Nine Acres Primary School in Newport teamed up with ferry company Wightlink to give geography pupils a first-hand lesson in the importance of cross-Solent travel.
A total of 60 Year 2 children travelled to Wightlink’s Fishbourne terminal to find out what kind of vehicles were using a Tuesday afternoon sailing.
The trip – the first the school has undertaken since the COVID pandemic – was part of lessons at Nine Acres to highlight the importance of seas and oceans.
Teacher Ella Hayward, who organised the trip, said:
“In this case it was explaining to children how crucial the Solent is to where we live and how we live our lives.
“Children were able to see the loading of a ferry to demonstrate the various reasons why people cross the Solent.
“But the trip was also about showing children the world of possibilities out there available to them – both on the Island and further afield. This aspect was especially useful, given we have not been able to go on school visits because of lockdown so the children were super excited about getting out for the afternoon.”
As part of the excursion, the school party stopped off at other coastal locations to view other aspects of the Island’s maritime environment including Ryde Pier and Ryde Harbour.
Wightlink Chief Executive Keith Greenfield says:
“We already work with partner schools nearest to our terminals to encourage educational and aspirational projects particularly those that focus on the environment and promote careers in the maritime sector.
“It was great to be able to welcome Nine Acres too and we hope they found the visit enjoyable and informative. Who knows, maybe amongst the group is a future Wightlink Captain?”
The children need to learn the importance of having a fixed link, as the unreliable, expensive ferries are destroying the island, it’s businesses & tourism, & there are very limited job opportunities due to the solent barrier
Red Funnel and Wightlink both sell one-way tickets.