Today was another hectic one at Reach; the students had their first day of subject lessons as well as a chauffeured punt on the Cam and an historical tour of Cambridge. The supervisors were on hand to shepherd students from three colleges to their classes, split between Trinity Hall, Downing College and the Geography department. Even more Reach staff were on hand in the Trinity Hall office with any equipment or materials the classes might need. We weren’t needed however as everything got going without a hitch and the students enjoyed an exciting morning of their chosen subjects. I remember one student was exploding with excitement to be starting Psychology and I hope that today has fulfilled their hopes.
We couldn’t be so cruel as to throw them in to a full day of lessons, so they had a more laid back afternoon with a chauffeured punt past some of Cambridge’s most famous colleges. All the students had to do was sit back and enjoy the sights as we were punted up the Cam from Magdalene bridge and entertained with stories about Cambridge history (some more credible than others).
The classes were then taken on a walking tour of Cambridge prepared by myself which was far more reliable than the punt tours (I’m not biased, honest). We whizzed around over 15 colleges and historic sites in an hour – lucky for the students there wasn’t a quiz. Head Supervisor Lewis played a game of spot the lie on his tour, which the savvy students clearly won 4-2. One of Lewis’ more outlandish lies was that Peterhouse College was named after Peter Piper who picked a peck of pickled peppers. Thankfully none of his students were fooled by such a ridiculous story.
In the evening the students were treated to a lecture from Jon McIntosh, the founder of Reach Cambridge, on the subject of education and specifically about the state of education in the UK. The lecture also included stories from Jon’s own experience from starting the Reach Academy, something the students found really interesting to hear about.
They also enjoyed an even bigger and better round of icebreakers to help the new and old students bond together and make new friends. I’m sure they really enjoyed the games as I can hear the laughter from here in the office!
Written by Billy, Supervisor
