Enrichment & Extra-Curricular Activities

A range of extra curricular activities are available to pupils during lunch break and after school, each under the supervision of a teacher. Activities that have been available in the past include: choir, instrumental tuition, orchestra, ICT, sports clubs and outdoor pursuits. In addition, drama productions and concerts are arranged throughout the year.

The school organises friendly matches with other schools in a number of team games. Pupils are given the opportunity to enhance their learning by taking part in a wide range of field study and other educational outings.

In July 2006, a programme of activities will be organised for all pupils in Years 7-9. Year 10 pupils undertake a week's work experience and Sixth Form students have the opportunity of work shadowing.

Many residential experiences are offered including exchange visits, sports tours, Retreats, and the annual school pilgrimage to Lourdes in which senior students and staff accompany and care for sick and handicapped pilgrims. Students visit Germany every autumn and the 6th Form art students have visited Florence.

School Council

We have an elected School Council where students can represent the interests of their Form Classes. Form Representatives have attended INSET training at County level. The School Council makes a valuable contribution to the school community in many ways including organising events and raising money for charity.

Mathematics

The Mathematics department, using our new technology from the investment in Business and Enterprise with Ethics, has meant lessons becoming more focussed on student’s real experiences.

We are committed to our enrichment programme that inspires pupils of all abilities with extra opportunities to develop their mathematics.

Examples of this would be our Gifted and Talented programme, the teaching of percentages using Income Tax and VAT in their questions, use of problems from our industrial partners in assigning GCSE Coursework using live Statistics from the census or business data from companies, Bank & Student loan information, problem solving for the Key stage 3 maths clinic, introduction and ongoing participation to the ancient Chinese game “Go” which is about strategy and mathematical thinking and many more.

Physical Education

The PE department has a commitment to develop the talent of students in the sports field, St Wilfrid’s has always believed in developing the body as well as the mind and our role has been to facilitate that to each individuals level of ability.

The extra curricular programme that the PE department runs enriches the pupils at the school by allowing the (pupils) students to show, and progress their skills whilst creating a focussed and positive attitude to school and sport. Recent successes in County and National competitions have added a real “Buzz” at St Wilfrid’s.

ICT

Computer Club 4 Girls (CC4G) is a lunch time club run by Ms Tennant to encourage more girls to consider IT as a career. The club meets Mondays (week A) and Tuesdays (week B) in Lab 6 and there are a a variety of activities to try including mixing music, interior design and game making.

 Girls from years 7 to 9 are encouraged to come along and give it a try!

Business & Enterprise

The Business/Economics and Vocational Area have a wide variety of enrichment activities/events that allow students to experience the reality of the business world.

These events allow students to participate in practical activities to develop not only their own understanding of business/economics but also to develop their teamwork, communication and presentation skills.

Many of these activities are hosted/lead by our business partners eg, Yr 12/13 Business students have undertaken a Business Key Skills event, a two day Finance day workshop and our GNVQ students have interactive sessions on Human Resources with Ramada Jarvis. Year 10 students take part in a variety of activities including the Stock Market Challenge through the EBP, our gifted and talented Year 10’s work on a marketing challenge and other Year 10 participate in a business key skills event.

Our Tourism students right through from Year 10-13 have a real appreciation of this vocational area through dedicated visits/guest speakers but also through our flagship work with two local tourism organisations: Marketing with Wakehurst Place and Customer Service with Ramada Jarvis.

Economics students have undertaken visits to the Bank of England and also to the London Stock Exchange for targeted sessions. There are also plans to extend our enrichment activities to include a focus on leadership which is one of the school’s enterprise skills.

Science & Technology

Our department has an ongoing enrichment programme to allow for the best possible opportunities for students to build knowledge from different perspectives within the Science and Technology fields.

One recent example of this would be the arrangement of an extra curricular activity for our gifted and talented year 10 and 11 pupils to visit the Hawth Theatre for a Faraday Lecture.

The lecture, ‘Emission Impossible – Can technology save the Planet?’ will look at how technology is helping us to tackle climate change and to make better use of the Earth’s precious resources.

