A Capital School Trip

Mrs Katherine Griffin – Head of Lower Fourth

It was a promising start for the L4th annual visit to London when we realised that we had been upgraded to a luxury bus. This made it easier to accept that it was a 5.45 am departure! We cruised through the dawn towards Milton Keynes for our first stop: Bletchley Park.

Bletchley is the home of the code breakers – heroes of the Second World War who remained unsung for so long. Pupils saw Alan Turing’s desk (and even his tin mug) and marvelled at a place that was once staffed by 9000 people who worked 24/7 to crack the code that won the war. They received a classroom lesson on code breaking and a tour of the Park. Our pupils were tired at this point, but listened beautifully and asked really intelligent questions. I was so proud of them; not just their behaviour but their passionate interest in everything around them.

It was then back on the bus to head to our main destination; London. We made good time, booked in at the hotel and then headed out to walk across the city to Picadilly. After being fortified by the Pizza Hut All You Can Eat Buffet (and some pupils took that challenge very seriously!) we headed across the West End to the Royal Court Theatre. We passed all the theatres, marvelling at all the shows on offer and even walked through Leicester Square where the reporters were setting up for the arrival of Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie for the Wuthering Heights premier. But we were focused on our goal: Hercules!

Now I know that Bede’s News is always positive, but our arrival at the theatre was not without difficulty. We were directed by staff to the side of the theatre where we were asked to line up by a side door- this we did and the pupils’ bags were checked by security. Several huge school groups were then allowed to go past us and we were told to walk back to the front of the theatre. Ever the obedient Bedians, we complied with this request only to be told on reaching the front door that we had to go back to the side door. At this point Mr Power (already covered in glory from his amazing talk at Bletchley) stepped forward and informed the smartly dressed doorman that we were not moving again and that we were going through the front door.

This meant that we were swept up a red carpeted staircase that looked like it belonged in Buckingham Palace, one of the most glamorous entrances in the West End. The show was worth all the difficulty and more – it was amazing – full of jokes, fabulous songs, incredible puppetry and special effects. Pupils were gripped by the whole experience and it was lovely to see their faces light up at every song.

There were some tired faces the next day at the breakfast buffet but it was a short walk round the corner to the wonders of the British Museum. Pupils saw the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Marbles. The Lewis Chessmen, and marvelled at the wealth of knowledge in front of us.

The final word has to go to the pupils themselves – unfailingly positive and polite, always appreciative of what was offered to them – they were a delight from beginning to end.