KS3 Opportunities

Sorrento Culinary Adventure: Curriculum Enrichment Week with the DT Food Department

Each year, students from Years 7, 8, and 9 embark on a culinary and cultural journey to the stunning town of Sorrento, Italy, as part of Curriculum Enrichment Week. Organized by the Food department, this week-long trip offers students an unforgettable opportunity to immerse themselves in Italian cuisine, history, and culture.

The adventure begins with a boat ride to the breath-taking island of Capri, where students explore the vibrant streets and swim in the crystal-clear waters of Marina Grande. This marks the start of a week filled with unique culinary experiences, where students get hands-on learning about Italy’s rich food traditions.

One of the highlights of the trip is a visit to a local pasta-making factory. Here, students witness the age-old art of crafting pasta, learning about the history and techniques behind one of Italy’s most beloved staples. The excitement continues with a visit to a buffalo mozzarella farm, where the buffalos are played classical music and can get a massage on demand!

Students are also given the chance to make their own pizzas from scratch, topping their creations with local ingredients before cooking them in a traditional wood-fired oven. All under the supervision of an Italian chef! A trip to an ice cream factory provides the sweetest experience, where students learn how to make traditional Italian gelato.

Beyond the culinary experiences, the trip includes a visit to the ancient city of Pompeii. Buried under volcanic ash during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, Pompeii offers a rare glimpse into life in Roman times, frozen at the moment of disaster.

The journey continues with a tour of the picturesque Amalfi Coast, where students visit the stunning towns of Ravello and Positano, taking in the spectacular scenery, bathing in the Mediterranean and capturing beautiful photographs overlooking the Bay of Naples.

The Magic of Venice

In 2024, students from Key Stage 3 embarked on an exciting adventure to the enchanting city of Venice. This unique trip allowed students to explore the vibrant culture, history, and cuisine of Italy’s famous floating city, all while engaging in a range of hands-on learning experiences.

The journey began with a boat trip to the island of Murano, where students witnessed the ancient Venetian art of glassblowing.

Back on the mainland, students explored the heart of Venice, visiting iconic landmarks such as St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge. They wandered through the bustling piazzas, marvelling at Venice’s stunning architecture and rich history. While taking in these beautiful sights, students had the opportunity to shop for souvenirs, choosing from traditional Venetian masks, Murano glass, and other local treasures.

A day trip to the picturesque Prosecco Valley added another dimension to the experience, with students visiting a local cheese-making facility. Here, they took part in a hands-on session where they learned how to make artisanal cheese, followed by a delicious tasting session.

The culinary adventures didn’t stop there. Under the guidance of a professional chef, students learned how to make traditional Italian gnocchi from scratch.

When not busy with workshops and sightseeing, students had time to explore the labyrinth of Venice’s narrow streets, discovering hidden gems in local cafés, bakeries, and shops. From trying authentic Italian gelato to tasting traditional Venetian dishes, they fully immersed themselves in the rich culinary and cultural landscape.

Barcelona Adventure: Key Stage 3 Students Explore the Heart of Catalonia

In the week leading up to October half-term, Key Stage 3 students embark on an unforgettable trip to the vibrant city of Barcelona. Staying in a youth hostel in the heart of the city, students are immersed in the culture, history, and energy of this beautiful Catalonian capital, experiencing art, architecture, sports, and adventure.

The trip involves a visit to the awe-inspiring La Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudí’s architectural masterpiece. Students can marvel at the towering spires and intricate designs, gaining insight into its history and ongoing construction that has spanned more than a century.

A stroll down Las Ramblas, gives students the chance to experience Barcelona’s bustling central boulevard, while the vibrant and lively atmosphere of La Boquería food market, provides a sense sensation of smells of fresh produce, traditional Spanish delicacies, and local street food. El Corte Inglés, Spain’s famous department store, givens students another opportunity to spend their euros!

Diving deeper into the work of Antoni Gaudí, students visit Casa Milà and Casa Batlló, two of Gaudí’s most iconic buildings, before arriving at Parc Güell where, as well as marvelling at vibrant mosaics, whimsical structures, and lush greenery, they are also treated to stunning panoramic views over Barcelona.

Sports enthusiasts are thrilled to follow in the footsteps of football legends Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Gerard Piqué with a guided tour of FC Barça’s famous Nou Camp stadium. Students explore the pitch, locker rooms, and museum, experiencing the excitement and history of one of the world’s most famous football clubs.

The adventure doesn’t stop there! The trip concludes with an adrenaline-packed day at PortAventura, Spain’s largest theme park. With thrilling roller coasters and attractions, it is an experience not for the faint-hearted!

Finally, students end the week taking a well-deserved break, relaxing at one of Barcelona’s beautiful beaches and reflecting on an unforgettable week

Exciting Parisian Adventure

In the Spring term, the MFL Department organise a Year 8 trip to Paris, giving students the opportunity to experience French life and culture and practise their French speaking skills too!

Students stay at the majestic PGL Chateau, their home away from home for the duration of the trip, where the fabulous staff provide thrilling evening activities for our students, which may include a game of Ambush, a camp fire, crepe making, a quiz or a silent disco..

During the days, students visit famous Parisian landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, le Sacré Coeur and the artisan Montmartre and see many more on their boat and coach tours of Paris, including Notre Dame and l’Arc de Triompe.

Students practise French language skills in the market in Melun buying souvenirs for friends and family and immerse themselves in French culture and history at the royal palace of Fontainebleau which was the inspiration for Versailles.

