Year 5 pupils at Goat Lees Primary School in Ashford, Kent will go on a trip to remember with Disney Cruise Line after winning the top prize.
Teacher Emma Chapman was left stunned when radio and TV presenter Roman Kemp surprised her and her class to announce that they had won the Ultimate School Trip competition run by Disney Cruise Line, which includes science lessons, entertainment and more on a four-night sailing to France this summer.
The competition was open to all UK schools. They had to produce a short video about why they deserved the prize.
Emma admits that she only entered the competition after one of her pupils’ parents saw it on social media and knew that she enjoyed Disney films.
“Educational visits give our pupils the chance to socially interact with different people, to work in groups to boost collaboration and work in different environments which are all good skills for the future.”
Teacher Emma Chapman
She said: “I didn’t think that I would even enter the competition as us teachers are busy people, so to win it was amazing. I was told by my headteacher that we had a crew coming in to film something for an ‘eco award’ and that they needed me and my class to stay behind after school one day.
“I remember being frustrated with my headteacher because she is usually really good at giving details but everything was so vague to keep it a surprise that we had won the competition.
“We brought the children into the hall, then they played our video on the screen, which is when I caught on that we had won. When Roman Kemp walked in the children were so excited and screamed, it was all a bit of a blur and very overwhelming.”
Roman explained to the group that they would be enjoying a school trip with their families and school staff on board Disney Dream. Just some of the highlights include a behind-the-scenes tour of the on-board theatre to see how Beauty and the Beast is brought to life on stage, and a sports session with Goofy.
The group sets sail from 12th -16th August, and Emma says she can’t wait to take her children out of the classroom as its something that she is incredibly passionate about.
She continued: “I think it’s important for children to spend as much time as possible outside of the classroom. Being away from screens is a big one for us, even in school we’ve got a forest area, a pond and different spaces that we can use to get children learning outside.
“Educational visits give our pupils the chance to socially interact with different people, to work in groups to boost collaboration and work in different environments which are all good skills for the future. I hope our Disney cruise offers them a chance to develop these skills.”
