We believe that an outstanding education should also involve opportunities to learn in a variety of settings. A key theme running throughout all areas is our high expectations of students in all areas of Latin Learning: Leadership, Aspiration, Teamwork, Innovation and Nurturing.
Below are a selection of RLS enrichment opportunities:
- Community: examples include a broad range of leadership and volunteering opportunities; our long-standing and extensive primary science outreach for students in Years 2-5. This programme is supported by our Y9 and Y12 students and highly valued by primary colleagues; Year 11 students provide reading and/or Maths support to Year 4 students at a local Primary School; our strong relationship with three local special schools provides a variety of volunteering opportunities; all Year 12 students are expected to undertake volunteering in Year 12.
- Enrichment Days: We run two enrichment days where all students are off timetable. These provide opportunities to develop skills that underpin our LATIN ethos beyond the academic curriculum. The March house enrichment day is competitive with points that feed into the awarding of the House Cup at Easter. This develops the full range of Latin Learning skills, including constructive competition, with a sense of community and belonging within each House. Students are encouraged to try something new and work with students across all year groups within the same House. The second is a day where students develop at least 1 of the 5 skill areas with each year group having a specific LATIN focus ensuring a full depth of coverage by the end of Y11.
- Curricular and extracurricular trips and visits: Learning beyond the classroom remains important across subjects. On average there are 80 trips in each academic year and a whole year group trip in each Key Stage. Each curriculum area is permitted one trip in Key Stage 3 and then one per year group in Key Stages 4 and 5. Examples of trips include visits to The Natural History Museum, enrichment and residential trips to the Isle of Wight and Caldecotte Lake and exchange and cultural visits to other countries such as France, Spain and Germany.
- Music Lessons: We have a range of one to one lessons that we offer from Specialist teachers – please see our music leaflet.
- House competition: Building on the exceptional offering of our House Sport, we have many other competitions that span over longer periods of time. This not only provides opportunities for more students to participate in competitions, but also provides opportunities that require students across all year groups to be innovative and work collaboratively. The planning and preparation required for these events lead to a real sense of belonging within the House and is very tangible in all of their final performances. Whilst providing opportunities to develop students’ resilience, the leadership of the older students demonstrate a great deal of care and support for all members of their House. Examples of these events range from House Dance through to House Music; the latter is now held at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre due to the popularity of the highly competitive competition. Last year saw 152 students perform where each House was represented by students from every year group with collaboration spanning upto 4 months.
- Careers: Careers education is taught across the curriculum under the ‘Aspiration’ strand of LATIN Learning. All students/parents have access to Unifrog and students have many opportunities to develop their key skills across the key stages. The school is continuing to build links with businesses across all sectors and students are more aware of the different pathways that are available to them. Each year the school hosts an Aspirations Evening where students and parents have meaningful encounters with employers.
- Clubs and teams: A strong emphasis on Sports, Arts, and on a wide range of extra-curricular activities: A broad programme of extra-curricular clubs are provided with an average of 36 clubs running per term, click here to view the latest programme. All Year 12 now have the opportunity to take part in sporting teams or activities on a Wednesday afternoon. Outstanding productions are produced on an annual basis. Over and above sports House competitions, all students are able to participate in a variety of different activities including high profile House music, drama & dance competitions, art, chess, computing, debating, design, photography, poetry & creative writing house competitions that encourage students to develop their reading, writing, design and communication skills
Sports Fixtures
Sports Extra-Curricular Autumn 2023 - Student Council: The Student Council is drawn from students across all year groups and chaired by the Student Leadership Team. It meets once a term. Representatives from each form meet with Year Captains to raise issues of concern to bring to the agenda, so that it reflects the immediate concerns of students, and matters raised are then fed back to forms through their representatives. Representatives are able to have input into major decisions across the school, and regularly invite outside visitors to attend meetings so as to further agendas such as the ecological impact of the school.
- Duke of Edinburgh: Over 100 Key Stage 4 students achieve their Bronze award each year and around 65 go on to work towards their Gold Award in the Sixth Form.
For more information please visit the DofE page - Competitive Universities: A dedicated ‘Competitive Universities’ group meets each week; a fortnightly enrichment programme for all Y12 has given the opportunity for students to prepare themselves for Higher Education and beyond, potential medics/vets also have access to work experience placements on Wednesday afternoons.
- Competitions: A large number of students participate in a range of subject-specific and cross-curricular local and national competitions, for example, the Maths Challenge, and Biology, Chemistry and Physics Olympiads, BASE competition (Business Studies), Bar and Mock trials, Model United Nations, Race to the Line, MFL and science spelling bees, Young Enterprise, Buckingham Art Prize, etc.
- Green Touch Environmental Group: we have a very active environmental group who raise awareness of local and global ‘green’ issues across the school. The group has led a successful campaign to reduce waste, increase recycling, plant trees and take part in a regional Climate Change Conference. They have lobbied politicians in the local area and organised a peaceful protest to get their views heard – FBV: democracy and rule of law. The group has also started working towards gaining an EcoSchools Award and have pioneered a project run by AVDC and received match funding for their work.
- Visiting speakers: we have an annual programme of visiting speakers on scientific topics for students, staff, parents and the local community.
- Opportunities that form an academic extension: e.g. physics lectures at Oxford University; Latin & Mandarin; Politics visit to the House of Commons; English/Drama theatre trips and workshops.
- RLS Sports Campus Student Leadership Board: Students formally apply to be part of the campaign board. Currently, there are 21 students on the board and a further 21 acting as Ambassadors. Roles include; attending meetings; discussing ideas, plans and giving feedback from their year group; helping to raise awareness of the 600 Campaign amongst the school and local community; helping to create fun events and being involved in the exciting last year of fundraising. Skills that students will develop include: Leadership, Team-work, Creativity, Brainstorming, Persuasive Writing, Photography, Project-Management, Using Initiative, Presentation, Decision-Making, Organisational, Social Media and Marketing.
