THE spirit of adventure has descended on a South Lakeland school where a new head teacher hopes to bring outdoor education to the forefront.

Ian Lavender, who took over the reins at Windermere St Anne’s School this week, has unveiled his vision of a school where strong community links and adventure activities are integral to pupils’ learning.

Mr Lavender said he would continue to nurture the impressive academic record but said it was important to promote learning through experience, adventure and voluntary work.

“My real vision is to educate people with a sense of self worth and show them they can go out there and do exciting things,” he said. “I want pupils to realise qualifications are important but they are not everything. We have to learn to be sensitive to one another and appreciative of other cultures.”

Mr Lavender, who in his previous post at Gordonstoun School in Scotland led 22 expeditions, said: “I cannot think of a school with a better location in the British Isles than this one in Windermere for developing outdoor education and the confidence it gives people.”

Unlike many public schools, WCA saw admissions rise this year despite the recession.

It is also the only school in the country to offer the International Baccalaureate Career-related Certificate (IBCC) - a public sector A-Level equivalent qualification that recognises and rewards outdoor studies. It was this and its status as a Round Square School that attracted Mr Lavender.

“For me the underlying attraction was the school’s Round Square ideals,” he explained. “I particularly want to build upon WSA’s community links and get involved in events such as the Great North Swim.”

Round Square is an international association of schools, which aims to develop students through academic, physical, cultural and spiritual experiences.

Already, WSA pupils have been on international exchanges, attended conferences and taken part in voluntary service projects all over the world.