School Trips

Year 4 Trip to MK Museum - Spring 2

Year 4 Step Back in Time at Milton Keynes Museum ⏳

Year 4 had a fantastic trip to the Milton Keynes Museum, where they stepped back in time to learn about Victorian inventions. The children explored how new ideas and technologies changed everyday life during the Victorian era.

A highlight of the visit was discovering the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell and learning how it transformed the way people communicated. Pupils took part in hands-on activities, explored historic rooms, and saw how inventions from the past have influenced the technology we use today.

The children were curious, enthusiastic, and represented the school brilliantly throughout the visit. It was a memorable day full of learning and discovery! 📞✨'

Year 3 Trip to The Roald Dahl Museum - Spring 2

Year 3 Visit the Roald Dahl Museum 📚

On Thursday 12th March, Year 3 enjoyed an exciting trip to the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden. The children have been learning about the life and stories of Roald Dahl in class, so they arrived full of enthusiasm and with plenty of thoughtful questions to ask.

During the morning, the children explored the museum and discovered more about how Roald Dahl created his famous stories. They learned about the editing process he used to improve his writing and saw how ideas can change and develop before becoming a finished book.

In the afternoon, the children went on a walk around the village to visit some of the places that inspired Roald Dahl’s books. Although the weather was a little wild and windy, the rain mostly held off and everyone enjoyed exploring the local area.

It was a fantastic day of learning and discovery, and the children returned to school feeling inspired by one of their favourite authors. ✨📖

Year 1 Trip to the British Motor Museum – Spring 2

Year 1 Visit the British Motor Museum 🚗

Year 1 had a fantastic trip to the British Motor Museum. The children took part in a Materials and Movement workshop where they learnt about friction, grip and aerodynamics. Working in teams, they built and tested LEGO cars designed to travel on both bumpy and smooth roads, carefully thinking about weight and wheel size.

We also explored the museum’s impressive collection of vehicles, discussing the different materials they are made from and even looking inside a car that had been cut in half to reveal how it works. The children especially loved sitting inside a Bentley, exploring the controls and pretending to drive.

Everyone had the opportunity to ride in a classic car while learning how vehicles have changed over time – including the surprising fact that cars did not always have seat belts. We also saw a replica of the first Benz car, created by Karl Benz, which linked to our learning in school, as well as several cars that have appeared in films.

Another highlight was sitting on a 103-year-old bus and learning about how buses used to operate and the different jobs people had to do to keep them running.

It was a wonderful, exciting and memorable day, and the children represented the school beautifully throughout the trip. 🚙✨

Year 4 Visit to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford – Autumn 2

Year 4 Visit the Ashmolean Museum

Year 4 pupils recently visited the Ashmolean Museum as part of their history learning on Ancient Egypt.

During the visit, the children completed a self-guided tour of the Egyptian galleries, closely observing a wide range of authentic artefacts and learning how these objects were used in ancient times. This independent exploration encouraged curiosity, discussion, and careful historical enquiry.

The pupils then took part in a dedicated learning session focused on Egyptian mummies. They investigated real-life artefacts, explored an ancient tomb, and deepened their understanding of Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife.

The museum educator praised the class, saying, “You have some incredible historians in this class” and “They are wiser beyond their years.” This feedback reflected the pupils’ thoughtful questions, strong knowledge, and enthusiasm for learning.

The visit provided a valuable hands-on learning experience and the children represented the school extremely well throughout the day.

Year 5 Trip to the National Space Centre - Autumn 2

Year 5 Visit to the Space Centre

We love a school trip that truly enriches learning, and Year 5 had an unforgettable visit to the National Space Centre in Leicester.

The children were wowed by a real-life rocket show and were fascinated by the incredible astronaut experience in the spectacular Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium.

Between the shows, pupils enjoyed climbing the tower to see the real rockets up close and learning all about the American and Russian space race.

Stanley in Year 5 said:

“I loved the moon landing game at the top of the tower where we got to land the Apollo 11 Lunar Module — unfortunately I crashed it, but it was still good fun!”

It was a fantastic day full of curiosity, excitement and inspiration for all involved.

