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Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Primary education

The Bushcraft Comany Residential

13 replies

Verbena37 · 07/10/2015 09:17

Morning......
Just wondering if any parents have had experience of sending their children on a Bushcraft Compan? primary school residential and what are their thoughts?

DS year 6 is supposed to be going next summer term and I've checked out the website and watched video reviews but just wondered particularly whether parents of selective eaters had been or any children with nocturnal epilepsy? Or indeed, any children with SEN. When I called the company they did send me example menus and were very lovely but sounded a bit when I asked about taking a child with epilepsy.

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HairyMaclary · 07/10/2015 09:24

Yes, my DS has been. He has cerebral palsy and they were amazing. He had the most wonderful time! The school also took a number of other children work SN, mostly autism, in addition to all the other 'normal' children some of whom had allergies or were picky eaters. I didn't hear any complaints from any of the other parents, just lots of good things!

My son needed support accessing the toilets and at night and there was a member of the centre staff sleeping close enough by that they woke up when he or anyone else needed them, so I would imagine with nocturnal epilepsy that there would be someone close enough to give emergency meds or mother support if necessary.

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Verbena37 · 07/10/2015 09:27

Thanks Hairy. So were the teachers not sleeping nearby then?

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dinkystinky · 07/10/2015 09:29

My sons class went last summer - there were at least 6 kids with different SEN and the entire class loved it! The kids were filthy and exhausted at the end of it but had a really wonderful time. Kids slept in a hide they constructed with adults v nearby.

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Verbena37 · 07/10/2015 12:32

Hmm, it's the exhausted bit I'm worrying about. DS is more likely to have seizures when he is tired. For the past two years, we've been ensuring he sleeps early enough not to get overtired. He has never had a sleepover at a friend's house which is sad but necessary so I'm worried that the boys on the video we're excited about the fact they talked until the early hours.

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dinkystinky · 07/10/2015 14:13

For lots of the kids they were exhausted because it was their first time sleeping outdoors (my son was the exception - he'd been camping the week before with cubs) - they generally went to sleep around 9 and were up from around 6.30/7 when they woke

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Verbena37 · 07/10/2015 14:21

Thanks dinky.

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CMOTDibbler · 07/10/2015 16:03

DS will be going on a residential with them next year, and the Bushcraft Company presented about it at the open evening. They specifically talked about selective eating as the school has a very high number of DCs with ASD, and said they would do whatever it took to ensure children were catered for. They have staff awake all night

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InFlagranteDelicto · 07/10/2015 16:16

Ds has just come back following a3 day trip.
favourite was the night he slept out in his shelter. On the last day they'd been using camo face paint- he was black! Ds has asd- and while I know the stuff in place would have been different- yr 7, they were able to cater for him. I can ask him if you have any questions

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HairyMaclary · 07/10/2015 17:08

Yes, school staff nearby too but the bushcraft staff seemed to take the lead for the night time.

Yes, they do get v tired though.

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Verbena37 · 07/10/2015 18:48

Think I will need a little meeting with teachers then.
The centre told me on the phone that they don't oversee the sleeping times but yes, they said they had someone awake all night.
inflagrantdelicto do you know if your son did wild swimming? On there video, there is a boy jumping into a lake.....DS's isn't that great a swimmer and can't sustain 50m without stopping and can't tread water for long in deep water.
I'm worrying about everything!!

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dinkystinky · 08/10/2015 09:16

When DS went the non-swimmers/weak swimmers wore life jackets when doing wild swimming (though there was the option to opt out). If you can get comfortable that your DS's needs will be met, and he can opt out of things, I'd really recommend he give it a go - DS absolutely loved it.

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InFlagranteDelicto · 11/10/2015 13:54

He didn't- too cold this time of year! He really enjoyed fire lighting, whittling wood with a knife and sleeping out in a shelter

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Verbena37 · 21/10/2015 14:13

We've decided it's too risky him staying over night so I've proposed to the school that I take him for the daytime/evening activities and then collect him and go to a nearby hotel for the week. That way, he can still experience all of the activities safely without the worry that nobody will spot if he has a seizure. School haven't come back to me yet though.