Extra Curricular
Drama
Drama productions have become a permanent feature in the Junior School, where all year groups enjoy performing small sketches and plays as part of the curriculum. The Lower Two’s have fun producing a show demonstrating their various talents in out Drama Hall. The Third Year’s aim for a more breathtaking spectacle, performing their annual play in the Bridge House Theatre.
Poetry recitals are also encouraged and almost half the school have been known to participate in our ‘Poetry Café’.
Lower School Adventure Weekends
The First Years and Lower Two’s participate enthusiastically in a yearly visit to an Adventure Centre. This invariably involves initiative and team building exercises and, of course, a lot of mud!
Music
Music is essentially a practical subject and provides an opportunity for pupils to organise, reflect and express individual and shared experiences. An extensive programme of individual instrumental tuition is given by a team of experienced teachers. This is supported by the learning in class lessons of basic music elements and gaining an appreciation of cultures and ages other than our own.
There are weekly rehearsals of the School Orchestra, String Orchestra and Choir as they prepare towards performing in various functions throughout the year ranging from the Carol Service, special Chapel services, the School production, Instrumental Evening and Speech Day.
Art and Technology
Both Art and Technology have a high profile in school with boys’ work constantly on display for general appreciation. During the year selected art work is sent to various public exhibitions, including the Prep. Schools National Exhibition and St. Mary’s Church, Warwick for Warwick and Leamington’s Arts Week. Evidence of boys’ work is to be seen during the school’s drama productions, as calls on ingenuity and creativity are required to provide scenery and properties.
The Art Club and Young Engineers Club meet weekly and boys are able to experience a whole range of activities and work with a variety of materials to produce two and three dimensional pieces.
Library
The Junior School Library is well stocked with both fiction and non-fiction books. Each class has a timetabled Library lesson, in which an appreciation of reading and using books is learned. In addition boys can borrow books from the Library during the lunch breaks and after school. Parents are welcome to come into the Library with their sons after school.
Reading fiction books is actively encouraged throughout the school and boys record both their reading aloud and their silent reading in diaries, which are then signed by their parents. The choosing of suitable books is made easier by the use of reading lists for each year group and by having the Library books colour coded.
An interest in books is also fostered with external book clubs and an annual Book Fair, both of which help to provide additional books for the Library.
Sport
The school has a fine reputation for sport and has gained in recent years notable success in local and national competitions in the areas of rugby, swimming and tennis.
There is ample opportunity to experience sport in the Junior School: two timetabled PE lessons taught by specialists along with a Games afternoon enable many skills to be learnt and their techniques cemented.The major team sports of rugby, football and cricket are taught with teams organised for inter school, inter house and inter class matches. Tennis and athletics also provide the boys with the occasion to learn and compete in competitive matches. All sports have after school practices.
The Junior School share the facilities of the Senior School, making the teaching and coaching of sport a most enjoyable experience for boys and staff alike.
Trips
The Junior School have had the opportunity to participate in a great number of trips this year. The Upper School have already enjoyed visiting the Black Country Museum and the Malvern Centre. This is coupled with regular visits to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.The Lower School have combined numerous trips with their work in both English and History. As such they have visited Warwick Castle, Coventry Cathedral and St. John’s Museum for Roman and Anglo-Saxon days and have participated in a historic walk around Warwick!
Residential Visits
Each year group has a residential activity organised by staff in approved centres. The Lower School experience a visit to Kingswood, an activity centre based in Shropshire; the Upper II visit France for a flavour of French life and culture; the Third year travel to the Dordogne to a PGL site for an exhilarating activity holiday.
There is also a school ski trip in the Lent half-term, which is open to all boys in the Junior School. In recent years the boys have skied in Austria, Canada and France.A recent addition to the visits schedule is a tennis coaching camp in Portugal. Again this is open to all boys in the Junior School.
Charities
Over the past two years, the Junior School have thought of many inventive ways to raise money for schools in Tanzania. The project, in conjunction with CORD, has set out to raise educational standards in Tanzania.
Who will forget ‘Funny Hat Day’ with staff and pupils showing such imagination and flair. Cake sales, book sales, white elephant stalls – all organised by the boys.
Last year we were able to buy over £1000 of equipment for schools in Tanzania, as well as contributing to other charities such as Myton Hospice and Marie Curie. Our boys have shown themselves to be thoughtful and to care about others in the world – long may it continue.
Extended Day
Extended Day is available to all Junior School boys until 6.30pm each evening.
The boys are involved in a range of activities. In winter: football, rugby, computers, board games. In summer: cricket or rounders, swimming are just some to mention, which blow away the cobwebs of a long school day. At 5pm the boys settle down and have time to complete prep with a member of staff present to give them support and check their work.
It is advisable for boys to bring trainers if they are on extended day as activities may change depending on the weather.