Year 2 Trip to Hazard Alley - Autumn 2

Year 2 enjoyed a super day out at Hazard Alley, learning about how to stay safe in a variety of different real life situations. They certainly came away with a new set of skills, including how to make a 999 call.

The morning was spent exploring the different hazards set up around Hazard Alley. These included a pelican crossing, a zebra crossing, train lines, a house fire, kitchen safety, water safety plus many more. With all of them, the dangers were pointed out, illustrated and discussed, signs available were highlighted that were there to keep them safe and they were shown how to safely and correctly handle different hazards.

The afternoon was spent learning about online safety, age ratings and why they are there, safe apps for them to use and the importance of not sharing information online.

This was a tremendous learning experience for the children, with such important life skills focused on.

Year 1 Trip to Warwick Castle - Autumn 2

Year 1 Trip to Warwick Castle

Year 1 enjoyed a fantastic day out at Warwick Castle, even with a little soggy weather! The children were full of excitement as they climbed one of the castle towers, bravely explored the dungeon, and discovered the beautiful castle grounds.

Inside the castle, they learnt all about medieval armour. The children were fascinated by the armour demonstration, where they found out how different pieces were used—and some even had the chance to try them on! A highlight of the day was meeting the castle’s falconer, who introduced the children to a real falcon up close.

We finished the trip with a well-earned lunch in the castle’s historic old mill. It was a wonderful day of learning, adventure, and imagination for our Year 1 pupils.

Year 26 Visit to London - Autumn 1

Year 26 Trip to London

Year 26 enjoyed a fantastic day on their trip to London. Travelling by both mainline and underground trains, the children embraced the excitement of city life from the very start.

Their first stop was the Science Museum, where they explored a range of hands-on activities in the Technology and Flight galleries. After lunch, the group headed to Westminster Bridge to take in iconic sights, including The Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and the London Eye. They then walked down Whitehall to view the Cenotaph and reflect on its historical significance.

The children had a wonderful time and returned full of enthusiasm—having learned plenty along the way!

Year 3 - Chiltern Open Air Museum (COAM) - Autumn Term

A Step Back in Time: Our Visit to Chiltern Open Air Museum

Bringing history to life for Year 3 at Whitchurch Combined School

A Day of Discovery in the Buckinghamshire Countryside

Last week, our Year 3 pupils enjoyed an unforgettable day at the Chiltern Open Air Museum in Buckinghamshire — an incredible outdoor learning experience where history lives and breathes!

Set in over 45 acres of stunning countryside, the museum provided the perfect setting for our students to explore real historic buildings, get hands-on with traditional crafts, and understand how people lived and worked in the past.

What We Explored

Our children were immersed in the sights, sounds, and stories of the past through interactive workshops and guided exploration:

Historic Buildings Tour: From an Iron Age roundhouse to a Victorian toll house, students stepped inside real homes and workplaces from across centuries.
Hands-on Activities: Children tried traditional skills like butter-churning, brick-making, and laundry by hand.
Living History: With costume sessions and role-play, our pupils truly became the villagers of the past — understanding history not just by reading it, but by living it.

Add a few testimonials from the children in Y3

Curriculum Links

This trip was carefully planned to align with our curriculum in:

History: Local history, chronological understanding, changes in daily life over time
Science: Materials and their properties, comparing past and present technologies
PSHE: Empathy, teamwork, and appreciation for different ways of life

Back in the classroom, students have been writing reflective diaries, making posters, and even re-enacting what they learned!

Explore Our Trip Gallery

We’ve collected some lovely moments from the trip.
From muddy boots to smiling faces, every photo shows learning in action.

Why These Trips Matter

At Whitchurch Combined School, we believe that the best learning happens when children are engaged, inspired, and involved. Trips like this help our pupils:

Build curiosity and ask big questions
Develop confidence and independence
Make real-world connections to what they learn in class

This is learning they’ll remember for years to come.

Thank You

A huge thank you to the staff at Chiltern Open Air Museum, our wonderful parent volunteers, and our teaching team for making this day so special.

Together, we brought the past to life — and sparked a love of history in every child.