The Wider Curriculum
At St Wystan’s, we believe that the curriculum extends far beyond the classroom and we plan our timetable and school day to include so much more.
School Assemblies
School Assembly is an important time of the school day when all pupils from Reception to Form 6, along with their teachers and teaching assistants, come together. Our programme of assemblies includes staff–led assemblies, house and singing assemblies. At the end of each week, we hold a Celebration Assembly when Kindness Awards and Special Mentions are awarded to pupils, and extra-curricular achievements are celebrated. Over the year, each Form presents an assembly to pupils, staff and parents, sharing a snapshot of their learning with the school community.
Music in School
The school choirs and band rehearse weekly and perform at major school occasions and in the local community. There are regular school productions including nativities for the lower school, plus a production for the upper school. There is also a House Music competition. Our peripatetic music programme provides additional opportunities for our pupils to pursue an interest in Music with lessons being offered in.voice, piano, drums, guitar and a variety of brass and woodwind.
LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art)
Our visiting LAMDA teacher visits weekly to deliver sessions to individual pupils with a flair for performance. LAMDA helps to develop a host of skills, from speaking clearly, using voice projection, to improving memorisation, body language and building an understanding of imagination and expression to engage with an audience. Pupils have the opportunity to work towards a LAMDA exam in communication or performance whilst exploring the life and work of William Shakespeare for the ISA Shakespeare competition.
Clubs
Children are given the opportunity to participate in a wide and varied number of extra-curricular activities. We encourage children to be involved in a range of activities, helping to develop and nurture each child’s strengths and interests.
To give a flavour of what is on offer, choices include drama, football, netball, art, science, knitting, choir, quiz and language clubs. Our clubs change termly, allowing pupils to try a different one each term or to stick with a firm favourite.
Trips
At St Wystan’s, we provide a wide programme of educational visits over the year for each Form. This includes visits to galleries, museums and theatres, as well residential trips for our pupils in Forms 3-6. Our educational visits link closely to learning in the classroom and add another dimension by bringing the topic to life and adding hands-on and experiential opportunities.
School Council
Pupil voice is of utmost importance to us at St Wystan’s. We believe that no child is too young to have a say – our school council is a decision-making body that includes pupils from Reception all the way to Form 6. They meet regularly with the Deputy Head to discuss issues, put forward ideas from their peers and to make positive changes for our school.
