Five reasons to book an Activity Day for your school

School trips are a brilliant way to build confidence in your students, increase their motivation, offer new experiences and help create long lasting friendships. There are many options available which can make it tricky when planning those all-important trips but don’t worry, we're here to help!

Here are five reasons we recommend opting for an Activity Day at Willen Lake for that start of year ice breaker or end of year reward.

1. Save money

Activity Days can be considerably more affordable compared to other school trip options which means that more students can take part and it eases the financial pressure on both schools and parents. A full day silver package, our most popular option for schools, starts from £45.50 per head - saving hundreds of pounds compared to a residential stay.

2. Experience more

There’s so much choice when it comes to what activities you can do! Here at Willen Lake we offer six types of watersports, including raft-building, paddleboarding, kayaking and sailing. We also have a multi-level high ropes course with a climbing wall and 13 metre freefall from the top of the course. On top of that, there’s archery, an outdoor splash park, an inflatable waterpark and Zorb football.

With so much on offer, many of our school's book multiple visits. This way, you can break up larger year groups, or experience as many activities as possible. Some even opt for a regular series of sessions, so students can progress through their chosen activity.

3. Reduce time and effort

In comparison to residentials, an activity day requires a lot less from members of staff. Here at Willen Lake, we’ve witnessed large-scale trips with as few as four or five teachers on site. All we require is for teachers to get the students to us, organise them into groups and help them get through the changing rooms. Once that’s done, most of the teachers who visit us go next door to the onsite café to enjoy a coffee whilst watching the action unfold. It’s a very low maintenance trip where our instructors take the teaching reins for the day.

4. Improve accessibility

Staying away from home can be stressful for students and parents which has unfortunately been exacerbated by the pandemic. Opting for an Activity Day avoids the stress of staying overnight but still pushes the kids out of their comfort zone by trying new experiences.

At Willen Lake, they can overcome various challenges all within the space of a day. They can work as a team to navigate on a giant paddleboard, encourage one another to make it around the high ropes course or they can practice independence as they learn to kayak or sail. An activity day can offer the perfect bridge for more nervous students.

5. Inspire for the future

Most students visiting have never experienced the activities they take part in on the day. This helps make the school trip memorable and inspires the children to discover hidden talents away from the classroom and take on different hobbies. We have no doubt your students will be asking for a return trip!

If you’d like to learn more about an activity day at Willen Lake, head over to our website or get in touch with our friendly bookings team by emailing enquiries@willenlake.org.uk.