Following a few years without residential trips due to Covid, 96 LEH and Hampton School Sixth Form students were bubbling with excitement as we embarked on the Leadership weekend. We were thrown straight into team building activities with our randomly assigned groups and began getting to know our teammates. Before we knew it, we were dropped in the New Forest with nothing but a map and a compass in hand, tasked with finding Avon Tyrell, which would be our place of residence for the coming days. This acted as a perfect bonding experience, as a number of groups got lost along the journey and had to work together to find their way back on track.

We tackled several challenges including blindfolded tent building, and eventually arrived at our base and settled into our rooms. Shortly after this, we were thrown into even more problem-solving tasks meaning we were already well assimilated to our groups by the time the night orienteering came around, which was a highlight of the Friday evening. This brought a competitive edge to the course, as each group searched the grounds for as many markers as possible.

After a bright and early wake-up on Saturday we once again got stuck into more challenges which tested our leadership skills. From situational response tasks to building obstacle courses out of miscellaneous items found around Avon Tyrell, there was hardly a quiet moment on Saturday.

Our nerves of steel were tested that day, as we climbed to the top of the high ropes course and worked together in our teams to complete each section both safely and with more speed than the other groups! Along with tough physical challenges, the course provided some enlightening moments. This came in the form of a really open and honest Q&A session on leadership given by Mrs Hanbury and Mr Knibbs: the two headteachers of LEH and Hampton. Hearing about their own experiences of being tested in different management roles provided great context and real-world application to the skills and approaches we had been learning about so far.

On the final morning, the tension was already building as talk of the annual Avon Tyrell relay race began to spread across the breakfast hall. After varying amounts of practice of each discipline, all 12 groups gathered ready to participate in the three events: space hopper, group plank walk and the tyre race. This really felt like the peak of the weekend as you could see every member of each team cheering one another on and truly proved the strength of a united team. We came away from the race with hoarse voices, a new course record and incredibly strong team spirit.

After many moments on the trip, we were encouraged to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the approaches we took which emphasized the significance of what we were learning. Most importantly, we could see the confidence of so many people grow greatly over the weekend. More quiet members of the team came out of their shells and made their ideas heard. This was coupled with making so many new, strong friendships on the trip which may not have occurred otherwise.

On the coach ride back to Hampton, we all reminisced through giggles and laughs about different moments we had shared over the weekend, and all agreed that it was such a great time while also being incredibly beneficial. A huge thanks goes out to the members of staff who organised the trip and came along, putting up with 96 excited teenagers on the Bank Holiday weekend! We have learned so much about leadership and also, arguably more importantly, being a valuable member of a team, which we can apply to our newly found positions of responsibility in school and hopefully in the future beyond our time at school.

By the Head Girl Team: Olivia, Amelia, Mia and Nilomi.