What is Kip~on~a~Ship?
Our Year 5 residential trip takes them to London, where they spend one night on HMS Belfast, which is docked on the River Thames. The children sleep in a real sailor’s bunk, complete with lockers and showers, and the original mess decks provide a fantastic setting for the children to experience a day and a night in the life of a sailor. Our pupils have exclusive use of the boat for the night and use the dormitories that the sailors used to sleep in (one deck for the boys and one for the girls). The children sleep in the original three-tier bunks, as used by the Royal Navy in the 1950’s.
During the residential, the children walk along the South bank, taking in the sights, such as Shakespeare's Globe theatre, the Tate Modern, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Millenium Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. They then get a fantastic aerial view of the London landmarks during a 'flight' on the London Eye. They visit the London Eye 4-D cinematic experience, before crossing the River Thames to visit the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. Children have a guided education tour of the gallery, and take this opportunity to see the gallery's chosen 'Take One Picture' painting. Finally, they eat a delicious dinner in Pizza Express, before heading back to their bunks.
A member of staff from the ship is on duty as ‘Night Concierge’ during our overnight stay on board. After a refreshing 12-hour sleep (!), the children eat a buffet style breakfast of toast, cereal, muffins and juice or milk in the ship’s ‘Walrus Café’. Following breakfast, our party has an interesting, informative and interactive education session and tour of the ship.