A major highlight of the trip for sports enthusiasts, is a guided tour of the legendary Stade de France.

The trip culminates in a whole day at Eurodisney hanging out with Mickey and friends and a final quintessentially French experience: a visit to a French Hypermarché.

Ever thought about designing your own race car, then taking it to a race track like Silverstone or Goodwood and racing? Well, that is exactly what our students have done with their Greenpower race car.

The Greenpower competition encourages schools to build a race car, within a set design brief, using battery power as its energy source. It helps create designers and engineers of the future, who are already focusing their attention on sustainability issues.

Our Greenpower team are students from all year groups, who have worked with staff to design the Greenpower car. Students then race it in ‘Le Mans’ style events, complete with pit teams and driver changes.

The Richard Lander Racing Team are three-time world Greenpower champions having won the international final at Rockingham Motor Speedway in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Here is a report from the 2018 final. The photographs above are from the 2019 final and the trip to Renault F1. In May 2022 Richard Lander Racing returned to Goodwood. Despite losing our precious ‘1’ and ‘2’ numbers and having to start each race much further back on the grid, RLR3 won the Goodwood qualifier.

The Greenpower Education trust is a charitable organisation setup to promote the STEM (Science,  Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects, through the design and build of electric racing cars. Races are held around the UK and also further afield in the USA, China, Brazil, and Europe. All cars run the same batteries and motor, and must aim to complete the greatest distance over a 90 minute race, two of which are run at each event.

In 2018, Richard Lander Racing had their best ever season following the 2017 World Championship win. Race wins were recorded at Goodwood, Castle Combe and at Predannack airfield on The Lizard, which put Richard Lander School on the top of the distance records prior to the finals, giving the team pole position for the Rockingham races.

The two day event included practice sessions on the Friday before the final races were run on the Saturday. The Friday saw fine Autumn weather with temperatures reaching 18 degrees and light winds. Many teams felt confident in their performance including Richard Lander, however the weather was due to change significantly for Saturday. The team awoke to very cold, wet and windy weather, which proved a game changer in terms of the cars performance. Richard Lander School ran the car during first practice to assess the difference in performance and found the weather was punishing the lap time by over 10 seconds a lap. This meant a change in gear ratio was needed to protect the battery life over the full 90 minute race.

The cars lined up for the start with Richard Lander’s car RLR 3 in pole position. As the flag fell, disaster struck, RLR 3 remained stationary as the rest of the field pulled away. The car was brought into the garage and the fault was traced to a freewheel mechanism failure, so no power was reaching the wheels. The part was replaced, refitted and the car sent out to compete but was in no position to win having lost half an hour of the 90 minutes. It would all have to come down to race 2 in the afternoon. Race 1 showed the full effect of the weather as many cars ground to a halt before the 90 minutes was up.

Race 2 saw the cars line up once again. Richard Lander would have to beat the distance set by the race 1 winners and previous champions Sandbach High School, as well as win the race. The pace set initially was not the fastest of the field, and RLR 3 settled into 5th place as the opposition bolted into the lead. An agonising wait followed as the team executed their pitstops, and hoped that the other cars pace would not hold. Thankfully at around 75 minutes into the race, the pace of the two main competitors began to drop, while RLR 3 maintained its pace, albeit at a reduced rate. Last year’s runners up and Race 1 winner Sandbach High School was approximately half a lap behind RLR 3 as the final 10 minutes began. Both cars pace was declining, but thankfully RLR 3’s degradation was less than Sandbach, allowing RLR 3 to take the victory, ending over 3 minutes ahead of Sandbach. The distance set was also the greatest of the two races at 41.99 miles, handing the victory to Richard Lander School.

The International Finals brought with it some fantastic cross school support for the Cornish teams. Sir James Smith’s school brought their car Retro Rocket home in 20th place and was 3rd best kit car. Roseland Academy took place in their first ever finals event, finishing in a very credible 22nd place with their car Roseland Racer 5. Penair school and Truro High School collaborated to race the Penair car Sub Atomic as a joint team, following the Penair team’s late withdrawal from the event. The High School raced Sub Atomic to 48th place. The collaboration between the teams in the garages was fantastic and Truro High School picked up the Spirit of Greenpower award for helping out Penair School.

Richard Lander School would like to say a massive thank you to the Greenpower Education Trust for running this incredible project. We would also like to thank our sponsors this year, Teagle Farm Machinery, Dash Drive, Cornwall Glass, and Team Maintenance Services

Starting in Year 9 students can do a DofE programme at one of three progressive levels which, when successfully completed, leads to a Bronze, Silver or Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Any young person can do their DofE – regardless of ability, gender, background or location. Achieving an Award isn’t a competition or about being first. It’s all about setting personal challenges and pushing personal boundaries.

There are four sections to complete at Bronze and Silver level. They involve helping the community/environment, becoming fitter, developing new skills, planning, training for and completing an expedition.

Through a DofE programme young people have fun, make friends, improve their self-esteem and build confidence. They gain essential skills and attributes for work and life such as resilience, problem-solving, team-working, communication and drive. A DofE award enhances a CV or university/ job application and employers recognise the work-ready skills award holders bring to their business.

The last full week of the school term is set aside for a programme of activities for students in Years 7 to 9 known as Curriculum Enrichment Week (CEW). As a school, we find this week hugely beneficial for the whole school community in terms of providing opportunities and new experiences, forming relationships and broadening horizons.

For information on this year’s Curriculum Enrichment Week please follow the links below.

Curriculum Enrichment Week 2024