School Trips
School trips are another way we help students to apply their learning to real life.
We have recently sent refunds for all 2020 cancelled trips/events, either by cheque, in the post, or via ParentPay.
Please see instructions below on accessing a refund via ParentPay. If you click on the picture, it may enlarge to see instructions more clearly.
Refunds have been made for:
- Norway 2021
- Sept 2020 Outward Bound
- Spring 2020 Yorkshire Wildlife Park Trip
- 2020 Prom
- 2019 Yearbook
- Spring 2020 Chesterfield Bowl Reward Trip
If you have any queries about the refunds, please email finance@davidnieper.academy
Or scroll down and have a look at some of our past educational trips and some of the amazing things our students have experienced…
Duke Of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh is an award our Year 9 and 10 students can attain. It is an award which will build your resilience, confidence and push you out of your comfort zone. This opportunity was something that I was offered when I was 14 and I wasn’t sure whether it was for me. But I am so glad I went to that first meeting and had a go at it. My favourite school memories involve my Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.
The award is separated into four sections: physical, volunteering, skill and expedition. The physical, volunteering and skill sections involve committing to an activity for a set amount of time. The physical section is where you develop a current sport or start playing a new sport. For example, for my award I learnt how to play wheelchair basketball. The volunteering section involves you giving up your time up to help the community. The skill section can involve learning something new or developing a current skill. For each of these there is a long list of suitable activities, so you can make the award your own and really fit it in with your existing hobbies.
My favourite section was the expedition; this is where you plan, train for and complete an expedition. This involves walking between campsites and cooking meals for you and your group. Me and my group still talk about when we stumbled across a farm on our second day where there were six kittens who were climbing all over our bags.
If you are unsure whether this award is for you, speak to me or Miss Brown and have a go, I am sure you won’t regret it!
Miss Acey
Outward Bound : Wales (September 2019)
Monday
We couldn’t have asked for a better welcome at Aberdovey, the staff were extremely helpful and made us feel right at home from our first meeting. After a tour around the site, our home for the next week, we met our knowledgeable and friendly instructors who would be with our groups for the whole week. Once we had settled in, we were doing our first activity ‘jog and dip.’ This involved running down to the estuary and forming a circle in our group; then we slowly retreated into the icy cold water whilst supporting one another both physically and mentally.
Tuesday
During the morning we were introduced to our new task as a group – the expedition! Throughout the morning we discovered what we needed to pack into our rucksacks for an overnight expedition. At first this caused some anxiety in the group as many were unsure how to pack their rucksack and worried about sleeping under the stars. As the morning progressed anxieties died down as bags were packed and plans were released about what the next two days would entail.
Before we set off, our group leaders thought it would be wise to try out a team building exercise – the night line. This involved students being blind-folded and having to navigate themselves around a track covered in obstacles. They needed to rely on their communication skills and trust had to be put in the person in front of you.
Wednesday
We had an early start on Wednesday morning to ensure that we reached our end destination by 4pm. Once we had de-camped we began the long, mountainous journey over the welsh hills; it was a bright and sunny day which kept spirits high. Throughout this journey the students developed their team building and navigational skills – it was amazing to see so many students getting involved in areas that they never thought they would be able to do. As well as skills, we spent a lot of time developing our knowledge of flora and fauna along with having a competition for the worlds worst joke!
6 hours later…..
Exhausted, hungry and sore we all limped into the minibus that was to take us back to Aberdovey. In the evening we enjoyed delicious food, more team building skills and a much-welcomed shower!
Thursday
Lots of tired faces appeared on Thursday morning after our over night expedition, however we were all still enthusiastic to tackle our next challenge: Gorge walking. Once we were all kitted up with wetsuits we made the journey to the gorge – the group took it in turns to carry all the kit and to lead the rest of the group up and through the gorge. This was physically challenging as we were submerged into water up to our waist and had to navigate across rocks, pebbles and waterfalls onto the next part of the gorge. Despite the challenge, everyone had a smiling face! Everyone successfully took it in turns to lead, carry and support the group through the gorge before we ended up at the top.
Later in the evening, whilst we were toasting marshmallows around the camp fire, we discussed the highs and lows of our trip. This was a great time for us all to reflect and nominate someone who has made our week away amazing.
Friday
Sadly, we had to leave Aberdovey. Once we had tided up all of our rooms, sorted out all of the kit and said goodbye to the amazing leaders who had made the week so memorable, we boarded the coach for the journey home back to Alfreton.
Miss Hill
Students have written about their experiences:
Archie Wood—My favourite moment was when we walked 4km up hill with a heavy bag on with all our clothes and sleeping equipment. This taught me to never give up because you will always reach the top. We made it to the cabin in the mountains and collected wood for the fire. We had our dinner later on. Three of us slept outside the cabin with our sleeping bags and tarpaulin, we watched the stars but woke up with drenched heads!
Rosie Foston—My most enjoyable moment was when we were at Jacob’s Ladder and we were in teams of three or four. One person was attached to the harness and there was a rope that went over the top of Jacob’s Ladder and that was attached to a person at the bottom on the other side. People were pulling the rope to stop anyone from falling if they slipped. I climbed it really quick and when at the top I saw all of the trees and I saw lots of mountains.
