Wycombe Abbey Co-curricular Activities and Opportunities

Co-curricular Activities and Opportunities

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COLOURFUL EDUCATION

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Welcome

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t is my pleasure to introduce you to the co-curricular and enrichment programme at Wycombe Abbey. Our school has a clear vision, which is to be at the forefront of girls’ boarding education and to be recognised globally as a world class school. We aim to provide more than academic excellence, providing our pupils with opportunities to gain skills that prepare them for life, while instilling in them the values that underpin our community.

One reason why Wycombe Abbey pupils achieve so highly in their academic endeavours is because of the many opportunities that they are offered outside the classroom; our vibrant co-curricular programme perfectly balances our academically rigorous curriculum. We are extremely proud of the energy and variety of clubs and societies at Wycombe Abbey, which are essential elements of providing the all-round education that our pupils enjoy. The co-curriculum provides a great way for girls to meet like-minded friends, and everyone is actively encouraged to get involved.

The world around us is changing rapidly and our dynamic programme will continue to evolve. As you will see from the pages which follow, life outside the classroom is exciting, varied and future-focused. We seek to broaden horizons by providing a wealth of opportunities, encouraging our pupils to develop their current interests and explore new ones.

Nick Woods Deputy Head (Strategy and Operations)

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Our Co-curricular Programme

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hat do you remember most about your school days? For me great memories were created through trips and activities outside the classroom. At Wycombe Abbey we hope to create events and opportunities filled with laughter and enjoyment which will be remembered with friends for a lifetime. We strive for our pupils to discover academic subjects that excite them, but recognise that lifelong learning involves much more than this. Whether it is onstage, camping in the Chiltern Hills, playing lacrosse, a trip overseas or producing a batch of Wycombe Abbey honey, our co-curricular offering has something for everyone to try

Our programme spans seven days a week in line with our full boarding ethos.

Pupils have timetabled paid extras such as music, sport or LAMDA lessons during the School day, as well as group rehearsals, sports training, society meets or guest lectures in the evenings.

On Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, sports fixtures take place, and from noon on Saturdays our Weekend Activities Programme kicks in, offering on-site sessions and off-site trips. Additionally, there are occasional day and residential trips to support curricular learning and personal development. One of the biggest challenges is working out how to choose between all the options on offer!

Our School Values underpin all that we do and our co-curricular offering seeks to reinforce them, as demonstrated throughout the following pages.

We seek to achieve a balance of fun, exciting and challenging activities, through which fundamental skills can be developed, helping to prepare your daughter in whatever she chooses to pursue.

We encourage pupils to step outside their comfort zone, both physically and mentally by engaging with something new or by stretching existing skills. It is during these moments that pupils learn most about themselves and gain confidence to take risks knowing that they can learn from their mistakes and failures.

Fiona Gee Head of Activities and Trips

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TRUST ENCOURAGEMENT MUTUAL RESPECT EXCELLENCE BALANCE DYNAMISM INNOVATION SERVICE 5

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Boarding Life The heart of the School and a home

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Houses

ur Boarding Houses are at the heart of the Wycombe Abbey experience and a home from home for every pupil. Whether a Boarder or Day Boarder, both are encouraged to spend time in House, to complete academic prep and to socialise.

Junior House (UIII) is the start of the journey. Everything is geared to helping our youngest pupils settle into School routines and make friendships with peers across the year group. Moving dorms each term helps to facilitate this. Evenings may be spent in the House playground, choreographing a dance routine in the Recreation Room or reading in the House Library.

The Houses are a community in themselves. Pastoral staff are responsible for pupil welfare and get to know the girls as they progress through the School.

Staff learn to understand pupils’ strengths and areas of interest, suggesting opportunities they may like to get involved with in order to challenge existing skills or learn something new.

LIV-LVI pupils live in one of our nine Senior Houses. Each runs their own programme of activities led by pastoral staff. Weekly highlights include Toastie Tuesdays, milkshake making, themed craft sessions, book club and hot chocolate evenings. These are an opportunity to wind down at the end of the day with friends across the year groups, and switch off as they would do at home. LVI have roles of responsibility, supporting the Housemistress to lead the House.

