Matthew Moss pupils take adventure learning to extremes

Students from Matthew Moss High School present Lee Houlding with their school flag at The Chill Factore, which will be displayed at base camp in Antarctica

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To inspire children, Leo Houlding, leading British climber, extreme sports enthusiast and global adventurer, has dedicated his next expedition to Matthew Moss High School – and five other schools in the North West – in a unique partnership with the Adventure Learning Schools™ (ALS) charity.

Houlding and his team are off to Queen Maud Land in Eastern Antarctica and aiming to make the first ascent of the two kilometers long, North East Ridge of the remote peak Ulvetanna (a Norweigan name that translates as the ‘the Wolf’s Tooth’).

Students from Matthew Moss High School presented Houlding with their school flag which will be displayed at base camp in Antarctica. Matthew Moss students  also took part in skiing to get a sense of what it will be like for Houlding and his team when travelling across Antarctica.

The groundbreaking expedition aims to complete a new route on Ulvetanna, recognised as the most difficult mountain to climb in Antarctica, and is being sponsored by British outdoor brand Berghaus. Houlding - a climber, alpinist, base jumper and adventurer – launched plans at a specialChill Factoreevent for students to follow every inch of the seven-strong team’s expedition to Antarctica through a UK first ‘live’ learning expedition.

Houlding, aged 32 from Cumbria, has collaborated with The ALS charity and Matthew Moss School staff to develop a special curriculum for students, covering essential considerations that keep the climbers alive on their expedition, ranging from logistics and planning to climate and nutrition.

Speaking about his plans, Leo Houlding said; “This expedition to make the first ascent of the remarkable North East Ridge of Ulvetanna and BASE jump from the summit, is set to be my greatest adventure to date. It is the most difficult peak to climb on the harshest continent. We dedicate it as a ‘first of its kind’ live learning expedition to inspire and challenge young people in the North West as they undertake a range of expedition challenges related to numeracy, physics, literacy and culture. 

“The ethos and principles behind Adventure Learning Schools™ are close to my heart and I have seen for myself the excitement young people experience and the benefits of using wilderness expeditions to provide a unique approach to implementing the national curriculum. The extreme nature of our expedition combined with the wondrous landscape of Queen Maud Land really captivates pupils. The expedition has so much rich learning involved with it, from the mathematics of food rationing and calorie intake to the science behind the new hydrophobic down technology in our insulated clothing. Adventure Learning is about much more than young people just going into the outdoors to discover themselves, though it is of course a crucial part of it.”

Sam Dainty, Head of Physical Educationat Matthew Moss High School, said: “The Chill Factor event was a great success, with Matthew Moss learners pushing boundaries and developing many learning attributes throughout the day. The learners thoroughly enjoyed the day and were inspired by the fact that Leo himself attended and worked with them.

“Leo’s expedition is going to be a bases for an adventure of our own, where learners plan and carry our their own expedition in the Pennines. It is also going to be used as a stimulus to many curriculum areas within different areas of the school and will allow us to link lots of subject areas together to enable staff and learners to work collaboratively. Matthew Moss High School was officially accredited as an Adventure Learning School at the event, which was an honour for our learners. The Adventure Learning Schools ethos should now allow us to further develop lifelong learning skills with our learners and enable our staff to develop their skills in leading outside the classroom. It’s an exciting time for us!”

Professor David Hopkins, Executive Director for the Adventure Learning Schools™ charity and former Chief Advisor on School Standards, said: “Students at Matthew Moss High School are being given a unique and fantastic opportunity to apply their problem solving skills to this learning expedition. This is enabling them to become independent learners who use their curiosity to delve more deeply into a range of traditional academic subjects.

“Leo and his team have gone to extraordinary efforts to open up their Antarctica expedition to benefit the learning of students. The whole notion of Adventure Learning Schools™ is to put adventure in learning and curiosity at the heart of the curriculum. We have an unrelenting focus on literacy and numeracy but also support our students to develop those range of learning skills and dispositions that will enable them to become active enquirers and citizens in the mid 21st century.”

Andy Raymer, Headteacher at Matthew Moss High School says: “We have been involved with the Adventure Learning Schools™ charity for a number of years. The school is committed to prompting learning outside the classroom.”