the nearby residential homes!

After learning key safety skills (and how to muck out the stinky stables), the children in Year One have the opportunity to each enjoy the ‘mane’ event: a horse riding lesson!

This promise begins in the Spring Term and finishes at the end of the academic year. The children in Year Two learn key skills when sewing seeds and growing their own fruit and vegetables which they later enjoy in a tasty soup!

Year Two’s second promise acts to keep the community on their toes. Will they break out into dance in an assembly? How about on the playground? Parents and carers may even get the chance to enjoy the spectacle at the Summer Fete!

The children in Year Three take a trip to Wendover Woods to complete their hike. It teaches them to be resilient as they trek up many steep slopes to take in some incredible surrounding views. They are also lucky enough to build dens out of natural resources. Who needs a PlayStation!

It may sound risky, but fear not, it is totally safe! After putting on their safety equipment and learning about water safety rules, the children in Year Three kayak and raft build for the morning at a nearby lake!

Year Four are lucky enough to have a volunteer in to build something sustainable for either our school grounds or the local environment. In recent years, the children have build bird boxes and bug houses. Their aim this year is to build planters in time for Year Two’s ‘Seeds to Supper’ promise!

Stargazing? Tent pitching? Hot chocolate? You name it, Year Four do it during their overnight adventure at school. The children enjoy their first overnight stay during their time at Green Ridge and what a memorable experience it is!

Year Five offers an amazing opportunity…creative freedom. A local arts centre offers a fantastic workshop where the children use a range of mediums to create masterpieces ready for display around school!

Year Six use the MakeFiveGrow programme offered by Virgin. After learning business acumen, they form groups and divide roles and responsibilities. Markest research is conducted and resource orders are constructed. After weeks of marketing, they sell their goods at the end of the day to families, with profits going on books, resources or charity donations – it’s their choice!

Each year, the children across the Trust break a record. It is always a highlight and real favourite as we know our REAch2 family are all participating in this event at the same time. In recent years, we have completed a whole school bird-watching activity and a colour run that made the local newspaper!