The journey pupils experience together is very special. The relationships built in House between pupils of all ages through sharing a dorm, watching a film in the common room or having a chat in the kitchen on a Sunday afternoon are long lasting.

Clarence House is for UVI, where girls return to living with their year group solidifying the friendships built throughout the younger years. Pupils can focus on their A levels and university applications while living with peers who are at the same stage. Clarence is the perfect preparation for university life.

Events There are one-off House competitions for the whole community as well as some for certain year groups which include music, dance, drama, sport, debating, quizzes and a Wycombe Abbey special: cup stacking! These are memorable moments when pupils don their House colour and support the team. The buzz of House spirit and camaraderie is electric.

House Games take place weekly on a Monday afternoon for Senior House pupils.

They train with their House group over a number of weeks before competing in an inter-House competition. Girls take part in a host of alternative activities and sports such as softball, orienteering, dance, tag rugby and tug of war, as well as the more traditional lacrosse, netball, swimming, tennis and athletics.

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A weekly overview Time spent travelling between rehearsal, training and performance venues, travelling to and from school, or to visit friends can be seen as being wasted.

Here on campus, everything and everyone are only a few minutes’ walk away, so pupils can take part in many more co-curricular activities before, during and after the School day.

Most activities are within our School grounds but if a specialist facility is needed, transport is arranged and a staff member will accompany the group (e.g. PE off-site extras). Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend whole School events, mainly on Wednesday evenings or over the weekend so they too feel part of our community.

Weekdays Wake up 7:15am Activity Strength and conditioning and swimming training for performance athletes.

Saturday Wake up 8:15am

Sunday Weekend Activities Programme

Registration 8:20am Chapel/School Meeting 8:30am Lessons start 8:45am Break 10:00am – Society meetings Tea 3:35pm – Society meetings Lessons end 5:20pm (4:15pm on Wednesdays)

Lessons start 9:00am Lessons end 12:00pm Pupils can leave site if an ‘Open Weekend’, returning by 7:30pm Sunday.

Brunch/Sunday Lunch

Wednesday afternoon ● Sports training/fixtures. ● Drama and music rehearsals.

Weekend Activities Programme ● Sports fixtures. ● Drama and music rehearsals. ● On-site activities and off-site trips. ● Socials with other schools.

Weekday evenings ● Society and club meetings. ● Sports training, drama, dance and music rehearsals. ● Paid dance and off-site PE Extras. ● Guest lectures. ● Boarding House activities. ● Bedtime

Evensong 8:00pm with guest speaker

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School Trips Learning locally and globally

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earning about a subject outside of the classroom brings it to life and helps pupils to understand concepts in a real-life setting. We aim to create opportunities for our pupils to visit new places both locally and overseas, exposing them to a variety of cultures and traditions, exploring the past and motivating them for the future.

Academic departments lead day and residential trips. This could be staying locally in Buckinghamshire for a theatre trip, travelling to the Yorkshire Dales where they need to be self-sufficient, or overseas to see glaciers in Iceland. Some trips target year groups while others welcome mixed ages to enable friendships to develop across the year groups.

Exemplar residential trips ● October Long Leave ● Easter

Geography Iceland/Morocco (UIV-UVI) ●

Recreational ski trip USA (LIV-UVI) ●

Biology Peru (UV-LVI) ●

Duke of Edinburgh Lake District (LVI-UVI) ●

Duke of Edinburgh Chiltern Hills (LV) ● ● History France and Belgium ● (UV) Tennis Portugal (UIV-UVI)

● Summer

Duke of Edinburgh Yorkshire Dales (LVI-UVI) ●

● Other calendar points

Outdoor Sports tour education Short haul (UIV-UVI) UK destinations ● (UIII) ● ● Science CERN, Switzerland (LVI-UVI) ● History of Art Italy (LVI-UVI)

● ● Music tour Ski races (UIV-UVI) France (UIII-UVI)

● Modern Foreign Languages European city (LVI-UVI)

● Classics Greece (LV-UVI) ● Debating Singapore (LVI)

● Sports tour Long haul (UIV-UVI)

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● Science Japan (LVI)

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Weekend Activities Programme Finding a balance and having a brilliant time

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Open and Closed Weekends

eekends are for enjoying time with friends and switching off. This may be through relaxed House activities, on-site sessions using the School’s indoor and outdoor spaces, or travelling off-site for cultural or adrenalin-fuelled trips.

