We believe in the value of learning outside of the classroom and organise a wide range of trips and visits locally, nationally and internationally. These trips may be to support studies or simply to broaden minds.
There are different trips every year and students can find out more during induction and in their subjects. The following trips are listed as a guide but may change on an annual basis and are subject to demand.
For general enquiries about Enrichment programmes, please contact kelley.dawson@aquinas.ac.uk.
Compulsory Curriculum Trips
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Compulsory Curriculum Trips
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Compulsory Curriculum Trips
North Wales
Dates 12 February Subjects Environmental Science A level Cost £400 approximately Conditions Undertaken in the Lower 6th for Environmental Science students and a limited number of BTEC Science or Biology students who wish to learn about ecology (as an enrichment activity). Conditions You cannot take this A level without attending the field trip. Questions on field trip techniques will be embedded into the exam papers at the end of the second year to assess the skills learned and developed. Students will take part in activities based around ecological practical techniques. Students will learn how to sample different wild populations in various environments including terrestrial, fresh water aquatic and marine. They will also spend some time in the evening in class analysing their data using statistics and planning activities where they will learn how to standardise and problem solve. We will be visiting Anglesey, Harlech National Nature Reserve, and local farmland and forests around Betws y Coed.
We will be staying in a Field Studies Centre near Betws y coed and students will have access to Wi-Fi, tv and various games in their free time. The price includes all transport, food and outdoor kit (waterproofs, wellingtons, boots etc).
It is the equivalent to coursework and is therefore a compulsory part of the course.
Lake District
Dates October Subjects Geography A level Cost £400 approximately. Help available for Bursary and FCM students Availability You must be studying Geography A level and is only available for Upper 6th students Conditions You cannot take this A level without attending the field trip. It is a compulsory residential trip to the Lake District and part of the four days fieldwork requirement.
We stay at the FSC centre Castle Head in Grange over Sands and partake in regeneration, coasts, carbon and water fieldwork techniques. All students will have a set of data that they can use for their NEA (20% of their A level) upon their return from the trip.All equipment, including waterproofs, wellies and walking boots are provided by the FSC.
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Enrichment Curriculum Trips
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Enrichment Curriculum Trips
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Enrichment Curriculum Trips Lower 6th
India
Dates February Subjects N/A Cost £2300 approximately. (2023-24 prices) Availability Open to all Lower 6 students in the college Conditions This trip is in support of a charity in India and involves working with young children who live in the slums in Mumbai. We run the India Project in college to raise money for the charity that we work with, Prem Dan, and there is an expectation that students who come on the trip will be part of this project and take part in fund raising to pay for the educational materials we take with us to India. The focus of the trip is the workshops that students carry out with underprivileged children. The trip also offers a cultural experience where students take part in a variety of activities including; yoga, Bollywood dancing, visits to temples, Indian food and many other aspects of Indian culture. The cost includes all travel, tourist visa, all food and water and accommodation.
Enrichment Curriculum Trips Upper 6th
Geneva
Dates December Subjects Physics A level Cost £300 approximately. (2023-24 prices) Availability Undertaken in the Upper 6th for Physics students only Conditions N/A On this trip students visit the Swiss city of Geneva to tour the world’s largest ever science experiment – the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. Students will be able to visit exhibits explaining the science that tells us how we gain insights into the history of the Universe from observations of tiny particles which are being smashed together at incredibly high speeds. There will also be a tour of some of the facilities at CERN led by one of the Scientists that work there. We will also have time to visit many of the attractions in Geneva itself.
San Francisco
Dates February Subjects Computer Science A level and IT BTEC Cost £1,650 approximately. (2023-24 prices) Availability Undertaken in the Upper 6th for Computing and IT students only Conditions Good attendance and studentship This is an educational trip visiting some of the leading technology companies in the world (Apple, Google, Intel, HP etc.). The aim of the trip is to provide the students with the opportunity to gain an insight into the latest developments in computing technology from companies that are changing how we live our lives. We also visit the Computer History Museum and Technology Museum of Innovation to learn about the development of computing over the last 70 years. An extra visit on the trip lets the students experience life on a US university campus with a tour of Stanford University.
