Dear Parents/Guardians

I hope your child is looking forward to another exciting year at the College with several enriching educational visits planned for students in all year groups. Each year group will have a minimum of three trips planned for them that will enrich their learning in the curriculum as well as provide memorable experiences during their time at St Joseph’s College. Trip packages also provide parents with an upfront detail of the costings involved. We believe this provides transparency and enough notice for parents to understand the costs involved for trips across the academic year. Trips will be billed in your half term extras invoice, and you will receive one per term. Please see below for brief summaries of the educational visits planned for your child. Information regarding departure and arrival times or specific equipment needed will be communicated closer to the date of the trip. These trips are a compulsory aspect to the educational provision we provide at the College, and we are confident that they will provide an enriching experience for all our students.

Calshot

As part of the Year 6 curriculum the children take part in a 5-day Residential visit so that they can participate in field studies and adventurous outdoor pursuits in a safe environment. We are delighted to have secured places at Calshot Activities Centre for the week of Monday 16 to Friday 20 September 2024.

Venue: Calshot Rd, Calshot, Southampton SO45 1BR
Date(s): Monday 15 – Friday 19 September 2025
Method of travel: Coach
Dress: Casual

Baylab

In this workshop, students reinforce their science curriculum and will learn more about DNA, what it is and where it is found, and how the structure makes each person unique, exploring mutations and their effects on displayed characteristics. It links to the real world in many ways, such as studying the genetic causes of disease, development of diagnostics and drugs, and also in forensic science and sequencing genomes. Students will extract their own DNA from their cheek cells and walk away with a small piece of in a necklace.

Venue: Bayer Public Limited Company, 400 South Oak Way, Green Park, Reading, RG2 6AD
Date(s): TBC (Spring Term)
Method of travel: Minibus
Dress: School Uniform

REME Museum

Year 5 will join Year 6 as they explore the River Thames. They will walk to the river from the Trust centre through meadows exploring the flora and fauna, discussing the different habitats of the river with the Trust staff. After lunch they will climb the hill and look down onto the valley and see how the river has shaped the landscape.

Venue: REME Museum, Calne Rd, Lyneham, Chippenham SN15 4XX
Date(s): Tuesday 30 June 2026
Method of travel: Coach
Dress: School Uniform

Total Cost of Year 6 Trip Package: £663

Please note that for any educational visits that require any personal data to be provided to third party companies (such as tour companies, Airline companies), the College will ensure that the necessary checks are made to conform with the GDPR prior to any data being disseminated.

Invoicing

The cost of your trip package will be split into three equal instalments as follows:

October Half Term Extras: £221

February Half Term Extras Invoice: £221

May Half Term Extras Invoice: £221

Please do not hesitate to contact me, should you have any questions about your child’s trip package.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Mathew Jones
Assistant Head (Enrichment & Extension)