Students from West Exe School, St James School, Isca, Queen Elizabeth’s and Sidmouth College, all part of the Ted Wragg Trust, took part in the annual Ten Tors Challenge this weekend. The event takes place during National Walking Month, a time to promote the benefits of walking for physical health, mental well-being, and enjoying the fresh air outdoors. 

The Ted Wragg Trust has a special link to the Ten Tors as the Trust Lead for Safeguarding and Attendance, Aimee Mitchell sits on the Ten Tors Committee. She also acts as an Assistant Commandant for the Devon Army Cadet Force, and as such represents both the cadets and education on the Policy Committee.  Aimee offered her unique perspective on the challenge by writing a piece for this year’s Ten Tors brochure which explained why Ten Tors is important as part of the personal development offer for schools.

The Ten Tors Challenge is attempted by 2,400 teenagers in 400 teams of six. The teams navigate routes of 35, 45 or 55 miles (depending on age) over the Northern half of Dartmoor, visiting ten nominated tors/check points in under two days. Teams must be self-sufficient, carrying all that they need to complete their route and stay out overnight safely.

Ten Tors stands alone in its scale, its ambition and the fact that it is aimed solely at young people. Training for the event is the responsibility of the participants’ establishments and often starts months in advance. Completing Ten Tors is not easy with the terrain, distances and often the climate all conspiring against success. With the right commitment, training, endurance and grit, it is achievable! 

The Sidmouth College Ten Tors teams started training at the start of September 2023. Since then they have all put in an incredible amount of effort both in school and on the moor throughout the tough winter months to prepare mentally and physically for the challenge. Across twelve weekends students trained together for the event, working on physical fitness, mental resilience and honing the skills required to be successful including navigation, route planning, map reading and wild camping.

The Isca team even managed to snap some brilliant photos of the Northern Lights which were on display over the weekend whilst camping!

The teams ended the weekend tired but elated with their achievement. Students commented that Ten Tors was an amazing challenge, pushing you mentally and physically to the max and that Ten Tors pushes you to your limit, but the reward of completing it is well worth it. 

Moira Marder, CEO of the Ted Wragg Trust said:

“Despite living in a rural county, many of our students reside in cities, so participating in Ten Tors is a brilliant way for them to get out on to the wilds of Dartmoor! 

“Ten Tors stands out amongst other outdoor challenges for its sheer scale, and young people who complete it will come out the other end with more grit and determination than they had before, which can only serve them well in all other areas of their life.

“We know that undertaking challenges like the Ten Tors, helps to boost students’ self-confidence and allows them to develop their leadership, problem solving skills, alongside furthering their teamwork capabilities. 

“At the Ted Wragg Trust we believe that education doesn’t just happen in the classroom.  We are so fortunate to have the Dartmoor National Park on our doorstep and encouraging young people to get out and enjoy and learn about the history and nature of the environment around them is exactly the sort of thing educators should be doing.”

West Exe School, part of our Trust, celebrated Shakespeare’s birthday this week.

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, in April 1564. The exact date of his birth is not recorded, but it is most often celebrated around the world on the 23rd of April. Shakespeare also died on 23 April; in 1616, when he was 52 years of age.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust states that: 

Shakespeare’s baptism is recorded in the Parish Register at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon on Wednesday 26 April 1564. Baptisms typically took place within three days of a new arrival, and parents were instructed by the Prayer Book to ensure that their children were baptised no later than the first Sunday after birth. This means that it’s unlikely that Shakespeare was born any earlier than the previous Sunday, 23 April. Given that three days would be a reasonable interval between birth and baptism, 23 April has therefore come to be celebrated as his birthday. 

To mark the day, Year 8 students at West Exe School explored some of the most memorable scenes from Shakespeare’s most famous plays. The school is also holding a creative writing script competition to discover any budding playwrights!

At West Exe they explicitly teach in depth social and literary contexts to ensure that students have the cultural capital to appreciate how the written word can be used to bring about social change and, more importantly, social justice. The English curriculum is deliberately academic and covers a broad range of contexts that are designed to inform students’ interpretation of texts and ideas, this allows students to explore perspectives outside of their own, to promotes a greater understanding and appreciation of difference and diversity.

 Julie Fossey, Headteacher at West Exe School said:

“It was great to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday this week, his plays remain such a core part of young people’s literary journey and I am excited to see the submissions for the creative writing competition.” 

Moira Marder, CEO of the Ted Wragg Trust said:

“I was delighted to hear that West Exe School marked Shakespeare’s birthday in appropriate dramatic fashion by exploring some of his most memorable scenes.  Learning more about the author is such a helpful way of bringing texts to life for students and helps everything they learn to really stick with them.”

Mrs Moretta, the headteacher at Whipton Barton Federation, part of our Trust was pleased to attend the ‘Proud to Be’ community event held at The Beacon Centre, along with Mrs Williams the assistant headteacher.

The staff were in attendance on behalf of four pupils from the school who were winners in the postcard competition. The children's entries celebrated the places in their local community that they are proud of.

Evie in Year 3 drew lots of aspects of the school; Logan in Year 3 drew his house, park, and church; Kiarna in Year 1 drew her special people and Laurence in Year 1 drew his house, the shops and his special tree. Each winner was presented with a book voucher, bookmarks, and chocolate!

Those attending the event were also treated to the premier of the new community film and song. The film was about people living and working in the community talking about the parts which are important to them such as the community centre, church, and pub.

 Louise Moretta. Executive Headteacher at Whipton Barton Federation said:

“I am delighted that four of our pupils were winners in the postcard competition. It was lovely to see their submissions and all the places they value in the community. The whole school is looking forward to continuing to build new connections with the community members that were part of the project.”

Moira Marder, CEO of the Ted Wragg Trust said:

“Everyone at the trust wants to offer their congratulations to the four superstar Whipton Barton pupils who took part in the postcard competition. Being part of, and supporting, the local community is a key part of the Ted Wragg ethos and it’s brilliant to see this being exemplified so well at the Whipton Barton Federation.”