As most Silicon Valley professionals live in San Francisco we will also base ourselves there and enjoy the attractions of the city such as visiting Alcatraz Prison, cycling over the Golden Gate Bridge and walking through the many different neighbourhoods of this fascinating city.
Includes return flights from Manchester to San Francisco, accommodation (B&B), coach tour and guide, all entrance fees.
New York
Dates 5 Days – February Subjects A level Film & Media, BTEC Creative Media Production Cost £1,800 approximately. (2023-24 prices) Availability Undertaken in the Upper 6th for A level Film & Media and BTEC Conditions Strong attendance and punctuality rates. Meeting target grades in assessments We have run this trip for 9 years and the students who are able to go find it greatly beneficial; from discovering new talents and career paths to travelling alone for the first time, every student enjoys and is changed for the better by this trip. The students develop academically and personally and return energised, more focused and aspirational to meet their future goals.
Planned activities are:- Top Of The Rock
- Ice Skating At Rockefeller Centre
- TV & Movie Sights Tour
- Museum Of The Moving Image
- A Broadway show (TBC)
- NBC Studio Tour
- Ferry trip to Staten Island
There will be further activities planned and some free time for students to spend as they wish.
Washington
Dates 1 Week – February Subjects Politics A level Cost £1,600 approximately. (2023-24 prices) Availability Priority given to Upper 6th Politics students, then may be offered to students studying History or Law. Conditions N/A To support students’ understanding of their A Level US Politics course we run an annual trip to Washington DC in February. We will be visiting all of the main points of political interest in the US capital and hope to include other excursions and walking tours in order to experience many other aspects of US history and culture. We expect to visit Arlington Cemetery, the National Archives, the Museum of African American History, the U.S. Capitol (Senate and House of Representatives), the Library of Congress, the US Supreme Court, and the Pentagon.
Poland (Kraków)
Dates 4 days – 19th February – 22nd February 2024 Subjects Theology Cost £620 approximately (2024 prices) Availability Priority given to U6 Theology students, then opened up to U6 Core RE students. Conditions Good attendance and studentship To support students in their understanding of the A-level Theology course we will be running an enrichment trip to Kraków, Poland in February 2024. We will visit important historical, religious and cultural sites including Auschwitz-Birkenau, Schindler’s Museum, the Galicia Jewish Museum and the UNESCO heritage Wieliczka Salt Mines (which is home to one of Poland’s most breath-taking Catholic Cathedrals).
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Cross College Trips
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Cross College Trips
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Cross College Trips
NCS (National Citizenship Service) Residential – Dearne Valley
Dates 4 nights 5 days /20th November Cost £95 (accommodation and meals included) Availability N/A Conditions N/A Trip to Dearne Valley. Students will do outdoor activities such as zip wiring & team challenges. This is the last year, it is government funded so the cost for everything (accommodation and meals included) is £95. Book online by end of September 2023 to secure your place. Go via the NCS website and click residential and find Aquinas College November trip. Look at NCS website for more details.
Chaplaincy’s Autumn Retreat
Dates 3 days – 31st October – 2nd November Cost £125 per person which covers the accommodation, meals and transport for 2 nights Availability This Retreat is opened to all students in U6 and L6 regardless of their faith, beliefs or religion Conditions N/A As a Contribution to students’ wellbeing, our Autumn Retreat is one of the steps we take as part of our Catholic Life, to support the personal and spiritual development of our students. It offers our young people an opportunity to take time out to reflect on their life, relationships and future among the beautiful surroundings at Hyning Hall in the Lake District, with opportunity to engage in fun group activities and inspirational games, time for meditation and walks in the beautiful surroundings.
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