Closed Weekends are those where all pupils remain on-site. They generally fall on the first and last weekend of each term, plus an additional weekend in the Autumn Term. These are key opportunities for the whole School community to spend time together and we arrange activities such as our own Wycombe Abbey fun fair, a mobile farm visit or cultural fair. It is also when we come together for important dates such as Remembrance Sunday or Christmas carol services.

We ask pupils to get involved in the planning of activities for the year ahead which helps to inform our annual programme. Trends change so we are flexible and review our provision regularly. We appreciate that 11-year-old pupils in Junior House have different interests to our Sixth Form pupils, and activities are tailored to each age group. There really is something for everyone.

All other weekends are Open Weekends, meaning that pupils can go off-site from 12:00 noon or after commitments on Saturday afternoon, through to 7:30pm on Sunday, returning for Evensong at 8:00pm. Pupils sign up for weekend activities at the start of each week and these are generally included in the fees.

Socials Our links with boys and co-ed schools are important for providing social opportunities for pupils on Saturday nights. In the younger years, pizza making and bowling are popular, and for the older years, mocktail making and quizzes are regular favourites.

Weekend Activity highlights

Our Sixth Form enjoy laser clay pigeon shooting and suppers, as well as the more formal Caledonian Society with Eton College, where pupils learn how to ceilidh dance, culminating in two black tie balls. Socials are much loved, enabling pupils to mix with others their age and create friends in other schools.

On-site

● Wycombe Abbey Fun Fair ● Mobile farm visit ● Laser tag ● Archery rampage

Off-site

● Camp out

● Thorpe Park theme park

● Outdoor cinema

● Cadbury World

● Cookery sessions

● Go Ape high ropes course

● Escape room

● Supper and theatre trips

● Yoga

● Westfield shopping and crazy golf

● Wine tasting (Sixth Form)

● Inflatable water park

● Gardening Club

● Harry Potter World

● GlastonAbbey rock music festival

● London exhibitions/museums ● Coral Reef Waterworld ● Go karting ● Oxford punting

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Societies and Clubs Something for everyone

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e have over 50 clubs and societies covering a range of areas, and if one doesn’t exist already, the pupils are encouraged to set it up and lead its development.

Some of our societies

Our annual Societies’ Fair at the start of the academic year enables pupils to learn about what is on offer and register their interest to join. Societies are informal groups, typically led by two Sixth Form pupils with support from a member of staff. Groups gather to discuss key topics and may invite guest speakers or go to external events together. They offer leadership and organisational experience to those in charge as well as the opportunity for younger pupils to explore ideas in more depth as bonds are strenghtened across the year groups. Clubs are led by a member of the teaching staff.

● Art Society ● Astronomy Society ● Bee Society ● Business Club ● Caledonian Society ● CathSoc ● Classics Book Club ● Classics Society ● Computer Science Society ● 3D Print Society ● Debating and Public Speaking Society ● Drama Society ● Economics Society ● Embroidery Society ● Engineering Society ● Enterprise Society ● Fashion Society ● Fisher Society ● Gardening Club ● Geography Society ● Global Opportunities

● Greenpower Car Club ● History Society ● History of Art Society ● Identity Society ● Islamic Society ● Junior History Society ● Law Society ● Literary Society ● Maths Society ● Medical Society ● Model United Nations ● Modern Linguists Society ● Music Society ● Newspaper, ‘The Publication’ ● Oriental Society ● Politics Society ● Psychology Society ● Rock Society ● Science Society ● Sustainability Society ● Tycoon Enterprise

Wycombe Abbey has the most amazing co-curricular activities and opportunities.”

