Module 1: LEARN IT
Programme Overview
Why do the William Pike Challenge?
To live happy, successful, fulfilled lives it’s vital that all of us, but particularly our youth, develop a bank of 21st-century skills to deal with unexpected challenge or change that WILL come their way. Our programme provides a myriad of opportunities for young people to step outside of their comfort zone, experience the extraordinary and develop vital 21st-century skills.
The NZ Curriculum & the William Pike Challenge
The national curriculum acknowledges that without ‘education outside the classroom’ (EOTC), the curriculum’s vision simply couldn’t be achieved. EOTC is an essential part of school life in New Zealand, yet no fixed programme is specified for that exact purpose. This is where the William Pike Challenge comes in.
Programme Requirements
- Completed over one calendar year.
- The WPC is for students in years 6, 7, 8 and 9.
- If you are a composite class – talk to us!
FAQs
What are some of the 21st-century skills developed with the William Pike Challenge?
Some of the 21st-century skills that are developed when a young person does the William Pike Challenge are:
- Increased overall wellbeing
- Resilience, confidence and leadership skills.
- Perseverance, determination and commitment.
- A growth mindset.
- Self belief and a good work ethic.
- Connectedness and togetherness with whānau, school, communities and our precious land.
- Accountability and personal responsibility.
- Planning, preparation and organisational skills.
- Communication, critical thinking and problem solving.
How do we run the William Pike Challenge?
The William Pike Challenge is a framework that is designed to weave into your curriculum not in addition to. It allows you to easily deliver existing initiatives in your school and provide further opportunities to develop your students.
How do we implement the William Pike Challenge at our school?
The steps involved to start running the William Pike Challenge usually go like this:
Learn about our programme requirements.
– Read through ‘Module 1: LEARN It.‘
Plan your schools’ programme.
– Read through ‘Module 2: PLAN It’. Start planning your William Pike Challenge programme and use our handy programme proposal to stay on track.
Get management and/or board sign off.
– Use our launch resources in ‘Module 3: LAUNCH It’ to get approval.
Pay for the programme licence.
– We’ll invoice your school and set you up on the Challenge Hub where you can manage your entire programme.
Launch It.
– Using our launch resources, launch it to students, staff and parents so they can get excited about what’s on offer!
Run it.
– Keep using the Challenge Hub for planning, tracking and inspiring students!
Who can run the William Pike Challenge?
A motivated, passionate educator who wants their students to develop 21st-century skills and experience extraordinary things!
Can I run it with blended year groups?
Yes you can and please consider the below scenarios:
- Offer the William Pike Challenge every year by alternating the Outdoor Activities every second year so your students have variety. This also allows your senior students to mentor the younger students in your programme.
- Offer the William Pike Challenge every second year with 2 year groups so you capture them all. e.g. year 7 & 8 together in 2023 and again in 2025.
- Offer the William Pike Challenge to a single year level only. e.g. senior students only. This gives your student body something to really look forward to!
How do we keep students on track throughout the year?
Allocating time to engage with your William Pike Challenge students depends on how you choose to run it in your school. See these different group makeups for a guide. Remember our Challenge Hub helps you to track your students progress with ease and we have lots of content on the Hub to keep your students inspired.
A whole year group
- Use assemblies to share messages.
- Use tutor time to share messages and have tutor teachers track student progress and offer support in the programme.
Students from different classes
- For mixed classes, the teacher in charge of the William Pike Challenge should hold regular meetings to share information on upcoming activities, assess student progress and offer support.
A whole class
- Lucky you! Plan your William Pike Challenge timetable around your own classroom including having regular meetings to assess student progress, offer support and inspire them.
How do I get colleagues and student’s parents on board?
See our Launch Resources. We have an Information Presentation that you can use to introduce the William Pike Challenge.
How do we pay for the William Pike Challenge?
All of our schools fund their William Pike Challenge differently and it is up to you how you allocate budget.
You could fully or part fund the programme with existing school budget, pass some Outdoor Activity costs onto families, pass some WPC fees onto families, get sponsorship from local businesses to help you or any combination of those.
Check out our funding resources if you’re interested in applying for a grant. We have schools who have their whole programme plus books, t-shirts and William personally launching their programme funded by local grants.