Dear Parent/Carer,
2-Day Residential Trip to Belgium: Thursday 17th July – Friday 18th July 2025
The History Department is delighted to invite your child to partake in the Academy residential trip to Ypres, Belgium, from Thursday 17th July to Friday 18th July 2025. This residential trip will support your child’s learning in Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 History, allowing students to engage with commemoration and build aspirations for further learning. The objectives of this trip are to:
- Enhance understanding of historical significance as Ypres is a vital site for understanding the history and impact of World War One.
- Allow students to further their skills of explanation, analysis and evaluation through remembrance, reflection, and cultural exposure.
Students will stay at The Salient 1 Hostel located in Ypres (includes breakfast and an evening meal at the hostel). Lunch will be an interactive experience with the group buying their food at local markets. During their stay, students will have the chance to engage in a variety of activities including:
- Menin Gate Memorial: Attend the nightly Last Post ceremony and explore the poignant memorial honouring soldiers missing from WWI.
- Passchendaele Museum: Learn about the Battle of Passchendaele with immersive exhibits and reconstructed trenches.
- Tyne Cot Cemetery: Visit the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the world, paying tribute to the fallen soldiers with its serene landscape.
- German War Cemetery Langemark: Reflect on the history of the war at this sombre site dedicated to German soldiers.
- Chocolate shopping in Ypres: Enjoy some light relief with a visit to a well-known chocolate shop. No visit to Belgium would be complete without some souvenir chocolate!
Students will stay in multi-bed, single-sex rooms at the Salient 1 Hostel in Ypres. We will be travelling by coach, from the Leigh Academy Halley, to Dover to board the ferry to Calais, France. The coach will travel to Ypres, Belgium and remain with the trip throughout the course of the two days. All students require a valid passport with at least 3 months left before expiry, a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), and a permanent leave to remain card, if applicable.
The total price of this trip is £224 and will be divided into 4 instalments, including a non-refundable deposit of £100. This price does not include money for snacks and souvenirs. Each instalment, at each stage, is non-refundable. This price is inclusive of travel insurance.
The cost of the trip includes accommodation on a full board basis, activities, and transportation. Payments can be made via ParentPay. An initial deposit of £100 must be paid by Friday 6th December. The dates and sum required for each subsequent instalment are as follows:
- January 31st 2025 – £56 (non-refundable deposit)
- February 28th 2025 – £56 (non-refundable)
- March 31st 2025 – £56 (non-refundable)
- April 30th 2025 – £56 (non-refundable)
This trip will take place during term time and your child’s place will be dependent on the following criteria being met:
- Attendance must exceed 95%. Periods of illness caused by COVID-19 or other medical needs may be taken into account.
- Students must be on target in the majority of subjects and if this is not the case they must be engaged with relevant interventions/homework to move towards their targets. Students not reaching their target grade may attend the trip if staff acknowledge that the student is working hard in all their lessons.
- Students must have a good behaviour record with minimal behaviour points and no severe sanctions such as referrals to The Compass or suspensions. An accumulation of sanctions such as Academy Leadership Team Loss of Personal Times will also result in students not allowed to attend the trip.
The Academy reserves the right to withdraw your child’s place on this trip if your child’s behaviour is persistently in breach of our behaviour expectations. The final decision on attendance will be made by the Principal, Mr Russell.
If you would like your child to attend this trip, please register your interest on this Google Form. Following this, you will need to pay a non-refundable deposit of £100 by Friday 6th December on Parent Pay to secure your child’s place.
Yours faithfully,
Steven Boot | Coordinator of Learning, History