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Society highlights Greenpower engineers design, build and race kit cars. Anyone with a passion for motorsport, teamwork or STEM is invited to join to maintain our ‘Sprocket Rocket’ and ‘WA Phoenix’ electric cars as well as develop future vehicles. A past highlight has been qualifying for the International Finals at Silverstone, racing on the famous track!

Our beekeepers harvest around 85lbs of honey a year and sell it to the School community. Pupils help in all stages of the production and marketing process: monitoring the on-site colonies, using the smoker, extracting frames and honey from the comb, filtering, jarring and selling.

We have one of the largest and most active Model United Nations (MUN) societies in the country. More than 150 girls are involved and we host our own conference, WASAMUN. We compete in conferences around the world, most notably in New York where we represented the UK at the National High Schools MUN in March 2020 where we won the Award of Excellence (top team prize).

Duke of Edinburgh Bronze and Gold Award programmes are popular. Visiting the Chiltern Hills, Yorkshire Dales and Lake District, pupils learn how to be selfsufficient on an expedition as well as committing to volunteering, physical activity, learning a skill and completing a week’s residential (Gold only).

Pupils come away with increased confidence as they surprise themselves when pushing their boundaries during the expedition. The Award also helps girls hone their time management through balancing the different sections alongside academic commitments. The Gold Award is a real accolade and a cherished moment when pupils are invited to a Royal palace to receive their certificate.

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‘MUN has given me the confidence to explore future career paths as it instils a better sense of diplomacy.’

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Drama Curtains up!

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hatever girls’ theatrical interest or experience, they will find a place in the theatre. Pupils may enjoy performing on stage but they can also explore working backstage on lighting, sound, costume and as stagehands.

Alternatively, their creative flair may mean they wish to investigate the role of writer or director and can develop leadership skills through these routes.

Pupils learn to be adaptable, flexible and also to collaborate to develop the desired performance outcome.

Performances ● School Musical (biennial) ● Upper Three Production ● Fourth Form Production ● Shakespeare Schools Festival (LV) ● House Play Competition (LV)

Lessons and certificates

● Senior Production

LAMDA is popular with more than 150 pupils in a range of year groups taking exams annually in disciplines including Acting, Public Speaking and Verse and Prose. We run weekly lessons preparing pupils for certificates at Grade 3-8 and have seen an increase in the numbers of pupils achieving the post-Grade 8 ‘PCERT’.

● The Clarence Play (UVI) ● Lower School Arts Soirée ● Edinburgh Fringe Festival Highlights have been taking a GCSE piece and the Drama Captain’s piece to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, as well as staging A Shakespeare’s Soirée at the Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre with a cast of 220.

Academic enrichment GCSE and A level pupils attend theatre productions at least once a term as well as experiencing school visits from leading theatre companies such as Frantic Assembly, The Paper Birds and Gecko.

Drama Society Our LVI Drama Captain runs Drama Society which holds regular meetings and events during the year including screenings and live streams of productions, workshops from visiting companies, theatre trips and scriptwriting competitions.

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Music Hitting the right note

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hether it’s performing in an orchestra, singing in a choir, playing lead guitar in a band or wanting to try something new, the Music Department helps pupils develop their musical skills and broaden their experience.

Weekly opportunities ● Three orchestras Sinfonia, Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra. ● Five whole-school choirs Chancel Choir, Chapel Choir, Holst Singers, Choral Group and Phire (pupil-run gospel choir). ● House Choirs ● Chamber Ensembles For string and woodwind players. ● Four bands for wind, brass, percussion and keyboard players Junior Concert Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band and Stage Band. ● Rock Soc For pupils wishing to start their own bands and perhaps even write and perform their own songs.

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Lessons and certificates

Performance

One-to-one tuition across the full range of orchestral instruments as well as singing, piano, organ, harp, classical, acoustic, rock and bass guitar is offered.

On average, 150 pupils take ABRSM practical music exams or performance assessments from Grade 1 through to Diploma Level; Grade 5 music theory is also a popular option for aspiring musicians.

