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For a school to truly support young people to fulfil their potential, it has to offer more than just academic excellence. By placing equal value on those lessons taught outside the classroom, The King Alfred School delivers a deeper learning experience
At The King Alfred School, North London, what might traditionally be described as ‘extra’ curricula activities are an intrinsic part of the learning experience. The school weaves them carefully throughout school life and truly consider them to be ‘co-curricular’ – as valuable a part of a student’s educational journey as any other.
They bring together real-world experiences, outdoor learning, clubs, camps and trips, giving young people the opportunity to develop character and transferrable skills, which will help them to make a difference in our ever-changing world.
Life lessons
In both Lower and Upper School – Friday afternoons are dedicated to learning based on the interests and passions of the students. Called ‘Enrichment’ in Lower School and ‘Choice’ in Upper School, students can choose from a diverse range of options which aim to develop transferrable skills like creative thinking, collaboration and a sense of community.
With options including quilting, blacksmithing, filmmaking, cooking, community engagement, basketball, yoga, money matters and Japanese language, these sessions give students a chance to explore something new or get more involved in a subject or hobby they already love. Working with students from different year groups builds their confidence and communication skills and helps to build bonds within the school community.
In-tents learning
Camps are an integral part of the school programme from Year 3 onwards. For our younger students, we start with a couple of nights at a trusted outdoor adventure centre with bunkbeds and home-cooked meals. As students reach the end of Lower School, they graduate to camping under canvas and cooking their own meals in what is always a memory-packed week.
In Year 7, students head off on camp at the start of the year to help integrate new students who join the Upper School. Year 8 is a memorable year as the students create and live in a community on the school grounds as part of our Village project, sleeping in self-constructed shelters and cooking over open fires.
Camps in later years require students to do all their own cooking and cleaning whilst taking part in activities like surfing, hiking and mountain biking during the day.
Camps also allow students to mix and collaborate with those from other classes and take part in different activities to those they encounter in daily school life. These trips away from the school grounds offer meaningful opportunities to develop students’ confidence, resilience and a sense of responsibility.
Join the club
The school provides a huge range of lunchtime, before and after school activities, including music and drama lessons, sports clubs, bands, choirs and performance opportunities. Students are encouraged to develop their interests and passions in clubs which are run by a mix of school staff and external providers. Knitting, ceramics, Science, cheerleading, badminton, books, poetry, and homework clubs are just a fraction of what’s on offer.
The extensive provision comes with an important reminder – Head of Lower School, Karen Thomas, notes: “While we could book our children into exciting lessons and clubs every day, it’s important to remember that there is beauty in allowing children time to be bored. Free time allows children the opportunity to create their own entertainment, alone or with friends.”
Distance learning
A wide range of curriculum-linked trips take place every year, both in the UK and abroad, designed to enrich students’ learning experiences.
In Lower School, students will venture off-site for visits linked to their Enquiry Topics. Whether that is walking into Golders Green to look at the influence of migration on their local area, or a trip to the Verulamium Museum or the Ragged School to immerse more fully in a topic, our younger students have many learning opportunities outside the school gates.
In Upper School, there are history trips to WW2 sites in Belgium and significant Civil Rights locations in America, fieldwork residentials for Biology and Geography students, Modern Language immersions abroad for those studying French and Spanish, and trips to galleries and creative exhibitions in destinations like Paris and Eindhoven for the Art, Design and Photography students. Closer to home, subject leaders will often organise trips to relevant exhibitions, conferences, workshops and businesses, which enhance understanding of what the students are studying.
Year 11 students are able to take part in the annual trip to Namibia as part of a partnership between The King Alfred School and a local charity. They take part in voluntary work to support local schools and challenge themselves, spending time in the desert learning how to navigate and sleeping under the stars.
For students looking for physical challenges, there is an annual ski trip available to all Upper School students and the Duke of Edinburgh Award programme, which runs from Year 9 onwards.
Taking action
Social responsibility is one of the school’s guiding principles. As such, students are encouraged to take part in fundraising initiatives and volunteering from an early age. From gift and food donations at Christmas to musical performances to raise money for a local hospice, the idea of community is ever-present.
As students move through the school, there are also opportunities for community outreach where they can forge relationships, and volunteer their time, with local organisations like food banks and care homes.
Students often lead on fundraising initiatives for causes close to their hearts such as Student Action for Refugees, Save the Children and Show Racism the Red Card.
Welcoming visitors
Students at The King Alfred School also benefit from visitors who come in to help them more deeply understand their study topics, offer practical workshops or provide advice and guidance.
Lower School visitors have included Holocaust survivors, immigration lawyers, authors, scientists, Shakesperian performers and adventurers. In Upper School the PSHE curriculum is packed with speakers who come in to share advice on everything from managing money to DEIB workshops, supporting mental health, drugs education and sexual health information.
By embedding co-curricular activities and progression opportunities firmly in the core curriculum, The King Alfred School creates deeper learning experiences that enable children and young people to thrive at school and beyond. By supporting students to be self-reliant, compassionate and endlessly curious, the school helps them reach their goals and build the lives they want to lead.
