PGL
Outward Bound Activity Weekend

Magdalen Court School Letters relating to PGL Outward Bound Activity Weekend

We have been using PGL for almost a decade now. Every year the pupils enthuse about their experience and plead to go again. This is down to the staff that run PGL centres, you simply cannot do anything, but enjoy yourself & every waking moment is organised into constructive activity.

 Every year I’m asked as the group leader, to fill in a detailed appraisal form for our stay & each year I fill it in with the assistance of our students, (it’s their experience that counts, not my interpretation of it!). Last year, like the years before, the students instructed me to record a tick for excellent for every activity, meal & member of staff, I can’t say any more.

 PGL

It’s an outdoor pursuits centre: abseiling, canoeing, surfing, hire ropes, quad bikes, the list goes on & on. You can’t be sure exactly which activities the pupils will do, but they are all impeccably run. I’d organised such courses while teaching in the state sector for many years & outdoor pursuits centres meant: hardship, cold rooms, dirty surroundings, but loads of fun. PGL goes for another slant, you’d be quite happy to stay there for B&B, it’s lovely & warm, clean, carpted, staff everywhere, activities floor to ceiling & the PGL touch is the ‘Groupie’ a sort of team leader who acts a bit like a big brother/sister: takes the pupils to each meal, ensures they meet at the right place for each activity & acts as a catalyst in their free time to ensure it is used constructively.

Why should your child go?:

There are many social benefits that come from participating in a residential course. For many children this will be their first experience of living away from home and their first opportunity to participate in activities as part of a team. These courses offer a sense of achievement and opportunity to succeed in a non-competitive situation. This helps build, self-confidence and an awareness of personal strengths and abilities, which often remain hidden in the classroom.

I see individuals leave MCS on Friday & a team returning on Monday, who work together & who are now aware of their own strengths & weaknesses. It is my ambition to see the whole class set out on this adventure & not leave any of their classmates back at school.