After a quick change around on Wednesday, it was time to welcome the children and Staff of Stockton Heath Primary School Warrington to Ingestre. 

 

The children were very excited to get started, so following a quick lunch and tour, we set to work on our theme of Wonderful Water. With ideas flowing, the children were quickly able to start devising and learning stage directions, learning choreographing techniques and trying a variety of styles and new media; planning and brainstorming their ideas for their performances. 

 

With such a broad theme, our tutors were inspired in lots of different ways; the sharing was going to be exciting! 

Guest Blog by visiting member of staff “ James Hawthorn” Sacred Heart Primary School. Written in a diary style to give you a step-by-step look at a week at Ingestre.  

 

Hello from Ingestre! All the children have settled in and had a go at making their beds. There were some interesting results, but with a bit of guidance and support, they all now have a bed to sleep in, that looks like a bed! 

 

Following a tour of the building with their tutors, we all had a hearty dinner of sausage and mash with several children going up for seconds. This was followed by discussions about the wide variety of arts and then the children had their introductory session with their specialist tutors, getting to know them and starting to generate ideas and basic skills for their week's projects. 

 

Tea was baked potatoes, beans, cheese and tuna topping, followed by Sam's birthday treat and some chocolate crispie cakes. In the evening after tuck shop the children enjoyed watching The Lion King in the centre's cinema, before retiring to bed. 

During the weekends, Ingestre Hall is occasionally transformed in to one of Staffordshire's premier wedding destinations. In December the Ingestre Weddings website was refreshed to better reflect the unique, personalised, flexible approach to wedding venue hire that we have.... and there's a fancy new video to boot! 

This week, we welcomed back the children and staff from Year 4 at Blakeley Heath Primary School, who were our guests to explore the theme of “Playlist”. So after a quick tour, lunch and meeting the tutors, we set straight to work in sessions to begin creating. 

Forty kids, a four century year old house and lots of arts and crafts. What could possibly go wrong? Well, thanks to the fabulous staff and facilities of Ingestre Hall, Stafford, absolutely nothing as the students of both St. John Plessington, Bebington, and St. Mary’s Catholic College, Wallasey – both schools being on Wirral, Merseyside – made full, creative use of the state-of-the-art facilities on offer for three days and two nights. 

St Leonard’s Frist school 

 

A brilliant first week back. This week Ingestre was host to a small group from Staffordshire. With just 17 children, St Leonard’s were able to have Ingestre all to themselves. The groups theme for the week was ‘Wind in Willows’, focusing on expressing this through Drama and Visual Art. 

On Monday Ingestre Hall hosted the annual SRES 'Sandwell residential education services' training day. This was a brilliant coming together of all four of sandwells residential centers. The day was celebrating the significance of our residential expiriences highlighting the difference that we make to young peoples lives. 

 

Once everyone had arrived and streched from the long journey from Plas Gwynant, Frank Chapman (and the not so far Edgmond Hall) we began with a emersive 3D Virtual Tour of Ingestre Hall and a few words from Richard Oakes, Head of Service. 

The Christmas Spirit has really been in out full force here at Ingestre, for our last week of term and our last residential visit of the year from the children and staff of Gilbertstone Primary School. 

It’s such a shame it didn’t snow this week! 

 

We welcomed a small group of delightful children from Lanesfield Primary School. With Christmas fast approaching, we chose a beautiful picture book to study called “Winter’s Child” by Angela McAllister, which had an enchanting story about a boy called Tom, who loved Winter and wanted it to last forever once he had found friendship with the Winter’s Child, and played with all Winter long, until the Spring arrived and the Winter’s Child went home to his father.  

This was a special week. St Johns International school came to visit Ingestre Hall all the way from Belgium. Being an international school there was huge variety and cultural richness within this group. This was a unique opportunity for children from all over the world to use Ingestre Hall as their hub for creativity and expression.