YEAR 6 PGL TRIP Liddington, Swindon Monday 19th June – Friday 23rd June 2017 PARENT INFORMATION EVENING Monday 10th October 2016 at 6pm

We aim to answer any questions or concerns you may have. Welcome The aim of this evening is to share with you more information about this residential visit. We want you as a parent to be confident that your child will get the most out of this five day outstanding experience. We aim to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

PGL Adventure Centres PGL have been providing adventure holidays to children since 1957. St. Augustine’s have chosen PGL on several occasions for residential adventure trips. The facilities and activities their centres provide give Year 6 children an outstanding experience. Last year’s group thoroughly enjoyed their experience at Marchants Hill PGL Camp in Surrey and this year we are lucky to be visiting Liddington PGL, which is one of the biggest adventure centres that PGL own.

Virtual Tour and Pictures http://www.pgl.co.uk/en-gb/school-trips/primary-schools/centres/liddington#.V-qVfYgrK1s http://www.pgl.co.uk/en-gb/school-trips/primary-schools/centres/liddington#.V-qWLYgrK1s

PGL Liddington PGL Liddington is just minutes from the M4 near Swindon and yet it is set in beautiful, tranquil countryside. They have lakes, sports pitches, netball courts and a treetop study trail to name but a few attractions. All the centre’s facilities are conveniently located in a central area surrounded by the accommodation, and accommodation will be in en-suite chalet style lodges, sleeping up to six children. There are many adventure activities on offer at Liddington, including hiking, abseiling, quad biking and even watersports on one of the on-site lakes, as well as many more. These activities will be chosen by myself and Mrs Napier closer to the time of our visit.

Sample Itinerary 07.00 PGL staff and St. Augustines’s staff wake up the groups 07:30 – 9:00 We will be allocated a breakfast slot (English or Continental, cereal, toast and drinks) 09.15 – 12:30 Morning activities – usually two sessions with a 15 minute refreshment break 12.30 – 14:00 We will be allocated a lunch slot (two-course hot lunch) 14:15 - 17:30 Afternoon activities – a further two sessions with a 15 minute refreshment break 18:00 - 19.00 Dinner (three course hot dinner, a different menu every day) 19.00 – 21:00 Evening entertainment, with activities such as talent shows, campfires, Robot Wars and many more. These are led by PGL staff, but a St. Augustine’s staff member is always present. 21:00 – 21:30 Bedtime From 21.00 - 23.00 there will be PGL staff on active night duty. Through the night there will always be a senior PGL staff member on call as well as school staff and children will be shown which rooms the adults will be sleeping in. These are at the end of the children’s blocks.

St. Augustine’s Staff Miss Vickery Plus at least 3 other members of St. Augustine’s staff or school governors

PGL Staff Activity leaders Groupies Catering staff Management

Monday Children will come into school at the normal time through the main entrance so they can wheel/carry their bags through to the school hall for safe keeping. They MUST have their name clearly written on the PGL label they will be given before our trip Registration will take place in the classroom as normal and morning lessons will also be taking place The coach will depart at 12:30pm after the children have their school lunch or packed lunch as normal. Our journey should take 2 and a half hours (dependent on traffic). PGL are expecting us to arrive for check-in at 15:30pm We will spend the first afternoon taking a tour of the site, being shown to our rooms, settling in, having dinner and completing our first evening activity Parents will be kept up to date on arrival time by text message ONLY on the first day, however we will endeavour to put a message on DB Primary at the earliest opportunity

Friday We will be leaving PGL around 1:30pm after lunch We intend to be back just slightly later than the end of the normal school day (traffic permitting) about 4pm We will keep in contact with the school regarding up to date arrival times by sending you text message up-dates so please keep checking your phone and please make sure the school office has your current mobile phone number so you receive the text updates regarding our estimated arrival time

Kit List Luggage – please name it! Hand luggage, one bag per person Essential items OLD, CASUAL is essential Night clothes Several changes of underwear (including socks) Jumpers / fleeces / t shirts – long sleeved and short Old trousers – tracksuit bottoms are best (1 activity 1 evening) Shorts (if warm) 2 pairs of trainers 1 pair of smarter shoes for our final evening A smarter outfit for our final evening (age-appropriate) Waterproof coat and trousers(if you have one) A re-useable plastic drinks bottle. THIS IS ESSENTIAL! Sun tan lotion / after-sun – important Sun hat / cap Wash bag with soap, shampoo, a flannel, toothbrush and toothpaste (necessary items – other items may be included but NO AEROSOLS) Two towels Strong plastic bags (for dirty washing) Items not allowed Mobile phones (PGL staff will check this) Hand held games Personal CD player etc. Heelies Electrical hair appliances (although hairdryers are allowed) Aerosols (they tend to set off smoke alarms!). Roll on deoderants are best. No more than 1 bag of sweets to be brought. Children can always buy more from the PGL shop, but we had too many instances of over-indulgence last year!

