Resourceful students foraged for food, built shelters and survived a storm as part of a challenge to test their nerve and build their courage.
Over the last four months, 152 students from schools in the Transforming Education in Norfolk (TEN) Group have been taking part in the Ten out of TEN scheme.
It has been run by education engagement company Camouflaged Learning, which is based in Dereham, and saw students tackle 17 heats of challenges designed to develop courage and resilience.
The grand final was held at Eaton Vale Activity Centre on Wednesday and challenged teams to survive being stranded on a desert island with no food, water or shelter.
Fifty-two students from Wayland Academy, Fakenham Academy and University Technical College (UTC) Norfolk, in Norwich, used orienteering skills to forage for food and drink, prepared food on cookers they made from fizzy drink cans, built a shelter and faced stormy weather - a soaking from staff armed with water pistols.
They then had to craft boats from cardboard boxes, bamboo and bin bags to cross water and escape the island.
As part of the project, organisers asked students to assess their strengths, weaknesses, fears and ambitions - giving themselves a mark out of 10.
Matt Bagley, director of doing at Camouflaged Learning, said: 'What was especially exciting about this project is that we we're fully anticipating the students would say they wanted to play more sport, or just enjoy a bit more telly or XBox, but - without exception - the students said they'd like to be braver, more able to face new challenges and more free to try things in a different way, so that's exactly what we gave them.'
The winning team came from UTC Norfolk, with a group from Wayland Academy in second place.
Glen Allott, principal of Wayland Academy, said: 'The project has been a transformational experience for the students at Wayland.
'This project was a superb opportunity to build relationship between students and work as part of a diverse team rather than friendship groups, thereby overcoming barriers of age difference and forge inter-year friendships.'
• Do you have an education story? Email lauren.cope@archant.co.uk
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