Academic Enrichment at the Senior School

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM: Academic Enrichment at the Senior School

Subject teachers offer varied and extensive academic enrichment opportunities across all year groups at the School. These supplementary activities are not part of the co-curricular programme but are viewed as ways to enrich students 'beyond the classroom.

Enrichment opportunities may be external trips linked to the curriculum, such as visits to museums or galleries, or they may be presentations at the School by academic speakers. Academic enrchment also includes residential trips abroad, external competitions, twilight discussion groups, debating and a wide range of challenge initiatives.

Classroom Based:

Photography competition: Open to all years

International High School Arts Festival Competition: Year 12

Christmas Card competition: Open to all years National Schools Photographic competition: Open to all years (under 18)

Photoshop activity: Year 7 Ceramics activity: Open to all years

Wellbeing art activity: Open to all years

Graphic art activity: Open to all years

A Magazine: Various student participation

Virtual gallery: Student work exhibited on school website. Currently GCSE and A Level pieces

Photographic competition: All key stages. Exhibition and competition designed and rolled out (5,3,2)

End of Year GCSE and A Level exhibition: Showcase coursework and exam pieces

Beyond the Classroom:

Residential art tour to Florence: Years 10-13

Artist in residence and student collaboration work exhibited publicly: Open to all years Annual exhibition of the School's Artist in Residence: Scholar's activity for all years, working with the artist in residence, culminating in public exhibition

Community outreach project: Scholar's from all year groups have designed and painted a mural for the Beacon Centre in Ashford. The centre supports local people in need

Trip to the Natural History Museum: Year 10

DRAMA

Classroom Based:

Junior Show: Years 7&8. Performed over three evenings

Junior Drama Club: Years 7&8

AshTech Club: Year 9. Focuses on technical theatre skills

Senior Show: Years 9-13

Summer Shakespeare production: Years 9-13

Beyond the Classroom:

LAMDA Tuition

Scholars showcase of performance work: Share work before the LAMDA season

Public performances of scripted components: Exam groups. Live audience and visiting examiner

Theatre trips: regular trips to productions at the NT, RSC, Globe and West End, in addition to touring productions at the Marlowe, Orchard and Churchill Theatres

Workshops with visiting companies/actors: Develop page-topage skills in all exam level students

Storytelling and performance workshop: Year 8. In line with World Book Day activities

Local Speech and Drama festivals

New York City Broadway Experience trip

Work experience: Local theatre companies, venues and producers

FRENCH

Classroom Based:

Singing and dancing performances in French: Year 7. At the end of each carousel rotation, between Term 1 and 3

Combining language learning with French gastronomy: All year groups. Cooking classes throughout the year.

French Ciné club: Years 10 - 13

Celebrations of key French customs: To add cultural dimension to language learning

Years 7 - 9 projects: Promoting teamwork and collaboration to enhance learning as well as Kinaesthetic method of teaching for younger classes to develop memorisation

Beyond the Classroom:

A Level student conference, London: Years 12 and 13

Primary links: Encouraging French language ambassador to be involved in promoting French outside the classroom Workshops and experience day in collaboration with the University of Kent: Open to all year groups

Visitor talks: The importance of languages by professor in linguistics Work experience in France: For students in Years 12 and 13 who are showing interest in widening their language experience

Trip to French Christmas Market: Years 7-9 Residential trip to France: Years 10 -13

FOOD STUDIES

Classroom Based:

Alumni visit: Talk from alumni working in Food Development at KFC, discussing their career path in the food industry

Yule Log competition: Year 9

Themed lessons: E.g. Easter, Shrove Tuesday, Chirstmas, Chinese new Year

Beyond the Classroom:

Creative cooking club, Year 7 and 8: Every Monday

Creative cooking club, Year 9 and 10: Every Wednesday

Visit to a dairy farm: Year 10 and 11, Spring Term CPA House competitions

GEOGRAPHY

S3 Fieldwork: Year 7 carry out an investigation on infiltration rates. ar 9 conduct a microclimate study eoforthefuture talks: Year 8 and Year 9. Live link to 'Geoscientist the 'field' who talks to students about their career in areas such as lcanology, climate change scientists and marine biologists areer talks: Year 9 Dr Dickers holds career talks on where studying eography can take you and the benefits of transferable skills shford Place study: Year 12 carry out fieldwork and surveys in the cal area

oom Based: d the Classroom:

lobetrotters Club: A forum for students to dsicuss topical issues oyal Holloway Geography Lectures: Sixth Form only. Variety topics availabel online CSE Study Livestream: Years 10-11. Held every Thursday evening eography in Action and Climate in Action conferences: xth form only Organised and run by Education in Action umanities Twilight Form: Years 12 & 13 xam booster workshop: Years 12 & 13. Preparation for final ams sit to Stratford and Olympic Park: Years 12 & 13 he Canterbury Trip: Year 7 sit to Hastings and Winchelsea beach: Years 10 & 11 ompetitions: e.g. Geographical Associations Physical Geography hotographer of the year, internal competitions submitted to national mpletitions rienteering Masterclass: Year 4 & Year 7 at the Senior School.

