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Category: Trips & Visits

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Iceland -The Return!
Posted on: 4/03/2026

Iceland -The Return!

After the successful 2025 visit to Iceland 48 Year 10 Geographers and staff ventured, once again, to the self-styled land of ice and fire for 2026. Aiming to support key GCSE topics and content the students were treated to a wide range of experiences. The "Bridge across the Continents", where two major tectonic plates meet and the reason for the volcanic and earthquake activity the country is famous for. The amazing black beach at Vik with its basalt columns, caves, arches and stacks. This was also the location of the infamous destructive "sneaker" waves that have been known to wash tourists off the beach. Plus. not one, not two but three amazingly powerful waterfalls one with a drop of over 60 metres. The sheer physical power and nature of Iceland was highlighted by the storm and snow on the final full day there, when wind gusts and horizontal sleet and windchill really gave the student an experience of life in the Northern latitudes. Not all the visit was quite as challenging however, with a chance to taste tomatoes grown in greenhouses powered by lights and water from the abundant geothermal energy and the amazing 4d cinema experience of Fly Over Iceland in the capital Reykjavik. The students, as always, were amazing and represented the school brilliantly across the four jammed packed days. Thoughts have already turned to planning Iceland 2027! The recent Year 10 trip to the ‘land of fire and ice’ did not disappoint, and with such a varied itinerary, students had a fantastic experience exploring the country defined by dramatic volcanic landscapes, glaciers and waterfalls. View Article
Remembering the Fallen
Posted on: 23/10/2025

Remembering the Fallen

Just before half term a group of students led by Mrs Pretsell, Assistant Headteacher at Amery Hill School, joined former Curtis Museum Curator, and a retired staff member of Amery Hill School, Mr Tony Cross in the cemetery opposite the rear of the school. For many of the past 25 years a small group of volunteers from the school have helped the local historian give the Commonwealth War Grave Commission (CWGC) headstones a scrub in advance of Remembrance Day and place a small Cross of Remembrance by them. But why there are war graves in Alton? Despite the fighting taking place mostly overseas in both conflicts of the 20th century, the CWGC looks after 160,000 headstones around the UK, including a few in Alton. There were many training areas and military hospitals in the UK during both wars. Training accidents and medical issues also took their toll. UK hospitals also cared for the wounded after their evacuation from European battlefields. Those that passed away during their hospital stay would be buried nearby. Interestingly, there was a Red Cross Hospital in the Assembly Rooms during The Great War. Britain in WW2 was well known for the battles played out above its skies. Airfields were dotted around the country to protect against enemy air raids and provide bases for missions over Europe. Some casualties were able to be returned to their next of kin for burial locally. Within both sections of Alton Cemetery there are eight burials relating to WWI and 14 associated with WW2. In addition, there is a private memorial chosen by one WW2 family and several family headstones of both wars that include family members lost overseas. Three family headstones included the small bronze memorial plaque issued to families who had lost members after WW1, although only one is still in place. Mounted on the low wall of the Crematorium Memorial area at the top of the cemetery are two small plaques. One commemorates two women from the town who died in SE Asia during WW2, whilst the other remembers the four civilians who died due to enemy bombs falling on Alton in March 1941. View Article
Street Croft Farm
Posted on: 14/10/2025

Street Croft Farm

Year 7 Geographers have been studying a unit on Food and Farming this term and to support their work they took a trip to Street Croft Farm near Herriard. Mr Constable and Hannah were amazing hosts and so happy to show the students around the farm. The students had been learning in class about traditional pastoral and arable farming and the way that modern farms are now diversifying. Street Croft Farm is an excellent example of this with a farm shop, cafe and on-site butchers. The farm also had a wide range of animals: donkeys, cattle, goats, pigs and chickens. Some are kept for traditional pastoral farming but many simply there for the visitors to the farm to enjoy. This was the first whole school Year 7 trip that our new Amery students had been on and their behaviour and attitude was excellent. Let's hope that they enjoy many more such visits in the future during their time here. View Article
Wild Inspiration: Year 9 Artists Sketch at Marwell Zoo
Posted on: 29/09/2025

Wild Inspiration: Year 9 Artists Sketch at Marwell Zoo

Today, our Year 9 Art students enjoyed a fantastic and highly educational school trip to Marwell Zoo. The aim was to gather some first-hand inspiration for their ongoing ‘Wild Animals’ project. This excursion provided a brilliant opportunity to take their observational skills out of the classroom and into a dynamic, natural environment. The day kicked off with a specialist observational drawing workshop led by the zoo's excellent education team. Students were given privileged, close-up access to a fascinating range of artefacts, including animal furs, skins, and skeletons. This tactile session allowed them to study the unique textures, intricate structures, and anatomy of wild creatures. It provided a solid, academic foundation for their subsequent live sketching out in the park. Later, surrounded by incredible wildlife, students explored the zoo, making the most of the opportunity to sketch animals in their naturalistic habitats. This demanding exercise helped them refine their skills in capturing form and movement quickly and accurately. Watching the animals allowed them to develop the spontaneous and confident approach necessary for effective field sketching. It was a truly memorable and inspiring day of creativity. The students returned with sketchbooks full of fantastic ideas and detailed studies, which will now directly inform and elevate the quality of their 'Wild Animals' project work back in the studio. We are very much looking forward to seeing the final pieces they produce!    View Article
Trip to Berlin
Posted on: 16/07/2025

Trip to Berlin

Students from Amery Hill have returned from an exhilarating and deeply enriching trip to Berlin, a journey described by many as "Amazing!" The recent excursion to the German capital offered a unique blend of historical discovery, cultural immersion, and invaluable life lessons, leaving a lasting positive impression on all who participated. What's more, for our GCSE History enthusiasts, the trip served as a phenomenal real-world textbook, bringing their Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship and Conflict and Tension: The Cold War, 1945–1991 units vividly to life.    Click here to read the full trip accountView Article

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