Y8 - 9 Ocean Stars Sri Lanka Residential Trip 2026

Please note that all of the details provided below are SUBJECT TO CHANGE.  The illustrations are taken from previous years’ trips and cannot be guaranteed.

Audience: Year 8 (Year 10 when trip departs) and Year 9 (Year 11 when trip departs)
Trip Organiser: Mr R Walker 
Approx Cost Per Pupil:

£3,288 - £3,388 (Depending on the number of applicants)
Estimate Deposit: £200 (Upon application)
Limited Places: 12
Passport Required:   A British Citizen’s or EU Passport (must have an 'expiry date' at least 6 moths after return date) or a visa will be required.
Usual Month of Departure: October - November (Dates will be confirmed in the Trip Bulletin)
Opens for Applications: Tuesday 22 April
Deadline for Applications and Submitting the Letter 9pm on Monday 28 April
Usual Student Launch Assembly: Before Easter
Term Time or Holiday: Half-Term holiday +/- 3 days
Usual Duration: 13 days - 12 nights
Usual Departure Time: At approximately 3.30pm
Usual Departure Meeting Point:   Calthorpe Park School, coach bay
Usual Return Arrangements: Parents to collect from Heathrow airport (Sunday evening)
Method(s) of Transport: Coach & Aeroplane
Accommodation: Thilanka Hotel Kandy, Thilanka Hotel Dambulla,
East Lagoon Hotel Batticaloa, Galidari Hotel Colombo

Final details will be provided upon confirmation that your child has been allocated a place.

 

INSPIRING TESTIMONIALS FROM OUR RECENT SRI LANKA TRIPS

Students 

  • An unforgettable time.
  • It was amazing to see how many families have been impacted by us.
  • It has made me want to return and help those less fortunate than me. 
  • I learnt that language is no barrier to getting on with people. 
  • Everyone was so welcoming, and they were very knowledgeable. 
  • I felt a close bond with my team as we shared a very special experience.
  • The organisation of the trip was excellent/ brilliant/ very good/ incredible.
  • It was great to have authentic experience of Sri Lanka.

Parents

  • It’s been a once in a lifetime opportunity for my child and the trip has been retold to numerous friends and family. 
  • My child has learnt to appreciate the value of money and the reward of fundraising and seeing how that money is spent in Sri Lanka. 
  • The personal nature of Ocean Stars has made our whole family feel involved. 
  • My child came back feeling that they had a real impact on the lives of others. 

PRE-REQUISITES

SL 2

Students will apply to join us for this life changing experience in Sri Lanka. Over the past years, we have worked with a range of partner schools and community groups in Sri Lanka. Successful students will work with us throughout the 2025-2026 academic year to prepare lessons and fun activities, which they will deliver to Sri Lankan students in various local schools, including different age groups, a school for deaf/hearing impaired students, and a local community group.

Successful applicants will visit a range of cultural sites including the world famous Temple of the Buddha’s Tooth, a tea plantation, and a spice garden.  Additionally, they will experience a jeep safari to see wild elephants and visit the rock cave temple of Dumbulla.

Students who are selected commit to help us raise funds for Ocean Stars Charity, which supports individuals, schools and community groups across Sri Lanka. Fundraising has included both group and individual events, and students who have joined us in the past have raised sufficient funds to build a pre-school in Batticaloa, rebuild a music room in a secondary school and contribute towards many other amazing projects. Students will have the chance to see where the money they have raised has been spent and visit many of these projects during their time in Sri Lanka.

We expect successful applicants to be ambassadors for our school and to model considerate and appropriate behaviour at all times, taking into account differences in local customs, attitudes and traditions.

TRIP PROCESS – VARIATION

SL 3

Students will be required to submit a formal, written letter, outlining their reasons for wanting to be part of the experience. Students should address their letter to Mr K John, outlining what skills they will be able to offer in Sri Lanka, how they think they will manage the significant journey to and travel around Sri Lanka, how they will deal with differences in culture and climate and being away from parents and friends. They should consider what they might be able to bring back to our school and how they feel they might be affected personally in visiting a developing country where life is very different from in the UK. They should include ideas for fundraising both individually and as a group, which is an important part of lead up to the trip. The deadline for submitting this letter will be 9pm on Monday 28 April. This will be confirmed to students in the launch assembly.

Students’ letters should be addressed to Mr K John and submitted by email to Mr R Walker (Trip Leader) r.walker@cps.hants.sch.uk with a ‘Request Delivery Receipt.’

SL 4

In addition, parents will receive an Edulink notification on Tuesday 22 April advising them that the trip is open for applications on Scopay. All applications must be supported by the letter mentioned above. 

The face-to-face interviews are expected to take place week commencing on Monday 5 May.

Place confirmation letters will be issued on Tuesday 13 May.

By applying for a place, you are agreeing to support your child’s involvement in this 20-month commitment and to paying:

  • Initial, non-refundable deposit at the time of application
  • Minimum of £2000 by 01.12.2025
  • Full balance of the trip in full by 01.07.2026

On the understanding that:

  • the cost of the trip may increase/decrease depending upon the flights available at the time of booking and you may be asked to make an additional payment. Refunds will be made in the unlikely event of overpayment.
  • the trip will take place during October 2026, but dates may overlap with the academic term and will involve all of the October half-term break.
  • the number of days/nights may increase/decrease

If there is insufficient interest, or we are unable to source a suitable venue, deposits will be refunded in full.

SAMPLE ITINERARY

Ocean Stars Sri Lanka Experience is open to all Year 8 students.  We will also consider applications from Year 9 students, but it must be borne in mind that they will be in Year 11 at the time of the trip.  Students will work with us on an orientation programme during year 9, when they will learn about Sri Lanka, its customs and traditions; learn to say some key words in Sinhala and Tamil, and plan their fundraising during the school year and their activities whilst in Sri Lanka.

SL 5

 SL 6                 SL 7

 

The itinerary for the proposed 2026 trip is yet to be confirmed but the experience would likely include:

  • Departure from Calthorpe Park School by Coach
  • Flight from London Heathrow
  • Arrival in Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • Drinks and refreshments aboard coach journey to first hotel
  • Full services of driver and guide from Beyond Boundaries
  • Overnight stay at Thilanka Hotel Kandy
  • Visit to The Temple of the Tooth, Kandy
  • Cricket match with local school in Kandy
  • Visit to tea plantation, Geragama
  • Visit to herb and spice garden
  • Overnight stay at at Thilanka Hotel, Dambulla
  • Train ride from Perideniya to Rambukkana
  • Jeep Safari to Minnariya National Park to see elephants
  • Visit to Dambulla Rock Cave Temple
  • Drinks and refreshments aboard coach journey to Batticaloa
  • Accommodation at East Lagoon Hotel, Batticaloa
  • Coach travel to all locations in Batticaloa
  • Visit to Koneswaram Temple in Trincomalee
  • City tour of Colombo
  • Overnight stay at Galadari Hotel Colombo
  • Visit to Gangrama temple in Colombo
  • Lunch at Barefoot Handlooms
  • Shopping in Colombo for Sri Lankan handicrafts
  • Full use of pools at hotels with lifeguards during stay
  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks each day, and fresh water supply at all times
  • Full medical insurance

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