New secondary school residential programme for autumn 2022 to meet demand post pandemic

Published 29/05/2022

UKSA has announced a new ‘Autumn Outings’ secondary school residential programme in response to increased demand for experiences in the maritime industry and outdoor learning, following the pandemic.

UKSA has announced a new ‘Autumn Outings’ secondary school residential programme in response to increased demand for experiences in the maritime industry and outdoor learning, following the pandemic.

Offered from the month of September, the bespoke programme has been created in response to observations that during the winter months, young people are less likely to engage in beneficial activity programmes and, as a result, can become insular.

Ben Willows, CEO of Isle of Wight based UKSA said: “We’ve taken our hugely popular existing residential programme and adapted it to cater specifically for older children and the time of year. It ensures that the activities still focus on maritime but include more shoreside and indoor activities.

“The programme will provide impact in terms of encouraging resilience and teamwork, along with problem solving, which will benefit the students when they return to the classroom environment and in their own communities and social groups.

“Crucially, the course will be discounted to enable schools and parents which cannot afford the peak season, to ensure everyone has the opportunity to experience the programme and what better way to start the new autumn term than to have a residential trip to look forward to.”

Depending on the length of the residential visit, the Autumn Outings programme will see UKSA’s expert instructors teach students the techniques required for survival at sea and ashore, keel and deck work such as learning knots, lashings, rigging and boat controls as well as how to use radio and communications techniques such as Mayday calls.

The students will also learn basic plotting with navigation charts and maps, team building exercises as well as take part in a beach clean or maritime walk in Cowes.

It’s not all learning, with children getting the opportunity to try their hand at climbing, archery, canoeing and volleyball as well as den building, water polo, movie nights and crabbing.

Students will also be given an introduction to UKSA’s Sea.Change Foundation Programme which is specifically for 14-17 year olds and gives teenagers the opportunity to learn about training and careers in the maritime sector through a five-day residential trip in the school holidays with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds also offered the opportunity to build crucial life skills and make new friends through the programme.

UKSA offers the opportunity to adapt the programme to meet the individual needs of each school where required and has the potential for funding options to help young people who otherwise could not afford to access these life-changing experiences.