Medicines PGL must be informed of medical information prior to departure If your child has regular medicine we will need to take it with us and you MUST fill out a medicine administration form (available from the school office). Children who need inhalers need one with them at all times. You must provide us with enough medicine for the duration of the holiday. It must be in date, named and the requirements for taking it completed on the school medication permission form available from the school office. It must have a printed doctor’s label on it. Please do not hand us medicine on the day of departure, unless it is unavoidable due to a new illness, as it has to be documented and organised which takes time that we will not have on the morning of departure Medicines include travel pills. If these are required to be taken prior to departure on the Monday, they will also need to be signed in using the school medicine permission form.

Medicine ~2 If there are any medicines which require special attention please notify the class teachers before the departure day. All school staff are EPI pen trained. We will be asking for your permission to give Calpol to your child should they require it when we are on the trip. We will therefore take a supply away with us. It is vital you give us this permission (unless there is a valid reason for you not to) as many slight illness niggles have been previously dealt with simply be taking Calpol. The permission slip will be sent home with your PGL letters/documents

First Aid All school staff have basic First Aid training Qualified First Aiders are always available at the centre. We are taking trained EPI pen staff. First aid kits are taken to activities. We, and PGL staff, control the risks to avoid any injuries / accidents.

Money Max £20 for the trip. This will be collected by school staff and given to children when their group have time to visit the PGL shop. Children need to be reminded to not spend all their money at once as they will want to buy drinks and possibly snacks on our last night during the disco. Individual money bags allocating an amount of money per day was used by one parent last year and was VERY effective There is a shop on site that the children will have the opportunity to visit once per day. They sell confectionary and small gifts. Children’s money needs to be in a clearly named purse or wallet. Any money handed to staff loose cannot be taken away with us. School staff will supervise the shop sessions to ensure there is not bulk buying of sweets!!!

Behaviour Exceptional behaviour is expected at all times and it is imperative in ensuring that we all have a happy and safe time. The expectations we have for the children’s behaviour and conduct will be made very clear to the children before we leave. Please remind your children of how we and the staff expect them to behave. We and the PGL staff will remove children from activities if their behaviour is putting others at risk. Serious incidents of misbehaviour may warrant contacting parents to arrange for their child to be collected from the premises and withdrawn from the trip.

Safety Safety is the centre’s priority. Instructors are trained to high levels. Learning Outside the Classroom Quality indicator awarded Staff available all of the time, including school staff The site is very safe and secure. There is always a member of PGL staff on call over night

Communication Children are not allowed to bring mobile phones It is school and the centre’s policy not to allow children to phone home during their time away – unless it is their birthday. If it will be your child’s birthday during the time we are away, please let me know. School staff will be in contact with the school everyday – Parents will be able to log into DB Primary for information up-dates and photos of events. These will be put on regularly, but we cannot guarantee it will a everyday or at a certain time due to activities and Internet connection Parents will be informed of arrival and departure times by text message In the event of an emergency during school hours, parents will be contacted by the school office. Parents will be contacted directly by staff at PGL or a member of St. Augustine’s staff in the event of an emergency during the evening when school is closed

Food All dietary requirements need to be identified before we go, otherwise they will not be catered for. Sample menu could include: Breakfast – choice of cereals and hot breakfast items Lunch – jacket potatoes with choice of fillings and salad bar Dinner – pasta bolognaise/fish cake/cheese onion and potato pie with chips and peas followed by ice cream sponge roll

Fussy eaters? PGL know some of your children may be particular about what they eat. Don’t worry though, whether it’s because of special dietary needs or simply someone who’s really particular, they will always find something to suit any special requests we may have. And if children are still hungry, PGL can offer alternatives and extra food.

Our activities might include: Abseiling Archery Cat Walk Climbing Giant Swing Hike Initiative Exercises Jacob's Ladder Low Ropes Mysterious Matrix Nature Trail Orienteering Quad Biking Trapeze Tunnel Trail Zip Wire

Cost The cost of this trip is £405 per child This includes coach travel, accommodation for 5 days, food (three meals a day) and all activities This has been calculated on all 30 children in Year 6 attending. The suggested payment plan: 10/10/16 £75 DEPOSIT 14/11/16 £55 1st INSTALLMENT 12/12/16 £55 2nd INSTALLMENT 16/01/17 £55 3rd INSTALLMENT 20/02/17 £55 4th INSTALLMENT 13/03/17 £55 5th INSTALLMENT 18/04/17 £55 6th INSTALLMENT Please note that the full amount must be paid by 18/04/17 or your child runs the risk of being withdrawn from the trip.

Cost Parents will need to make all payments via the ‘School Gateway’. All instalments will be up-loaded onto the system giving families the opportunity to pay in a secure way when they can. The system also allows families to monitor their payments. If families have any concerns about paying via the ‘School Gateway’ then please talk to a member of the school office.

Thank you for coming If you have any further questions or would like to speak to me personally, please come and have a chat now.