Wrapped 24-25: Yorkshire Grit and Yorkshire Pebbles

At Scarborough College, we’ve always believed that education is about more than just academic results. It’s about character. The quiet confidence to take on a challenge. The resilience to bounce back when things get tough, and the determination to keep going to the end. These are the traits that define a Scardeburgian, and they’re brought to life every week through our Yorkshire Grit and Yorkshire Pebbles programmes.

Yorkshire Grit

Run weekly for all pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9, Yorkshire Grit is a cornerstone of life in the Senior School. Whether it’s paddleboarding at Wykeham Lakes, surfing the North Sea, tackling a bootcamp in wind, standing on a stage, or pushing limits through martial arts and rock climbing, every session is designed to take students out of their comfort zones and into environments where they discover what they’re truly capable of.

This year’s programme has seen pupils throw themselves (sometimes quite literally) into:

• Water-based activities at Wykeham Lakes
• Surfing at North and Cayton Bay
• Squash
• Golf at the range
• Surf skate sessions for land-based balance training
• Orienteering
• Martial arts
• Basic First Aid training  

There’s always a mix of nervous energy, curiosity, and excitement. Some faces start the afternoon with a look of apprehension (especially when the wetsuits come out), but by the end, those looks have been replaced with smiles and funny stories.

Yorkshire Grit is not just about adventure. The programme also supports mindfulness and well-being. That balance between physical challenge and mental focus is what makes the programme unique. It is no surprise that we see a knock-on effect in the classroom and on the sports field, where students take on everyday challenges with a more determined, “I’ve got this” mindset.

Yorkshire Pebbles

Over in the Prep School, the same resilient spirit is alive and well – and getting started even earlier.

Yorkshire Pebbles, launched in April 2023, is the younger sibling of the Senior School programme and is already a firm favourite among our youngest learners. Designed for the lower Prep School pupils, Pebbles is about sparking that sense of adventure and building resilience through fun, active, off-timetable experiences.

This year, the Pebbles have:

• Immersed themselves in Forest School, learning about nature, developing independence, and getting wonderfully muddy
• Taken part in beach-based activities, including their first surfing sessions with Dexter’s Surf School at North Bay
• Faced unfamiliar environments with bravery, curiosity, and laughter

As with Yorkshire Grit, the focus is on encouraging children to embrace the unfamiliar, develop new skills, and grow in confidence. We’ve seen huge leaps in courage, communication and teamwork, often from the most unexpected places.

The Bigger Picture
Both Yorkshire Grit and Yorkshire Pebbles are about more than just physical activity. They represent a broader ethos at Scarborough College: that character is something you build, brick by brick, wave by wave. Our pupils aren’t just learning to surf or climb or build fires. They are learning to lead, to collaborate, to make lasting friendships, to fall and get back up again – and to enjoy the journey while doing it.
So as we wrap up the 2024/25 academic year, we celebrate more than just progress in subjects. We celebrate the shouts of joy, the moments of triumph and the new passions discovered in every child.
In this school, Yorkshire Grit runs deep.