● Lunchtime concerts An informal opportunity to practise performing in public. ● Orchestral concerts Both in our auditorium and at London venues. ● Rock Soc with Harrow School A concert at each school where bands perform to an audience of friends. ● GlastonAbbey rock festival Summer event on the final weekend of the academic year. ● Choral Concert with Eton College Choirs join to perform large-scale choral work such as Handel’s Messiah for an annual event at Eton College.

Learning the flute has been such a rewarding process at Wycombe; I take part in Concert Band and in Flute Group, and I can honestly say these sessions are some of the best times in my week. The pieces we play are always fun and it really helps me to relax.”

● Masterclasses with visiting musicians For example, celebrated violinist, Tasmin Little and rising star of the classical world, pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason have worked with the pupils. ● Lower School Arts Soirée A chance to showcase our younger musicians and ensembles. ● Music tours Long- and short-haul residential overseas trips. ● Local community events Chamber concerts in churches in the local area.

Competitions ● Bucks Battle of the Bands For our most enthusiastic rock bands. ● South East Schools Chamber Music Competition For our most accomplished chamber ensembles. ● Wycombe Abbey Competitive Music Festival A House competition held over a term-time weekend for pupils of all ages and abilities. ● House Singing Competition A whole-School event where all members of each House arrange and perform to the School, led by the LVI House Conductor.

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Sport Getting active

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e are committed to offering competitive and recreational sport for all, where pupils are encouraged to discover enjoyment through activity by being exposed to a wide range of sports and plenty of choice each week. From trampolining to tap dancing, riding to rowing and cross country to cricket, we are sure everyone will find a sport they can thrive in.

All are encouraged to attend training and will have the opportunity to represent the School or play in inter-school matches, gaining competitive experience. This exposure offers pupils a chance to develop resilience, flexibility, strategic thinking and collaboration, all fundamental transferable skills.

We hope that the score works in our favour, but if not, those are the moments when we discover the most about ourselves and learn from loss or failure. That is what being part of sport at Wycombe Abbey is all about.

Performance ● Weekly fixtures Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. ● Autumn and Spring Term Lacrosse, netball, swimming, squash and cross country. ● Summer Term Athletics, tennis and cricket. ● Aspiring and Performance Athlete Pathways Additional training and resources provided to guide pupils through their journey as they work towards reaching their potential at county, regional, national and international level. ● Overseas competitions Ski races in France twice a year. ● Sports tours Short- and long-haul trips during school holidays for a range of sports and abilities.

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Specialist coaching More than 350 bespoke weekly lessons for ballet, tap and modern dance, tennis, squash, fencing, trampolining, swimming, kickboxing and karate take place individually or in small groups.

Programme highlights: Living Tennis The Living Tennis programme is led on-site by external coaches. Pupils can choose extra tennis coaching and progress through the Evening Academy and into the Advanced Academy Programme. Performance players are channelled into the Delgado and Lee Pro Academy at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre if appropriate.

Dance Our dance programme is extensive with companies having a mix of pupil and staff led choreography and rehearsals. RAD and ISTD syllabi are followed for ballet, tap and modern with exams sessions taking place each term, catering for pupils from beginner to vocational level.

We are proud that on average,

Off-site

over 70%

Our grounds enable the majority of our sport programme to take place on-site.

However, for specialist facilities, we travel locally after lessons and at weekends.

of all pupils compete in a competitive fixture during the academic year, and whether in the Senior 1st Team for lacrosse or a G Team for netball, the principles are all the same.

● Athletics Little Marlow athletics track ● Golf Wycombe Heights Golf Club ● Horse Riding and Polo Local Buckinghamshire and Berkshire venues ● Rowing Dorney Lake, Eton ● Skiing The Snow Centre, Hemel Hempsted ● Tennis Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre (high performance players)

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Having teams for a range of abilities allows me to pursue my passions in tennis and netball. I enjoy the experience of playing in matches against other schools and appreciate gaining advice on how to improve.”

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Enterprise A focus on the future

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Future focus

ur School values of dynamism and innovation drive us to inspire pupils to be bold with their ideas, curious with their future plans and for us to provide forums to enable them to make informed decisions about their next steps.

Our careers programme aims to inspire and broaden awareness of possible future careers. Opportunities include our annual Careers Seminar for UV-UVI hearing from two keynote speakers over the course of an evening.