This show and similar projects will be a stimulating and informative excursion which should help our pupils realise the huge variety of possible career paths available within Science and Technology.

Music

Almost 10% of students currently study extra curricular instrumental lessons through the County Music Services.

 Additionally we have a thriving school choir who perform regularly at liturgies and concerts and a newly formed orchestra.

 The Music Department also has a concert’s management company, S.W.A.P. (St Wilfrid’s Artistes Presents) that put on fortnightly lunchtime concerts, as well as running trips, visits, productions and performances with other departments.

 

 

Modern Foreign Languages

The Modern Languages Department at St Wilfrid’s is so keen to involve our students in extra curricular activities that it arranges a significant number of trips abroad.

There is a long established residential trip to Germany for our Key Stage 4 students and a new residential trip for French students to the South of France.

At Key Stage 3 we have a cross curricular trip with the Technology department to Paris and a 2 day trip to the Christmas markets in Aachen. With other days on offer to the theatre, cinema and language days, students have every opportunity to experience languages first hand outside the classroom.

Citizenship

Citizenship - finding out our cultural identity; investigating the laws of the land; exploring our political landscape; questioning how we live our lives. This and more is taught through subject areas and Citizenship lessons giving opportunities for research, discussion, questioning and debate.rch, discussion, questioning and debate.

Geography

What is the world like? How are places changing? How can our actions affect those changes?

Crucial questions that the Geography Department at St Wilfirid’s give pupils the opportunity to explore and answer, both in the classroom and through fieldwork activities.

History

The History department at St Wilfrid’s School is deeply committed to providing the students in all years with an enriching experience of historical study that will remain with them into their adult lives. This experience will provide them with the skills necessary to perceive the events they live through within a historical context. Without these skills they will not fully understand today’s world or their part in it. The Department teaches the students to analyse evidence to the point where they can make informed, reasoned judgements. As part of this process we enrich their skills of leadership, research, teamwork and presentation through knowing about the past as well as communicating about the past.

For example, the “A” level History students spend a day at the Houses of Parliament in which they take part in a seminar with a MP debating current political issues, as well as visiting the Chambers of the Lords and Commons in the Palace of Westminster. Back in lessons they take on the roles of particular 19th century politicians and conduct parliamentary debates about the burning issues of the past that form part of their 19th century studies. Indeed, all year groups have an opportunity to take part in debates relevant to their history courses while presenting themselves as historical characters. These activities add significantly to the process of learning by being interactive and fun while allowing their historical skills to develop which will serve them well in later life.

Art

The Art department runs regular trips to London Art galleries. Students are also given the opportunity to visit major foreign cities, for example Florence and Barcelona. These visits offer the students a rich cultural and social experience.

Annual art exhibitions enable the students to show their work to family, friends and teachers. Cross curricular projects run in lower school. The Art, Music, Drama and PE departments work together on a themed cross-curricular project. This work culminates in an evening of entertainment. Every student contributes to this evening in some way.

Christmas cards were designed, made and sold by Year 9 students during an after school club. Any profit made from the sale of these cards went to charity.

English

The English Department aims to extend its pupils by developing enrichment opportunities in the key areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Examples of these initiatives are reading events and activities, encouraging gifted young writers to showcase their talents and encouraging debates on major contemporary issues. Gifted and talented students have successfully completed express entry to public exams, gaining three English GCSEs in two years.

These activities build confidence and skills applicable in the wider world.

Religious Education

The RE curriculum is designed to help pupils discover and explore their faith relationship with God. As part of this each pupil receives at least two hours of Religious Education every week. We focus strongly on the Christian faith.

In addition to this every year group gets to experience a spiritual retreat, every week we celebrate a class Mass with the local clergy, each day begins with morning prayer, children are encouraged to be involved in writing and dramatising liturgies for feats days, our choir and instrumentalists learn hymns and modern Christian songs.

We encourage peer ministry and have a vibrant chaplaincy calendar.