Ilfracombe Academy students return from life-changing African adventure

Students from The Ilfracombe Academy have returned from an unforgettable summer in Africa, where they immersed themselves in local cultures, helped build school foundations, and went on wildlife safaris

Students from The Ilfracombe Academy are settling back into life at school after their travels took them on an adventure to Africa this summer.

A group spent time exploring Kenya, where they visited a local school and met students.

They helped to make bricks and lay the foundations for a new class building while they were there. On another day, the students had the opportunity to work alongside park rangers. This involved spotting and collecting information on all the animals across their vast 8,000 acre reserve.

They also got to go on safari and saw some spectacular animals in their natural habitat. The safari finished with the students seeing four lions sleeping next to a zebra they had recently hunted. On the way back they visited a Masai tribe who showed them the Masai tribal dance before giving them a tour of their village.

Headteacher Steve Roger said: “At The Ilfracombe Academy we are absolutely committed to enrichment. We want our students to develop and better themselves in every part of life, academically and outside the classroom.

“This trip was a once in a lifetime experience and I have no doubt it will have helped to shape our students into well rounded individuals and aided them in acquiring new skills.

“Not only is this increasingly important for a students’ next steps and employability but even more importantly we know that having experiences like this helps students foster a sense of interest, curiosity and enjoyment about the wider world.”

Over in Eswatini, the group took part in a In Community By Community project that helped to fence in a church and pre-school to make them safe from cows and they also played games with the children during their lunchtime.

During their final few days on the Eswatini trip, students got to do a sunset and sunrise game drive around Skukuza.

They saw lions and lion cubs, zebras, giraffes, hippos, buffalo and elephants. At one point they had to make a slight detour as an elephant had brought a tree down to eat.

In Tanzania, a group of students trekked up Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s largest mountain and the world’s largest free standing mountain sitting at a height of 5,895m.

They began their time at a base camp with a village orientation. This gave them the opportunity to immerse themselves in the local culture as well as trek at altitude.

On the last day at this camp they were invited into a local family’s home and shown how to prepare and cook a traditional dish on open fire. This was banana based and while the food was cooking the students planted some more banana trees. Before leaving they were treated to some cultural songs and dancing.

The visiting students and staff did their best to show some of their songs and dances – including The Macarena!

The school, which is part of Athena Learning Trust, organised the expeditions with Camps International, which helps schools arrange ethical journeys with impact. As a global social enterprise, it connects pupils with the real world and real people. It hopes these trips create a lasting positive influence – on students and the planet.