On Friday the 15th of September, both returning and new academic students at Kings Oxford embarked on a whole school trip to Thorpe Park.
After a hearty breakfast at St. Joseph’s, we collected our packed lunches, got into smaller groups, and headed off towards the coaches!
Thankfully the traffic was kind to us, meaning we arrived exactly as the park was opening and there was minimal queuing - much to our delight. Walking into the park, the sun beaming down on what was a beautiful sunny September day, spirits were certainly high. The students were full of excitement and anticipation about what we were yet to experience.
One student who overslept (despite being called and messaged!) was so determined to come on the trip that she booked herself a taxi all the way from our student accommodation (Wavy Gate in Cowley) to Thorpe Park – 10/10 for effort, Valentina!
Thankfully, given it was term time the park wasn’t too busy and queue times weren’t too bad - this gave students the opportunity to try even more rides than normally possible, a huge win! Students were able to try some of the best rollercoasters in the country, including Stealth, The Swarm, Colossus, Nemesis Inferno, Walking Dead: The Ride and certainly not for the faint hearted, SAW: The Ride (totally terrifying!).
After a group check-in around lunchtime, those that had collected packed lunches from Tasnim, (part of our wonderful catering team at Kings Oxford) ate them, others had a look around the park at the various food trucks and stands for a bite to eat. Thorpe Park, were slightly ahead of the game, having already launched their Octoberfest attractions. This included a live band, accompanied by dancers in traditional Octoberfest dress, which students enjoyed watching, and certainly added to the atmosphere within the park.
After lunch, many students decided to have a go playing some of the arcade games, and more old-fashioned fairground games which proved most entertaining to watch! Some students were lucky and actually won, going home with Pokémon soft toys, others won cute Disney animals from the Lion King.
One ride in particular that students enjoyed was Tidal Wave. As the name suggests, there’s a huge wave which gets people completely drenched! Thanks to the sunshine this did not dampen the mood of our enthusiastic Kings students; some were even keen to go again!
After meeting at our final check-in point at 4.30pm and accounting for everyone, we headed back towards the coaches. Unfortunately we hit some of the Friday rush hour traffic on our way home, however, everyone was feeling so shattered after such a day of excitement and fun that it didn’t matter as most students were taking a well-earned nap! All in all, it was a hugely successful trip; the perfect opportunity for students to get to know one another a little better whilst doing something fun and interactive.
Huge thanks to Simon our Extra-Curricular Manager who organised the day, and to all the staff who came to support too.
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