Outdoor Pursuits

Shrewsbury is in an enviable position, on the banks of the Severn, within sight of the South Shropshire hills, and an easy drive from Snowdonia.  We aim to make the most of these opportunities, and in addition to all the Sports that pupils can participate in, we also offer:

Basic Year (4th Formers)
Basic Year consits of a number of adventurous pursuits that Fourth Form boys can take part in, such as Archery, Rock Climbing, Canoeing, Mountain Biking, Quad Biking, Mountain Boarding and Expeditioning.

Canoeing and Kayaking
Canoeing takes place on Wednesday afternoons for those not involved in sports.

Kayaking is a Fifth Form activity that takes place on Thursday afternoons, starting off in the boat house but heading out to more testing water as groups gain experience.

The Kayaking Club teaches students in all year groups on Monday afternoons.  Two club members gained qualifications to coach canoeing and kayaking in 2012: Coaching qualfications news.

Climbing (5th Formers)
Climbing is a Fifth Form activity option on Thursday afternoons.  Students are taught basic climbing and balaying techniques and by the end of the seven-week course they are routinely tackling climbs up to the 'Very Severe' level. The activity is run in conjunction with Drummond Outdoor.

Hillwalking
The Basic Year hillwalking programme for Fourth Form pupils aims to teach basic safety, mapreading and walking skills, using local Shropshire hills in the early stages, progressing to some of the Snowdonian outliers towards the end of the year.

The Rovers is an informal walking/climbing/expeditioning group for senior pupils.

Mountain Biking
A Thursday afternoon activity for Fifth and Sixth Formers - there are a number of great trails in Shropshire and neighbouring regions that we go on, and on Field Days we venture further into Wales.

There are often mountain biking trips to North Wales for pupils in other years, and our cottage in Snowdonia, Talargerwyn, is surrounded by miles of bike trails.

Outdoor Week (3rd Formers)
'Outdoor Week'  is in the latter part of Summer Term where the entire Third Form spend 3 days off site undertaking their Duke 'Qualifying Expedition' (if they wish to) and other outdoor education activities.

The other 3 days are based at school undertaking a varied programme including helping Shropshire Wildlife Trust with site work, an Activities Competition and a Leadership Day that focuses on teamwork, organisation and leadership skills.

Please see our Outdoor Week page for more information.

Riding
Riding is on offer to Fifth and Sixth Formers at Prescott Riding School. Students follow an eight-week course, in small groups for beginners or more experienced riders.

Sailing
The RYA Yachtmaster (shorebased) Award covers all the essentials for safe sailing in any conditions on an extended passage, and is taught on Thursday afternoons.

Scuba Diving - Sub Aqua Club
This is on offer as a Thursday afternoon activity, as well as a Wednesday evening BASC Club.  Please see our Scuba Diving page for more information.