Thank you so much to Victoria Nemeth from Highgate School for sharing with us the school's ethos around extra curricular clubs and enrichment opportunities along with specific examples of these. I know that this information will be greatly valued by many of our member schools.

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Subject Societies Update - Enrichment Clubs for All Pupils

Highgate Junior School ‘Subject Society’ Clubs for Years 4,5,6 at Lunch Time

As part of our ‘more able’ Enrichment and Extension Programme, we would like pupils to realise that school is much more than academic achievement alone: it is also about developing a passion for learning, a capacity for independent and critical thinking, self-awareness and resilience, self-confidence without arrogance and genuine interests that extend beyond the confines of the classroom. We want pupils to engage positively with a rapidly changing world as accomplished problem solvers and innovators, confident in their ability to lead, and with a clear appreciation of and respect for the views and potential of others.

The school’s existing co-curricular programme already fosters these qualities and skills, whilst supporting the Academic Enrichment and Pupil Personal Development programmes.

The ‘Subject Society’ layer would add to this dimension by:

• offering a range of academic, artistic and cultural opportunities
• fostering commitment and encouraging pupils to challenge themselves
• enabling pupils to find and pursue their personal passions whilst developing transferable skills and qualities
• promoting creativity across academic subjects and making links between subject areas
• finding a level of commitment which provides an appropriate balance between timetabled lessons and pupils’ wider interests and endeavours
• encourages participation across a range of levels from those seeking improvement of a new skill or interest to those taking existing interests to a level of excellence
• developing leadership skills where ‘more able’ pupils are encouraged to be at the forefront of new activities and societies about which they are passionate
• pupil-led activities supported by a member of JS Staff

DA VINCI SOCIETY: Da Vinci embodies the meeting of art and science in one man; what the Da Vinci Society aims to do is to bring artists, scientists and mathematicians together on projects that are both creative and practical, whilst mirroring real-life scenarios.

GEOGRAPHY SOCIETY: In the Geographical Society we prepare talks on topics of interest beyond the curriculum. We will also run a quiz and enjoy in-depth geographical discussions.

LITERARY SOCIETIES: This society focuses on engaging pupils with wider aspects of English, by diving into creative writing, also entering local and national competitions. There are also plenty of opportunities for presentations, book discussions and drama games as we explore a range of literature.

CLASSICS SOCIETY: This is a platform for any pupil interested in anything Classical. We explore a range of topics about someone or something from the Ancient World.

‘THINKING’ CLUB: Pupils will ask baffling questions about everyday things, get the chance to explore ‘big’ questions and argue their case.

DEBATING/SOCRATIC SOCIETY: This society encourages pupils who wish to explore philosophy and further their exploration of the subject, to discuss and debate key philosophical questions.

LINGUISTICS SOCIETY: This session delves into the science of language, looking at such disciplines as phonetics (sounds), morphology (words), syntax (grammar) and semantics (meaning). Together we learn about an aspect of linguistics and then apply it to a language problem based on a world language.

PROBLEM SOLVING SOCIETY: This platform gives pupils the chance to develop engineering and team-working skills. Pupils will be challenged to solve a new problem using limited materials.

PIONEERS CLUB: This is a programming club in which pupils are challenged to make something unusual using technology whilst learning new skills such programming some music or building a website, to building a prototype, using a 3D printer and much more. Working on a Pioneers project is an inventive and hands-on way for pupils to use digital technology creatively.

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Thanks again to Victoria and the Highgate team for sharing this information. It would be great if Network members could share examples of their own enrichment and extra curricular offers which promote challenge or support provision for more able and talented learners. Also, as appropriate, please tell us how you will take the ideas from Highgate forward in your own schools.