HISTORY

Classroom Based:

Alan Heywood murder mystery: Year 7. Handling evidence and making deductions

Heraldic shield-making: Year 7

Role play and re-enactments: Year 7 - Battle of Hastings and Harrying of the North Medieval board game: Year 7. Making the game in groups

Crusade carousel activity: year 7

Debates: Year 8. Henry VIII, Glorious Revolution, British Empire Charles I decision-making game: year 8 Newspaper articles: Year 8, Bloody Mary Source analysis exercises: Year 8 - Guy Fawkes, Emily Davison / suffragettes

Presentations on WWI: Year 9

Diversity theme: Year 9. Colonial involvement in WWI research

Radio broadcast on evacuation: Year 9

Carousel activity: Year 9 - gas warfare Re-enactment of a trench: Year 9

Soviet propaganda: Year 9 production

Connections with other subjects: Year 9. Fall of Berlin Wall (MFL) and Holocaust (RS)

Anatomy lesson: Year 10

William Harvey: Year 10. Pulse -taking activities

Industrial surgery: Year 10. Remove a tic tac from an oragne, mock amputations

League of Nations: Year 11. purpose and strucure of the EU and UN Inter-war propaganda: Year 11. Source analysis

Hitler re-enactment: Year 11.

Use of JSTOR and History Today: Years 12 & 13

Harvard referencing: Years 12 & 13

Witch Craze: Years 12 & 13. research into parallel miscarriages of justice

Cold War coursework: Years 12 & 13. Introduction to films and documentaries

Debating and presentations: Years 12 & 13.

HISTORY

Beyond the Classroom:

Visit to Canterbury: Year 7. Medieval pilgrimage

Castle-making project: Year 7 homework Battlefields trip to Ypres: Year 9

Trips to Welcome galleries of the Science Museum / Hunterian / Old Operating Theatre: Year 10

Visit to a site relating to Elizabethan England : Year 10

Trip to Churchill Cabinet War Rooms and Museum of London: Years 12 & 13

MATHEMATICS

Classroom Based:

Wade range of resources: Including UKMT, NRich and AMSP Technology: Explore teh subject more widely, including Desmos, Transum, graphical calculators and Geogebra UKMT mentoring programme and Olympiad questions: For students to attempt extended reasoning problems Project and journal work: Allows students to explore Mathematics in real world contexts Reading list recommended films and channels Sixth Form presentations

Beyond the Classroom:

UKMT individual Maths challenges: age appropriate. Exceptional scorers will go on to Olympiad round University admissions exam support: Includes STEP, MAT and TMUA

Maths teams: Open to all year groups. Participate in school, local, regional and national competitions UKMT Team completition: year 8 and 9. Hosted at Ashford School

Maths Academy: volunteering activitiy where students plan and deliver enrichmen activities to local primary pupils Maths events: Maths Week, National Numeracy Day, House Maths, Year 5 competition for local primary schools

MUSIC

Classroom Based:

Ensembles: Provide industry-modelled experiences for students

Repertoire for ensembles: Closely linked to set works in GCSE and A Level specifications

Scholars and higher-level performers: Opportunities within the schemes of work to differentiate their learning experiences

Beyond the Classroom:

Music Scholars trips to local music establishments:

E.g. Canterbury Cathedral. First-hand experience of professional music-making and successful processes which might be emulated in the school environment

Visits from music professionals: Including composers for television soundtracks

Beginner concerts: For young performers and new performers

International opportunities: Visit to Hamburg to the Steinway factory

PSYCHOLOGY

Classroom Based:

Suggested reading/watching list

Original articles provided to read Useful websites to support learning

Dragon's Den style presentations: Pitch and evaluate treatments

Revision strategies: How to achieve A/A*

Application-based activities: Embed knowledge into realworld scenarios

Research methods projects: Designing experiments, collecting and analysing data

Films/documentaries: relating to specific units for students to apply their learning

Beyond the Classroom:

Psychology Review: Yearly subscription Well-being sessions

Psychology in Action online lecture: Numerous talks from different psychologists from investigating conspiracy theories to implanting false memories

Suggested related Ted Talks

RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Classroom Based:

Libby Ahluwalia: Years 12 & 13. Grade enhancement session Porchlight: Year 8. Focused on homelessness Advent: Year 7. Working with Revd Bellamy Philosophy Society: Years 11-13. Discussion topics beyond the syllabus and watching key philosophical films

Beyond the Classroom:

Visit to Westminster Abbey and London Central Mosque: Year 11, Spring Term Church visit: Year 11. Learning about the sacraments of the Eucharist and Baptism Religious Studies Conference, London: Years 12 & 13

SPANISH

Classroom Based:

Spanish café: Years 10 & 11. Students enjoy a selection of Spanish tapas and communicate with their peers in Spanish

Spanish pen-al scheme: Years 10-13. Students send letters to a partner from our partner school in Seville Fashion show: Years 7-9 Spanish cookery: Years 7-9 learn to make Spanish potato omelet. Year 12 make a selection of tapas Film/novel: Years 12 & 13. Opportunity to study a second film or novel Day of the Dead workshop

Beyond the Classroom:

Educational and cultural trip to Sevilla/Málaga: Years 1113

European language qualification certificates: Awarded by Clic Language School, Seville Theatre trip to Teatro Cervantes, London: Years 12&13 Spanish film club: After-school activity Watch Spanish play at Highworth Grammar School: Years 7-9