The HMS Adventure is seeking crew. If you are a Year 6 teacher in the UK, we are inviting you and your pupils to apply to take part in the HMS Adventure.
What is the HMS Adventure?
From 6th-7th July, we are inviting 46 young people and their teachers from across the UK to join the crew of the HMS Adventure for a weekend of sea-faring themed adventures.
It is estimated that in the UK, one in five young people leave primary school with a reading age lower than expected. In fact, 5% of these 11 year old pupils do not have a reading age higher than that of a 7 year old.
We use adventure to provide an inspirational environment for young people to improve their independent reading and writing, and in turn their literacy skills. Participants will take part in a day of creative writing workshops before spending a memorable night on board the HMS Belfast, moored on the River Thames.
Express your interest:
If you would like to submit an application for your group, please click to submit below and select the HMS Adventure option:
It will take you five minutes to create a free account and complete the required information. The participating groups will be chosen on a basis of need and spirit of adventure.
Who is it for?
We have space for 46 year 6 pupils to attend with their teacher. To be eligible to join the HMS Adventure:
- schools must be based in the UK
- as access to the mess decks is by steep ladder only, the event is unfortunately not suitable for wheelchair users or anyone unable to ascend/descend a ladder unaided
- all teachers must have an enhanced DBS check
Due to sleeping arrangements on board the HMS Belfast:
- groups must be single sex
- groups must attend with a teacher of the same gender
This is non-negotiable. You can apply with two groups but there is no guarantee both will be invited to join the event. We have space for the following five groups:
Girls: x2 groups of ten pupils
Boys: x1 group of ten pupils
x2 groups of 8 pupils
Literacy is a key skill which leads to a better quality of life. In the UK, one in five young people leave primary school with a reading age lower than expected. We want to motivate these young people to start their own independent reading journey before they reach secondary school where the literacy gap often widens further. We will invite the participating teachers to identify the pupils they believe will benefit most.
Activity Overview:
Saturday 6th July
12.30pm - arrival to venue near London Bridge Station
1pm –5.45pm – interactive creative writing workshops, all on a sea-faring theme
5.45pm – walk as a group to the HMS Belfast
6pm – 10pm – evening activities, learning about life on board the ship
10.30pm lights out
Sunday 7th July
7.30am – wake-up
8am - breakfast and tidy up
9am – learning session about the men who lived onboard the HMS Belfast
10am – Goodbyes from the Foundation and participant’s short story project
10am onwards –participants are free to spend the day exploring the museum onboard the HMS Belfast with their teacher free of charge.
How much does it cost?
We will cover the cost of the event for each participant: food, accommodation and activities for both teachers and pupils.
For travel, each group will be able to apply for a travel bursary. This will be up to £700 for the groups of ten pupils, and £580 for the groups of eight pupils to cover both pupil and teacher travel. You will be responsible for booking and coordinating your own travel, which will be reimbursed with proof of purchase.
As participants will be attending from across the country and we understand some will have higher costs for travel than others. We recommend keeping the costs as low as possible. If you have a funding gap, we may be able to offer additional support depending where each group is coming from.
A note on safeguarding:
We take the safety of the young people we work with very seriously. A representative from the Foundation will be available at all times throughout the event. Once onboard the HMS Belfast, there will be staff members available at all times including a concierge who will be onboard overnight. Each teacher will be responsible for the participants they bring with them.
If you have any initial questions, please contact Georgina Brown, Foundation Manager, on georgina@wilbur-niso-smithfoundation.org