What is Enrichment?
Enrichment is about offering experiences and opportunities that enhance children’s learning. These additional activities allow children to use and extend their learning by applying the skills and knowledge they have learned across other subjects in meaningful situations.
Enrichment activities are incorporated during the school day as well as being available through the after school clubs. At Dr South’s we plan a wide range of activities that enrich the curriculum throughout the school year, for example:
- engaging with our local community and environment
- arranging outings to museums, galleries, places of worship and other venues of historical, cultural or educational interest
- encouraging children to take part in sports events and competitions with other schools in the local area
- holding special events to celebrate the skills and talents of our children
- inviting visitors into the school to share their knowledge and skills
- arranging special workshops in school
- providing opportunities to see, and participate in, performing arts in school or elsewhere
- offering varied school clubs and lunchtime clubs
How Are Enrichment Activities Funded?
Many of the enrichment activities and resources are supported by funds from the school and others are provided by the funds raised by the Friends of Dr South’s. In addition, the Lin Cooper Teaching Bursaries fund activities at Forest School, cookery and art. Visitors are also invited into school and regularly include artists and other members of our local community.
Our village location means we have access to many wonderful and unique facilities in which to provide teaching and enrichment to the children. Children regularly visit locations in and around the village for activities such as Forest School, church services or school plays.
The Lin Cooper Practical Skills Building at Dr South’s provides unique and specialised facilities for the teaching of practical skills such as cookery and music lessons.
What Impact do Enrichment Activities Have?
Many children learn more by ‘doing’ rather than ‘traditional’ learning in the classroom. In addition, we target the teaching of attributes such as resilience, perseverance and co-operation; it is only by experiencing challenge, and possibly initial failure, that children learn how to keep on trying. One thing we enjoy is watching children discover the joy of working together and true teamwork – this impacts so positively on the classroom experience and life back in school. Visitors to the school always comment on the buzz of purposeful learning that they hear as they walk round the school and see children working with and learning from each other.
And the children’s view of the impact of one aspect of the activities?
“We don’t have bullying at Dr South’s. Yes, we fall out with our friends sometimes, but we know how to sort it out.” (Year 5 child)
Who Benefits from Enrichment Activities?
Everybody. Many children who find formal learning a challenge excel at the more practical enrichment activities. We have caused several children to discover that they can wield kitchen implements. We have challenged several academically-inclined children to learn to use tools safely and work outside their comfort zone. And we have enabled staff members to view children in a different light, and raise their expectations.
What Else Goes on in School?
During each school year we do organise some educational visits and activities for which we request voluntary contributions from parents and carers to support the cost. This includes day trips out and a residential trip for the older children.
For more information, please contact us.