STUDENTS enjoyed a brief life on the ocean wave when they set sail on a cruise.

In a first for Westfield Arts College, it was arranged for a group of seven sixth form students and two members of staff to join a cruise.

They took in the Channel Islands and the Bay of Biscay on P&O’s flagship Britannia, calling at ports in France and Northern Spain.

Staff were delighted by the attitude of the students, who found it a great learning experience.

One of the main themes of the sixth form at Weymouth’s Westfield is for the students, who have a range of learning difficulties, to gain the social and living skills they need when leaving school.

As well as being away from family and friends, they had to take control of their own time, find their way around the ship, go to breakfast independent of the staff, join in Spanish lessons, and dress for silver service dinners.

Departing from Southampton, the first port of call was Guernsey where the group explored attractions in St Peter Port. The second stop was La Coruna in Spain.

Graham Keates, a teaching assistant who travelled with the group together with head of sixth form Susie Jeffcott, said: “The day started with thick fog but the sun soon burnt through. The group explored the old town and the beach before travelling on a bus to the Hercules Lighthouse which is perched high on the cliffs, before walking back into town and the beach where some time was spent relaxing before walking back to Britannia.”

Next stop was Bilbao where the group took in the famous Guggenheim Museum, rode on the funicular railway to the summit of Mount Artxanda to enjoy the view, and had tapas in a street cafe.

The last port was La Rochelle in France where the group visited the pretty harbour and market.

Susie Jeffcott said: The cruise was a new experience for me too.

“I was delighted by the attitude and behaviour of our students.

Many members of the public commented on how polite we were.

“Graham and I felt very honoured to be part of such a fantastic group.”