Beyond the Curriculum

Intent

At Bladon C of E Primary School, we provide many enrichment opportunities across our curriculum to enhance the learning experiences of our children. Our topic-based approach enables links to be made in the local community such as Blenheim Palace, Woodstock Museum, the Ashmolean Museum as well as further afield in Oxfordshire. We want to widen children’s experiences as they go through our school, becoming life-long learners and global citizens.

 

Implementation

Church connections

Teachers plan purposeful learning opportunities that widen the children’s experiences and build on their skills and knowledge. As a Church of England School, we focus on many key events in the Christian calendar. Whole-school Harvest and Easter services allow the children to participate in our local Church services which promote the Christian Values and provide the children with a sense of community and belonging. At Christmas time, our younger children take part in a Nativity in which they all help to retell the Christmas Story. Our older children take part in a Carol Concert and share the Christmas story through narration and song. Reverend Katie leads a weekly collective worship within school as well as being an active member of our school community. He has worked with our school worship team to deliver child-led collective worship.

 

Leadership and community roles

We feel it is important to offer our children leadership roles to help build their confidence and self-esteem as representatives of not only their class, but also the school. The children have several opportunities to take on responsibility and work collaboratively with children as well as adults.

Every child who joins Bladon CE Primary School is allocated to one of our four houses all named after local rivers: Cherwell (Red), Evenlode (Yellow), Glyme (Green) and Windrush (Blue). Children in Years 5 and 6 then are given the chance to deliver a speech to the school about why they feel they should be house captain or vice-captain. The rest of the school then vote on the roles. Each week Dojo points are totalled by house and a cup is presented the captain of the house who has won the most points that week.

Children in Years 1-6 have the chance to become members of the School Council each year. They are elected in the Autumn term by their peers. The School Council has organised charity events and been part of the interview panel for new members of staff.

The worship team is comprised of children from Years 1-6 and they come together to plan their own worship assemblies with support from staff or the local Reverend.

We believe physical education is another great way to develop leadership skills in our children. This is why we offer the opportunity for children in Years 5 and 6 to apply for the role of playground leader. Any child who is interested is encouraged to write a short note explaining why they feel they would be good for the role and what skills and behaviours they would bring. Successful leaders then support at playtimes, on a rota, setting out equipment, ensuring it is used correctly, helping younger children to enjoy their playtimes and facilitate some structured games.

 

National Events

We promote awareness of national events such as Remembrance Day, Anti-Bullying Week, World Mental Health Day, European Day of Languages, Safer Internet Day and World Book Day. Through these events we help enable our children to discover their roles as a Global Citizen.

 

After school clubs and music

We offer a range of after-school activities in addition to the normal after-school club provision on offer.

There is a sports club three days a week from 3-4:00pm and these change from term to term to reflect the demand for an individual sport, the season and the sports being taught through the curriculum. Most after-school sports take place at the excellent all-weather facilities we have use of off-site.

Over the years, staff with different interests and expertise have led a range of other clubs including art club, creative writing and book club.

We have two external companies who use the site for after-school provision too, giving our children the opportunity to learn karate and musical theatre.

Our most popular club is choir on a Wednesday from September to January. The children learn a wide range of songs to prepare for the Young Voices concert at Birmingham Arena. On the concert day, they join with around 6,000 other children as a single choir supported by a live band and a range of guest artists. It is one of the highlights of the school calendar for those who take part!

We use specialist teachers from the Oxfordshire Music Service to provide most of our music curriculum. Children in Chestnut Class learn recorders and children in Maple Class learn brass. There is also the option for parents to pay for additional music lessons. We currently have children who enjoy piano, violin and drum lessons.

 

School trips and residentials

To enhance the curriculum and further develop their love of learning, all children are given the opportunity to go on school trips and residentials, ensuring their school experience is filled with opportunity, positivity, and memorable moments. This helps them to gain real world experiences that cannot be taught in the classroom as well as opening their minds to different cultures and strengthening their knowledge of the world around them. When our Year 6 children come to write their leaving speeches, they often mention when they went to visit the Ashmolean, Woodstock Museum, Oxford Castle, Story Museum and talks and workshops by experts in their fields. Children in Acorn class also participate in weekly Forest School sessions on site. We believe that it is important to develop children’s independence and confidence in staying away from home, and so we have carefully planned class experiences to build on these skills gradually through their time at Bladon.

• Acorn Class – Return to school for an evening campfire.
• Chestnut Class – School sleepover in our hall.
• Maple Class and Orchard Class – a two-night residential in Years 4 or 5 and then a four-night residential in either Year 5 or 6.

 

Impact

We may be a small school, but we believe in offering our children a wealth of experiences beyond the curriculum which give them treasured memories of their time at primary school. These experiences enable our children to leave Bladon as well-rounded individuals with valuable skills that are transferable in many aspects of their lives. They build their resilience, social skills and ability to work as a team. Bladon children become compassionate, independent thinkers and learners with passion and drive who are proud of their individuality.