As I reflect on the week, there have been many highlights, many hilarious moments and a lot of hard work. Mrs Healy, Miss Radford and Mr Fifield have led the trip in their usual calm, efficient and inspirational style. Rucstall is truly blessed to have them in the team and they have guaranteed that your children have been safe and happy all week. The children will certainly have special memories that will last a lifetime; if they struggle to remember in future years, Miss Radford and Mrs Healy have currently taken 1,728 photos. It’s been a long week. Operating on around 3-4 hours sleep per night can do that to you. If all that fails, there is always my inane ramblings to try to make sense of. If you don’t have crossed wires when you start, you’re almost certain to have them by the end.

Not all children have the opportunity to experience something like this trip and not all children have parents who are so willing to make the experience a reality. Thank you for supporting us in making Isle of Wight 2024 work. It is our hope that the children show their gratitude to you when they return home.

A key component to a Year 6 residential is allowing them the time to understand more clearly who they are and how to interact with others to ensure they are happy, safe and making the world a better place by their mere presence. All week we have reminded them about being selfless rather than selfish, about being respectful rather than dismissive, about being understanding rather than entitled and to take notice of what is happening around them. We have seen them grow in self-assurance, gain independence and overcome personal obstacles. It’s been a good week.

And so, as we meander towards the end of the journey on the island, it is almost time to wrap up the story. Neither Goldilocks nor the Three Bears returned throughout the week - perhaps this was because porridge had been removed from the menu. The Asthmatic fox, who was so active during the early hours of Tuesday morning, never returned either; I should imagine he was busy canvassing votes for the Conservative Party. (See, there is balance)...although if he had been canvassing votes, then that reaffirms the term 'a sly fox' (sorry, I could not help myself.) The inflatable kayak remains untouched although Mr Fifield is eyeing it up and the parent's car keys which we saved will be travelling back with us today. And as the election results are announced, one thing is clear, the campaign bus may have had a significant impact on influencing the voters across the Isle of Wight. The West of the Isle of Wight has seen a change from Conservative to Labour whilst the East side has held onto Conservative. Basingstoke also sees a change from Conservative to Labour. 

Throughout the week the children have conquered fears of seeing spiders at Amazon World Zoo; riding Extinction at Blackgang Chine; walking around the highest walls of Carisbrooke Castle, and listening to Miss Radford's dreadful, dreadful jokes. The children have mastered the art of water polo although perhaps not as well as the staff. Despite the comments posted about the children throughout the daily updates, we really will miss them...a tad...maybe for a minute.

The children are currently packing their cases before breakfast. It's so weird. Everything fitted into our suitcases when packed last weekend to come, but now, for some reason, nothing seemed to fit in at all! Some children assured us that they had finished packing after only 5 minutes, so we do wonder what their parents will find in their cases - either immaculately packed clothes, or . . . we'll leave you to find out. Some parents can look forward to gifts which the children have purchased - others will find remains of sticky rock which have been left to fester in the suitcase all week.

When you collect your children tomorrow, you will notice a very red-faced Mr Mills. I'd like to point out, mainly because I am contractually obliged to, that I am not supporting the Labour Party. Alas, what comes around goes around and when you make jokes about other staff who will end up sun burnt on Monday, it of course backfires. The red face is almost glowing as brightly as Mr Fifield's fake orange tan. 

So there we have it. 7432 words later and the Isle of Wight 2024 Blog comes to a close. By that calculation, the Isle of Wight blogs over the years will have amounted to around 90, 000 words. David Walliams doesn't even write that much in his books - he pays someone else to do that for him. So, in hindsight, I wish I had paid someone else to write The Blog. Joking aside, I wouldn't have it any other way. 

And from me personally, I wish you and your children the very best for the future. It has been a genuine pleasure to watch this group of children move from Year 3 through to Year 6. Quite a few of the children attended the weekend PGL residential when the children were in Year 4 - my how their confidence and resilience has grown. The children should be very proud of themselves - I know both you and the Rucstall staff team will be.

And finally - like a theatre show that drags out its encore by far too much, I would like to say a huge thank you to the following:

-Mrs Lee and Mrs Golding in the office. These ladies do a sterling job behind the scenes to ensure permission slips are signed, payments and organisational matters are sorted. They have answered many an email and we could not run the trips without them.

-Mrs Griffiths. Undoubtedly, the workload of the headteacher increases exponentially when members of staff are absent from school. The same thanks applies to all the amazing staff back at school who will have no doubt had to pick up some extra responsibility at points in the week.

-You as parents for sending in your messages to the children.

And of course:

-Mr Fifield's unwavering dedication to ensure children have a good time is second-to-none. Mr Fifield does not get paid to attend these visits - he is a selfless individual and I am forever grateful. He leaves Rucstall with me in a few weeks and we wish him the very best.

-Miss Radford does not get paid to attend residentials - in fact, she spends a lot of her personal money ensuring the children on the trips do not go without. Every time a child has lost their water bottle or wanted money for the arcade, Miss Radford selflessly, like the others, digs into her personal purse to ensure the Rucstall children do not go without. Thank you for being amazing on the trips.

-Mrs Healy - last but certainly not least. Mrs Healy has young children who miss out when their mum is away for a week. This week alone, Mrs Healy missed out on two sports days for her own family to ensure the children on this trip had their class teacher. Like the others, there is no overtime or payment for going on a school residential. It's not a holiday - far from it yet I never hear her complain. 

Note: The remaining photographs for Friday's trip will be uploaded at some point next week. We expect to arrive back at school for 3.30pm.

So there we have it, the final curtain falls. Thank you for reading. Farewell.