Portsmouth primary pupils experience sailing adventure thanks to maritime charity residential experience

A crew of 43 pupils from Beacon View Primary Academy experienced a fully-funded five day residential at a sailing academy on the Isle of Wight.

The United Kingdom Sailing Academy (UKSA) is a maritime charity which offers water-based experiences and education, delivering sailing residentials designed to build confidence and encourage teamwork to schools across the country.

In the lead up to the trip, staff at the academy worked closely with UKSA to put together a bespoke course for pupils, focused on developing invaluable ‘Skills for Life’ which can be transferred beyond sailing.

Pupils also took part in essential pre-course engagement lessons, which involved learning about knot typing, how a sail works, and how to be safe in the water.

During the residential, pupils threw themselves into activities such as three-mile kayak trips, as well as working towards their Royal Yachting Association Level 1 qualification.

This involved learning skills such as boat handling, wind awareness and sailing techniques.

Pupils also enjoyed a variety of fun and educational activities each evening, including team games, marine careers talks, and boat building.

Hunnie, a Year 5 pupil at Beacon View Primary Academy, said: ‘My favourite activities were kayaking and swimming. I’d never done kayaking before and, even though it was cold, it was very fun.

‘I’ve also learnt about knot tying on boats and where to put the sail when the wind is coming from different directions.’

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Fellow Year 5 pupil Lexi added: ‘I learnt about communication because when we were in the kayaks it was really difficult to make it work well.

‘Then we started talking to each other better and we started moving really quickly.’

Sally Hodgson, school principal, said: ‘It’s been wonderful to see pupils so thoroughly enjoy this residential, generously funded by UKSA.

‘Providing our pupils with the opportunity to get outside and enjoy physical, team-based activities is incredibly important for their development.

‘Thank you to both our staff and instructors at UKSA for working to ensure that pupils got the absolute most out of this opportunity and developed important skills that will benefit their learning in the classroom.’