EDUCAT ION
YOU’RE TAKING PEOPLE WITH SIMILAR INTERESTS AND GIVING THEM A SHARED PURPOSE
develop abilities that won’t appear on a certificate, but will stand them in good stead in later life. He points out that while academic qualifications show just how good you are at a particular subject, it’s the co-curricular activities that tell a future university or employer how you’re also brilliant at running a fundraising project, or keeping up morale when captaining a team that’s lost its mojo in a crucial match. There’s also the ability to give back – something that’s a big feature of the co- curricular programme at The Perse, where students go into over 20 primary schools in and around our city to teach a range of subjects, working alongside Perse teachers. “You’re taking people with similar interests and giving them a shared purpose,” says Richard. “That can work on so many different levels. That shared interest can mean they are able to collaborate, achieve shared goals and demonstrate teamwork.” Other schools share that view. The goal is to ensure that pupils are happy and successful, helped by giving them opportunities that they might not have encountered elsewhere. “It’s about developing the whole pupil and bringing out their interests, talents and actually their character as well,” says Laura Davies, deputy head academic at St Faith’s. “They’re working with different groups
of people, perhaps coming up against unfamiliar things and building positive attitudes and resilience.” For William Earl, director of the wider curriculum at The Leys School, the importance of the co-curricular programme can’t be emphasised enough. Given that it complements pupils’ academic studies and helps their personal development, what’s not to like? “We try to join up the three pillars of education at The Leys; academic, pastoral and co-curricular. So, to us, the co-curricular programme really matters,” he says. “It has traditionally been core to our ethos and an integral part of the school week for all pupils. We give a significant amount of time in the afternoons and early evenings towards it.” When it comes to showcasing what’s on offer, the range is mind-boggling. If you want to try robotics, archery and climbing, all three feature among the expansive range of clubs and societies available to secondary school pupils at The Perse. At St Faith’s School, opportunities include the Green Goblins club, where pupils plan and build electric go-karts. “They design the team name, colour, body work, then go and race them,” says Laura. And that’s just the start. “We’ve got quiz clubs, with pupils competing in national competitions – where we’ve got a very high success rate – to things such as art clubs and our productions,” she adds. Drama workshops offer the opportunity for pupils to collaborate, write scripts, then perform them. Other interests are well catered for, too. There’s even an ornithology club. The Leys, too, is jam-packed with options. From sport (squash, badminton and outdoor pursuits such as canoeing, climbing and rowing) and entertaining (card games), to edgy performance art (street dance) and giving back through volunteering (via the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme – taken by up to a quarter of the entire school community), it would be a rare child who didn’t find something that lit a spark. Sometimes this means students setting it up by themselves – which is what happened with a group of sixth-formers that wanted to create podcasts, involving interviews with people outside school on diverse topics IN THE ZONE The curriculum at Gresham’s allows musicians to shine (top left); The Leys (far left) and Stoke College (left) pride themselves on outdoor pursuits
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK SEPTEMBER 2021 83
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