We strive to nurture the leaders of tomorrow for a global workplace, encouraging pupils to be open-minded and embrace change as it happens around them. The early years are for experimenting with their interests and during the Fifth and Sixth Form, pupils are exposed to structured opportunities for business and career development.

We hold regular Career Spotlights, with the selected speakers being chosen in response to pupil requests. Recent events have centered on working in the charity sector, software engineering, acting, sports marketing and investment banking.

Enterprise

Our Future Ready Week for LVI provides a series of workshops on topics as diverse as the meaning of success, diversity in the workplace, the rise of freelancing and flexible hours, how to discover and utilise transferable skills, and switching careers.

The Tycoon Enterprise Competition is popular with creative Lower Sixth pupils looking to develop entrepreneurial skills. Small teams bid for start-up capital from the Peter Jones Foundation, presenting their business plans and elevator-pitch videos. Our teams are successful in securing funding and have gained fantastic experience of starting and running a real business. With the support of a mentor, teams are exposed to inevitable challenges along the way, developing their employability skills including financial capability and resilience.

A recent team, ‘Re-Soul’, upcycled footwear to help reduce landfill. They were winners in their age category, an achievement that was celebrated at the National Final at Hampton Court Palace.

Other projects have included Wycombe Abbey 125th anniversary mugs, scented candles, hand-painted water bottles, and unwanted clothing recycled into fashion accessories.

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I feel that the School has a genuine, unique energy and environment. The sense of community here is driven by all the incredibly exciting activities on offer.”

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Enrichment and Involvement Chapel, charity and the community

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e recognise the great rewards that pupils reap in helping, supporting and giving to others, both within the School community and beyond it.

Chapel Led by our Chaplain and Assistant Chaplain, Chapel plays a key part in our weekly routine, meeting as a community three times a week. Chapel is always open to pupils and staff for when they need a quiet space and time to reflect.

Two Lower Sixth School Almoners support the Chaplains with Chapel duties and play a key role in the religious life of the School. Each term, Houses lead a service based on a given theme where the House Sacristan arranges musical performances, readers, prayers and a carefully created message.

For Sunday Evensong services we invite external speakers to share their thoughts, feelings and personal experience from a range of topics as well as being uplifted by Phire, a pupil led gospel choir who bring energy and raise the roof. Pupils are active within Amnesty Society and representatives lead services linked to the Write for Rights campaign, encouraging others to join together to make a difference in the world around us. Throughout the year a carousel of staff share a thought for the day during the weekly services along with messages from the Chaplains.

Those who wish to explore their faith more deeply are invited to attend Confirmation Classes, an important journey for many, as well as societies linked to faith and religion.

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Community All pupils in the Sixth Form engage in partnership work with local primary schools.

Each term, they visit weekly to support initiatives in the classroom such as reading, homework, subject support or sports activities. Besides resonating strongly with our value of service, the benefits to mental health and wellbeing are powerful.

Within the younger years, Form and Year Group Representatives create House and School Councils, chaired by the Head Girl Team. Lower Sixth support Housemistresses to lead the Senior Houses through roles of responsibility and in preparation for School Prefect positions in Upper Sixth.

These positions focus on specific areas, such as the Chaplaincy, Sport, Music, Drama, Art, and Charity. Emphasising ways of giving back to our community, as well as opportunities for personal growth and development, is a key principle.

The Carrington Award (Sixth Form Enrichment) is a bespoke Wycombe Abbey programme designed with the needs of our pupils at its heart. While the programme does explicitly intend to prepare pupils for life beyond Wycombe Abbey, it is also meant to provide intellectual enrichment in a way that would not be possible through the ordinary academic curriculum. The electives programme – where teachers lead a four-week course around their own areas of interest or expertise – and the inspirational speakers programme are the core of this.

Charity Charity events are led by the Chaplain and Assistant Chaplain, supporting pupils in their efforts, both on an individual level with a project or through community wide initiatives.

