On Friday 18th of October, rather early, and after a 20 minute wait for the coach to arrive, 30 students and 4 staff members departed for our journey to Heathrow. We arrived at the check-in desk and eventually got through security—only to face a 3-hour delay due to the very thick fog over the airport. Finally, we were in the air. Many students had not flown before but put on brave faces despite all the new experiences. Some Year 11 girls found colouring the most relaxing activity to pass the time, setting the tone for what was to be a very wholesome trip. We arrived in Malta and made our way to the hotel in Sliema, right by the sea and with excellent views of the bay.

On Saturday, we got up early to walk to a local supermarket, wandering through historic streets and spotting some beautiful buildings. We returned to the hotel and had free time to spend in the rooftop pool which was a real treat. A lot of fun was had. Later that afternoon, we left for our first netball fixture of the trip, playing against a local club, NRG (“energy”—it took me a while to get this). Both the Year 10 and Year 11 teams won their matches, playing some excellent netball in the process. We then quickly headed to our football fixture, where the heavens decided to open. The football team faced a very strong club side, coming away with a loss but still playing some excellent football—a special shoutout to Evelyn H. Several students stepped way out of their comfort zones to help the team due to injuries: Sophie B, Freya B, and Macy H played their first (and probably last) game of football to help us out. Fantastic cheerleading came from the stands, which had no coverage, so spectators had to brave the deluge of rain. We returned to the hotel for dinner and held a quiz night, won by the ‘Fast Five’: Lucy F, Kiri B, Rebecca C, Freya B, and Libby E.

On Sunday, we spent the morning visiting the historic ‘Three Cities’ of Malta, where the girls learnt some history of the area and explored the beautiful streets and historic buildings by the port. The afternoon was spent back at the pool, where more mermaid lessons ensued. That evening, we headed to Laser Tag, which was a surprise highlight for many of us. Obviously, we were unfairly targeted by the swarming students.

On Monday morning, we rose early for our departure to the Blue Lagoon at Comino Island. After a fairly long drive, we reached the harbour, only to find our boat trip would be a 15-minute transfer on a small powerboat in quite windy weather—not ideal for most of us, but especially not for two of our students with genuine boat fears. To make this a bit less terrifying, we resorted to boat karaoke. Safely on land, we enjoyed the beautiful scenery, took plenty of photos, and had some time to relax. At the Blue Lagoon, we swam in the warm, crystal-clear waters, did some snorkelling, spotted fish, and the girls got to have an experience they may never have again. This was a real highlight for many. We returned to the hotel, then headed out for some bowling. 

Next, we transferred to our last sporting fixture, a netball match against the Malta U21 team. The Year 10 team won, while the Year 11 team just lost their match. Standouts for Year 10 were Lilly-Ann C and Mia S, and for Year 11, Libby E and Macey M. There was some brilliant netball played across both games with everyone giving their all, those not involved did some excellent cheering. We returned to the hotel for our final evening, where we organised an impromptu awards night to happen after dinner. Awards were handed out, and, finding two functioning microphones, we decided karaoke was the only proper way to finish the trip. Both year groups sang their hearts out, we also had some teacher solos.

Our final day arrived. With rooms packed, some students hid in wardrobes to scare teachers during room checks. We checked out and headed to a large shopping centre for one last bit of retail therapy. We then made our way to the airport, had a much smoother check-in process, found out everyone's trip highlight, boarded safely, and returned to Heathrow. We boarded our coach and headed back to SV. I don’t think we’ve ever had so many genuine ‘thank yous’ from parents and students at the end of a trip, hopefully telling of how good a time they had on the trip!

This was a fantastic trip, primarily thanks to our students. Their behaviour and attitudes were impeccable, and they were a true credit to our school. Over the course of the 5 days, at the airport and on the plane, members of the public and our Maltese rep couldn’t have been more complimentary of them. They made what can be a sometimes stressful experience for staff so much easier. We were so proud of them.