Every week two Thursday afternoons, conventional school is replaced with ‘Curriculum Enhancement’, an afternoon of enrichment activities led by specialists.  These opportunities are intended to broaden your child’s experience of the curriculum and introduce them to new skills, knowledge and experiences.  Remaining in school is optional, so your child can leave school at 1.55pm to continue their learning from home during the afternoon. 

Students are rotated automatically on a termly (Sep/Jan/Apr) basis and will have the opportunity to experience three enrichment activities during the year.  Please see the ‘Course Descriptors’ below for information about each activity offered until July 2023. 

Parents will receive an email on 5th September 2023 inviting them to complete a Form which must be completed at the earliest opportunity to secure a place on a course which is randomly allocated by the school (not the parent/child).  We urge parents to check and respond to their emails at the earliest opportunity to ensure a smooth start.   

Please note that spaces are limited on each course and allocations are undertaken by the school, subject to availability (see list below-subject to change).

Curriculum Enhancement Thursday Activities

Course Descriptors 2023-24

(We reserve the right to withdraw/change/modify/add to any of the courses at any stage of the year)

Please note most students will have the opportunity to experience three activities available to their year group (unless stated otherwise) as they will rotate automatically on a termly basis (Sep/Jan/Apr). 

Please note Animation is a year-long course and BSL is a half-yearly course.

Year 7-8

Animation (Year 7-8) (this is a year-long course)

The animation course, which lasts the whole academic year, will look at several types of animation. Everything from traditional animation, vector animation through to Stop-motion animation also known as ‘Claymation’ or ‘Stop-frame’ animation, the technique used in film and TV favourites such as Wallace & Gromit, Morph, Pingu, and Shaun the Sheep.

Students will have the opportunity to create films using drawings, computer graphics and Lego characters, Clay, plasticine or any object or material. Just let your imagination go.

 Students will learn how to use and develop their skills in;

• Filming
• Planning their animation with a Storyboard
• Designing sets
• Use of green screening, and rig-removal
• Creating sound effects and soundtracks Students can use the software supplied by the school or their own software.

Art Club (Year 7-8)

A fortnightly experimental theme chosen by students (e.g., watercolour paints, anatomy etc.) to work on their chosen topic and allow students to reach out of their comfort zone by experimenting with new media and subjects.  It aims to introduce students to new ideas of perspective, composition, and colour.

Aston Villa Football (Year 7-8)

This course seeks to develop Speed, Agility and Quickness (SAQ) and a variety of strategies and tactics.  Students will travel to and from the venue on the school minibus accompanied by a member of staff.

This is an outdoor activity, so students need to come dressed in suitable sportswear appropriate to the time of year.

British Sign Language (Year 7-8) (this is a half-yearly course)

British Sign Language (BSL) is the most used sign language in Britain.  BSL has its own grammatical structure and syntax, as a language it is not dependant nor is it strongly related to spoken English.  BSL is the preferred language of around 145,000 people within the UK (2011).  Sign Language is a visual means of communicating using gestures, facial expression, and body language and is used mainly by people who are deaf or have hearing impairments.

This half-yearly on-line self-study course is set out into 10 sections and can form part of the skills section for those looking to do DofE.  Each section is made-up of webpages of information and short video clips demonstrating the signs that you are learning.  Students will then swap to another course after February half-term.

On completion of the course students will have access to their certificate which will contain a verification code that can be used by people such as employers to verify the authenticity of the certificate.

Please visit BSL’s website for more information:  https://www.british-sign.co.uk/

Building Fitness & Resilience (Year 7-8)

These sessions will cover a variety of activities such as team building, self-regulation, self-discipline and emotional resilience to promote positive mental health and well-being.  Students will also develop mindfulness techniques to aid concentration and help to combat negative thinking.

Chess Club (Year 7-8)

Students of all abilities accepted to come and play chess.  After a short lesson, members play against each other, sometimes matched against each other based on skill.  All boards, clocks, and pieces are provided.

Coding Club (Year 7)

An introduction to coding and programming languages such as 'Python'.

Engineering (Year 7-8)

These sessions aim to provide students with valuable insights into various aspects of the field, such as earthquake-proof buildings in Japan, the aerodynamics of F1 cars and planes.

They will be engaging and informative, fostering a deeper understanding of the subject matter among students. By examining current products / solutions, we can create a dynamic learning environment that goes beyond traditional classroom teachings.

Hockey (Year 7-8)

Students will develop a variety of skills, strategies and tactics. 

This is an outdoor activity so students need to come dressed in suitable sportswear appropriate to the time of year. 

Warhammer (Year 7)

Our aim is for students to have a nice place to come and relax and discover a hobby that they probably had no idea about.  They will be able to:

• learning how to paint models

• playing small matches so that they can learn how to play

• read warhammer related books if they are interested in the story of the game

Wing Tjun (Year 7-8)

Wing Tjun is a form of Kung Fu and during this course we will cover basic self-defence, anti-bullying and meditation.  Wing Tjun is good for the body and mind, delivered by IWKA Wing Tjun from Coventry.  The aims of the course are:

• Improve Confidence
• Self-Esteem
• Fitness
• Awareness
• Improved Focus
• Have Fun

At the end of the course there is an option to take part in a grading to achieve the first grade in Wing Tjun.