One of the things I like about working in the outdoors is the fact that I get to meet so many new people, and often get to visit new places. Today I got both, as I spent the day at Concord College for the first time. Like almost all schools that have A level provision, Concord College has an annual influx of students into their 6th Form and it can take a little while for the new mix of characters to gell properly. To help this process along, the staff have put on a day of activities to encourage interaction and fun.

Concord College have recently had a high ropes course built on the school grounds so, quite naturally, this formed the central hub of the day’s activities. However, they also have a climbing wall on site, which is where I found myself spending the day. Having four groups of 8-9 students rotating round with about an hour and 20 minutes on each activity sounds quite laid back, but it was actually quite a busy day.

Each group started off with a quick chat about basic technique and safety before warming up on the bouldering wall in pairs. It was interesting to see the different approaches to the wall, with some clearly trying to experiment with holds and body position while others almost expected to be able to ‘walk’ across the holds. However, a few quick pointers normally got people thinking a little more creatively about how to move on the wall.

Once harnesses where fitted and belaying demonstrations completed, it was time to head further up the wall rather than across it. This actually proved rather difficult as the routes that have been set are far from straight forward. A large proportion of the students didn’t manage to get more than 5 feet off the ground, which is disappointing, but certainly gave a greater sense of achievement for those that did manage to get to the top of the climbs.

Concord College is an international school with pupils from all over the world. In some of the groups I had today, 9 different countries were represented by the 9 members of the group. What impressed me most was how well they worked together, especially when you consider that many have been at the school for less than a week. I’m due to be back at Concorde College several times in the next fortnight and, on the back of today’s experience, I’m really looking forward to heading back on Wednesday.