Clubs
We offer a range of daily teacher led and external sports after school clubs. The current list includes Rugby, Musical Theatre, Tennis, Cricket, Football, Art, Orchestra, Violin, Cookery, Lego Challenge, Origami, Playdoh Sculpture, Yoga and Spanish.
Music
Our music provision is excellent. Our qualified specialist teacher offers every child two lessons of music a week in addition to a selection of rare extra-curricular musical opportunities. Every child in Year 2 learns a musical instrument and the children’s passion for music is reflected in our well attended weekly orchestra and violin clubs. The opportunity to sing in a choir, with solos and part singing on offer in addition to the performance on an instrument is vital to the success that the children enjoy enabling confidence to blossom.
Art
We have enjoyed success at Regional as well as National art competitions and our art director has been much sought after to be loaned to other schools to pass on her extraordinary talents. Described by our recent Inspection as ‘exceptional’, our Art specialist produces termly themes based on the work of a famous artist and uses her experience as an Early Years practitioner to tailor make a syllabus that is accessible for every age. A process driven approach means that our children have supported access to woodwork and metalwork skills in addition to fabric making alongside the wealth of paint and pastels!
Languages
A talented practitioner is the key to meaningful languages at an early age and our Modern Foreign Languages teacher gets the best out of the children by pitching the level perfectly. In addition to weekly French lessons in every year group, our weekly Spanish Club is another popular option for our 5-7 year olds.
Drama
Class Assemblies are enjoyed by the whole school in addition to the performing class’s parents and the whole school watch with delight as the assemblies giving us an insight into each class’s topic. With small classes there is nowhere to hide and every child relishes the opportunity to take part in these entertaining assemblies. In addition our annual Poetry Recital Competition provides a platform from the youngest to the oldest to shine and celebrate this medium. In addition to Harvest Festival and Christingle Assembly narrated by our Year 2 children, we have two drama productions a year with a famously splendid wardrobe of costumes.
Sport
Three lessons of sport a week with a dedicated specialist teacher keep the children fit and active. Mrs Pryor has a full timetable of activities for the children to enjoy. The House system provides the framework for the competitive annual Sports Day and our Year 2 House Captains are always on hand to provide support and encouragement and leadership. Other popular opportunities include Football and Netball fixtures with other local schools. The Pancake Relay Race where skills of running and flipping pancakes need to be combined with speed and our 1 mile charity run where again the key to success is the pairing of the 6 and 7 year olds with the 3 and 4 year olds as they run the ten lap course.
IT
Weekly IT lessons are taught in small groups and with apple TV and interactive white boards in every room the children quickly become courageous as they learn to get the very best out of a range of educational apps on their iPads. They also learn how to code using iPads, Bee-Bots and LEGO education sets.
Future Leaders
Each week Year 2 benefit from our bespoke unique Future Leaders Programme. The vision is for children to engage with activities which promote leadership skills such as collaboration, problem solving, debate, teamwork, and public speaking. The children learn about themselves as developing individuals and as members of their communities and explore their responsibilities as global citizens. They learn social skills such as how to help others, listen to others and to respect other people’s points of view – even if they do not agree with them.
Future Leader’s is an exciting and dynamic programme which develops skills for the future.
Houses
All children in the school, including nursery, are part of our House system and this offers an opportunity to add pastoral care by dividing the school into 4 smaller units. Named after children’s authors, our House system is meaningful and child friendly. Every term all the children gather in the Hall under their House banner and after a warm greeting and discussion about how to earn Housepoints, the children set off to 4 areas of the school with Year 2s holding the hands of the Nursery children and Year 1s following suit with the Reception children, to hear a chapter by their House author and enjoy and opportunity to get to know their fellow House mates.
Visitors
Inspirational visitors with first hand testimony to share is one of many ways we bring subjects to life and excite our children. To hear from an Olympic medallist fresh from Tokyo and hear a one-armed concert pianist perform are just two examples of our well-chosen guests.
Residential
When you are 7 and at the top of the school a residential visit to a nearby Field Centre is an adventure that becomes one of the highlights of the school career. We take our Year 2s for two days of fresh air fun with a ‘sleep over’ in the middle!