Orienteering is a popular sport at St. Andrew's School. All children learn the basic skills during a weekly activity session in their first term in Year 3, using a specially drawn map of our 54-acre grounds. They are then invited to come along to a real event organised by our local club, the Berkshire Orienteers (BKO), on a Saturday or Sunday morning somewhere in the Berkshire countryside.
Those girls and boys who opt to continue with orienteering will be able to enter one of a series of ‘colour-coded' courses, graded according to difficulty, and as they complete each level they earn a badge which is proudly worn on their tracksuit. In the early years, many children choose to run in a pair, and teamwork and co-operation are fostered, in addition to learning the all-important map and compass skills. Later on, most will choose to run solo whilst enjoying the challenge of the course around a beautiful forested area, both locally and further afield.
Every year, St. Andrew's School takes part in the British Schools' Orienteering Championships. The venue for this prestigious event moves around the country each time: Northumberland in 2009, Hertfordshire in 2010, Scotland in 2011, Cheshire in 2012 and Derbyshire in 2013. Following the 2012 BSOC in Delamere Forest, Cheshire, we are proud to say that St Andrew's are currently the British Champions at Prep/Middle School level.