School Story: Adapt and Thrive

Duke of Edinburgh:
Residential
adventures:
Ben also runs 14 DofE expeditions
each year, taking small groups of
four or five so that he can adapt
the requirements to suit each child.
Training begins with pitching a
tent at school and getting used to
rucksacks and walking boots, then
progresses to local campsites before
the final expedition on the North
Yorkshire Moors.
“The new criteria from DofE have
been great,” says Ben. “They mean
we can use hostels and field centres
instead of tents. The children still
have to make the beds, cook their
supper and clear up, so it’s still a
challenge, it’s just more accessible
for them.”
Southgate School tries to offer every
child a residential trip that works for
them. Children who can’t manage
being in a group can do a ‘buddy
camp’, where two staff members and
one child stay in shepherd’s huts
overnight. Ben also takes groups
to the Calvert Trust in the Lake
District for longer residentials, where
multiple additional needs can be
catered for. If a student has complex
medical needs that might otherwise
be a barrier, parents and carers are
invited on the residentials to make
sure every child can go.
Ben knows that it’s these adventures
that make Southgate School special.
“For some of our students, a week’s
residential will mean more to them
than a whole year at school,” he says.
“It’s what they remember most.”
Ben's top tips:
Plan a long way ahead
– campsites and hostels
get booked up.
Check the DofE
requirements – they’re
more flexible than
you think.
For each visit team, take
the staff members who
know the children best.
Build long-term
relationships with
local providers – it’s
rewarding and can
cut costs.
Encourage fundraising
– our students do a lot
of sponsored events.
Apply for grants – we
used one to buy a £6k
all-terrain trike.
Did you know?
In 2007, Southgate School became the first special needs school to walk
the Hadrian’s Wall National Trail – and they did it again in 2012 and 2019.

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