Pizza making, pottery painting or something nobody has guessed? On Hurtwood’s Mystery Bus, finding out is part of the fun. 

By the time the minibus set off, the students were convinced they were going go-karting. The idea had circulated among the group, and they were excited. There was just one problem: nobody organising the trip had said anything about go-karting. They were going to see butterflies. 

For Stella Sharma, Hurtwood’s Teacher of Sociology and Exams Officer, who also helps organise Mystery Bus, the visit remains one of her favourite memories. Some students initially tried to hurry through, but Stella encouraged them to take their time and look at the butterflies properly. It wasn’t what they had expected, but it turned out to be “a great afternoon”, she recalls. 

Guesswork is part of Mystery Bus. Students swap theories about where they might be heading, but signing up means being prepared to discover something else entirely.“You get on the bus, you have a positive mindset,” explains Stella. 

For more than 12 years, Mystery Bus has been part of Hurtwood’s Wednesday activities programme. Stella runs it alongside Media Studies teachers Mike Niland and Stuart Butcher, with outings this term including pizza making, pottery painting and a scavenger hunt. 

Former students also return for Mystery Bus reunions, joining their teachers for lunch and a programme of activities organised by Mike. Some return a year after leaving; others come back a decade later. The most recent reunion included volleyball, rounders, a sip-and-paint session and a treasure hunt. 

Whether the destination matches anyone’s prediction matters less to Stella than what happens once they get there. “If they’re having fun and they’re engaging with us, it doesn’t matter what we’re doing with them,” she says.