Residential trip to Eyam (May 2019)
Back in May, 40 students from the academy travelled to Eyam in Derbyshire for an action packed couple of days. Holly Humphries from Year 8 has written an account of the trip below;
‘With beautiful weather to start the day we arrived in Eyam around 10am. We had a trek up to the youth hostel and we placed our things in a room for the day and then the fun began.
First of all, we got split into two groups to start the activities. My group went to bush craft and the others went caving and abseiling.
We had a short walk up to a large woodland area that had a small campsite which we all sat around. Tom and his partner explained to us the importance of fire safety and then me and my group – Corey, Harrison, Tasarla and Jodie – started a fire. After a while we gathered round the main fire that was in the middle of the campsite, we were handed marshmallows. We held them over the fire for a bit, until they went soft and gooey.
Then we cleared up and set off for the swap over, our next activities being abseiling and caving.
I was the first to go down the cliff for abseiling and almost slipped. After regaining my balance, I continued and made it to the bottom. We had to wait for the others to resurface from the cave. Making our way deeper into the cave we reached an area where we were told to wait for a bit.
We learned a little geography of the caves and it was really cool and interesting. There was limestone all around us as the caves were formed when the area was under a mildly warm shallow sea.
Then it was time to head to our home for the night; I was absolutely shattered. I wanted to skip tea and go straight to bed, it felt like my bones had given up on me. We sat and ate some pasta before exploring the grounds of the hostel and played games before going to bed for a well-earned rest.
The next day started off with a lovely breakfast and packing all our things for the bus journey to Cromford canal. When we arrived, we split into two groups. One group started a hike up to Black Rock.
My group started kayaking and went down the canal to a point where we were allowed to jump in, so I did. It was fun at first but then I started to get cold. We ate lunch and did another swap over. Then we started the hike up Black Rock. The views were absolutely astonishing, we could see for miles and miles in all directions. After a short trek down to the bus we went and picked the others up and got to go home.’
Miss Perry
Geography Field Trip
On September 18th, Year 11 Geography students visited Nottingham as part of their urban geography fieldwork. Students were interested in how quality of life varied across the city.
In school, online research of the National Census Data meant that students created a hypothesis that quality of life improved with distance away from the city centre. However, students were able to find out if this was the case by collecting primary data. As such, students interviewed members of the public and conducted environmental quality surveys in The Meadows and West Bridgford.
Learning Trip to HSBC Birmingham
On 11th October our current Year 12 Finance students were very fortunate to get the opportunity to spend the day in the brand-new HSBC building in Birmingham. The event was hosted by the London Institute of Banking & Finance with the aim of exploring possible careers in the banking and finance sector.
The day began with an early train journey to Birmingham from Derby and then a brisk walk to the new offices of HSBC. Once there the students were amazed with the facilities especially the free breakfast that was provided. After several croissants we were then introduced to two leading directors who talked about their career in banking and how they got started.
Later in the day the students had the opportunity to do some networking with current HSBC employees at different stages of their careers. The students found this extremely useful as they were given advice on what they can do after finishing their Post 16 studies.
Overall, the students had a fantastic day out in Birmingham with many of them now considering the possibility of working in a bank or the financial sector.
Duke of Edinburgh
On the 29th and 30th of September we took part in our practice expedition and on the 6th and 7th of October we completed our qualifying expedition. We are happy to say that…
Katie Caudwell – Tegan Culverhouse – Joshua Green Matthew Kirk – Charlie May-Reeve – Lewis Ruddle
have all passed their Bronze DofE expedition.
To pass our bronze expedition we had to engage in two lots of 3 months and one lot of 6 month of activity, physical and skill activities of our choice outside of school leading up to the expedition. We also had to complete our 2 day and 1-night expedition. During the practice expedition, we experienced different ups and down both mentally and physically! We started out with 8 team members and dropped down to 6. Unfortunately, two students had to drop out due to illness.
During the qualifying expedition, we had a smooth run. We learnt about cutting down unnecessary weight which made the walk easier. Six of us started the expedition and all six of us finished.
By Katie Caudwell, Tegan Culverhouse, Joshua Green, Matthew Kirk, Charlie May-Reeve and Lewis Ruddle
Art Textiles Visit
As part of the Year 10 Art Textiles course, students recently visited the manufacturing, marketing and printing factories at David Nieper to enrich their understanding of the business and the impact of textiles on an industrial level.
The variety of techniques, skills and machinery demonstrated and on display gave students a real insight into the amount of separate processes that go into making a single garment or catalogue.
The printing production was really interesting and the tour of the factory allowed the students to see first-hand a product from creation, through printing, folding, quality assurance, binding and packing, before being posted direct to customers in the UK and abroad.
The staff at David Nieper really showcased their roles and talked to students about their route into the industry. Whether it be straight from school, through an apprenticeship or through University. The different jobs that facilitate the dynamic business allowed students to see the variety of skills and knowledge needed to ensure success at all levels.
We would like to thank all of the staff who organised and supported us on the day. We will be back!
Mrs Thorpe – Head of Technology
Alfreton Indoor Market
A group of students from Years 7, 9 and 10 have taken part in weekly Enterprise co-curricular sessions, crafting and making items which they went on to sell at the Alfreton Indoor Market on Friday 21st December.
It was a wonderful visit which the students enjoyed; the experience provided them with a stimulating and challenging insight into the world of work and enterprise, together with giving them a real opportunity to apply Maths to everyday situations. The students were in 4 teams and each team sold a variety of products including home-made stress balls, bath bombs, Christmas decorations and decorative mugs.
