FONS Bid Provides Compasses for Orienteering Club
February 17, 2025
Orienteering reappeared as a games option this year for the first time in a decade, available to L5 and M5 pupils in Michaelmas and Lent terms. I soon found that my dwindling set of old compasses was not sufficient to cater for the group of 20+ pupils doing the sport each week. So I was very grateful when FONS agreed to fund some new ones.
I took advantage of a sale to purchase 20 new compasses for £55.85, and have been using them during training sessions and at competitions throughout this term. They are perfect for teaching a range of skills to beginners; not only taking bearings and finding direction, but they also have an array of distance measuring tools along the side. They should serve the orienteering club well for many years to come.
This term I’ve had a group of 10 pupils using them weekly in games sessions, and as many as 20 pupils using them at competitions at the weekend. The pupils currently involved range from Lower 3 through to Middle 5.
A highlight we have to look forward to in 2025 is that the British Championships is coming to Norwich for the first time ever. It will be held at UEA on 31st August, and hopefully lots of our pupils will take part, some armed with these new compasses!

