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Angus Ferguson Barge visits – Swain House Primary School

From September 2011 we have taken a group of 10 children every week for a morning visit to the barge. By the beginning of January every child in Year 3 (90 children) had spent a morning on the barge, working the locks, steering the barge and learning about canal life. We have now started with our Year 4 children and by July every child in Key Stage 2 will have enjoyed at least one visit.

This is a unique and thoroughly enjoyable experience for children as well as staff. The children are incredibly excited – the overall majority of our pupils have never visited a barge or even a canal before. Without the Angus Ferguson it is unlikely many of them would ever have such an experience.

The activity pack provided by Graham has been used in school as well as on the barge. The children are excited to learn about different boats and how the canals were used throughout history.

During our visits to the Angus Ferguson we have seen our children develop their team work skills and work more closely with children who they do not usually work with. For more children who cannot access more traditional learning methods this is a fantastic ‘hands on’ learning experience which they will keep with them forever. On every single visit at least one child has commented ‘this has been the best trip ever’ and they all want to know when they can come back again.

We cannot commend the Angus Ferguson team highly enough. Their enthusiasm and understanding with the children is fantastic. It is a wonderful opportunity for school staff to work with the children in a small group and the support from Mark, Kieran and Graham is invaluable.

Jayne Wilson – Learning Mentor

Lisa Townend – Parental Involvement Worker