A YORK school has celebrated an important anniversary by arranging the biggest school trip in its history.
Although the oldest state secondary school in the city, it's 40 years since All Saints RC School in South Bank, opened its doors in its current form in September 1985.
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The school, in the centre of York, was formed from the amalgamation of three Catholic secondary schools in the city and the lower school site is still located in the old Bar Convent Grammar school, which was the oldest school for girls in the country.
To mark the anniversary, the whole school – more than a thousand students - spent the day at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster.
It was the biggest trip the school has ever arranged.
Head teacher Sharon Keelan Beardsley said: "It’s an important year for us and we wanted to mark the anniversary in style.
"All Saints is very much about community and it was important that we were able to provide an opportunity to bring together young people from year 7 to 13 in one place. The Wildlife Park was a venue where they could have fun and learn outside of the classroom.
"The operation to decamp the entire school across Yorkshire took several months to plan.
"17 coaches and a mini bus were used to ferry almost 1200 students and staff to the Wildlife Park."
Deputy head Jo Sandwell was in charge of making the trip happen.
"It was a major logistics exercise! It took a lot of hard work – but it was worth it," she said.
Since returning to school, students have been sharing their experiences and have thanked staff for providing them with an opportunity to be together.
Head student Oliwia Rościszewska said she really enjoyed the day.
"It was a very refreshing experience. It reminds us that learning goes beyond exams and the classroom- it's also about exploring the natural world, meeting new people, and sharing special moments together. I was really happy to celebrate this milestone with our All Saints community."
The students did get time to explore the wildlife park which houses lions, tigers and the biggest collection of polar bears in England. The visit inspired discussions about animal habits, feeding regimes and some of the challenges that are facing ecosystems across continents.
Prizes were on offer for the students who took the best pictures.
Mrs Keelan Beardsley, said it was important to record the school’s big day out.
"It was such a great day, we want to make sure we collect all the memories," she said.
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