Each House has a LVI Charity Representative who is essential in the organisation of whole School events such as Bonfire Night. Such experience helps to develop financial awareness and brings the House together. Houses create a charity stall where they must decide on their method of fundraising, arrange a supervision rota and design marketing material. Through hearing from guest speakers from linked charities, pupils gain an understanding of what is required in order to help those in need.

We support a range of charities that are local to High Wycombe as well as maintaining historical links internationally with Melanesia and have seen Wycombe Abbey Seniors and staff visit the sites where our money has been donated. This ensures the cause remains current among the community and we witness the results of our efforts.

Horizon Sports Club is a highlight for many Sixth Form pupils who apply to be part of the scheme. Our pupils are paired with a young person with a disability and swim weekly with them in our pool to boost their water confidence and generally have fun. The bonds developed throughout the term are special and the pupils hold on to these for years to come. They develop leadership and have to adapt to changing situations depending on the disabilities of their partner, witnessing the progress made, and recognising the part they have played.

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Supporting Academic Achievement Academic and co-curricular partnership

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e know that strong involvement in co-curricular activities can really enhance a pupil’s learning, not to mention the overall experience of School life. This can take a number of different formats:

We are encouraged to read around our subjects and try new Extras.

Weekend activities introduce you to new things and encourage new interests, for example cookery, trampolining, Bollywood dancing and laser clay pigeon shooting.”

● A pupil engaging in co-curricular activities just ‘for fun’ can find that this gives her an excellent break from academic work and enables her to return to studies refreshed and refocused. ● A pupil who performs to a very high level in one or two activities will develop the qualities of stamina, discipline, determination and reflection on performance, which can transfer well to her academic studies. She will also need to be well-organised and will often need to work with others. ● A pupil who is keen to try out a range of different, new activities will often develop specific skills and interests which can link to academic projects she is undertaking. Curiosity and a willingness to ‘give things a go’ are both excellent academic traits.

As pupils progress through Wycombe Abbey, they will want different things from the co-curricular programme at different stages. We know that an overall sense of wellbeing enhances effective learning, and participation in co-curricular activities is a key contributor to this.

One of the co-curricular programme’s great advantages and a feature that is unique and distinctive of Wycombe Abbey, is that every pupil has a bespoke timetable; no academic lesson is ever missed for a paid Extra (music, sport, drama and dance). Over 1,400 extra lessons are scheduled every week for the 660 pupils.

Finally, we offer a huge variety of enrichment opportunities, which are directly linked to academic areas of study. These include STEM competitions, a Reading Week, scholarship programmes, Classics Book Club, the English Department Booker shadowing scheme, Maths Society lectures and theatre visits.

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The Value of Co-curricular Activities

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ur School Values underpin everything that we do. Through co-curricular involvement, pupils will gain the skills needed to recognise that they can make a positive difference in the world, now and in the future.

Our programme is there to challenge, provide balance and ensure they have fun throughout their journey.

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To feel encouraged ● Be part of a musical event whether singing or playing an instrument. ● Be part of a dance performance for a House or a School wide event. ● Be part of a drama production on stage or backstage.

To show mutual respect ● Share a dorm with pupils across four different year groups to create lasting friendships with girls of all ages and feel part of a family. ● Be involved in a charity fundraising event from start to finish.

● Be part of a sports team or as an individual athlete, representing a House or the School.

To strive for excellence ● Complete Bronze and Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards to challenge oneself through stepping outside our physical and mental comfort zones. ● Enter highly regarded academic competitions to expand existing knowledge. ● Visit new places in the UK and abroad to learn about cultures and traditions through School trips.

To trust others ● Build informal and professional relationships with pupils from co-educational and boys schools through social events, workshops and conferences. ● Feel supported by staff so pupils have the confidence to experiment with activities through our Extras programme – music, dance, sport, drama.

To gain a healthy balance ● Participate regularly in physical activity through curriculum PE, Games and additional training/ recreational activities, ensuring balance throughout the week. ● Plan weekend activities with friends, giving autonomy and independence to choose between high adrenalin or relaxation based pursuits.

Wycombe Abbey provides many opportunities for pupils to develop.

For example:

To serve others within a community ● Take part in a weekly community placement, developing communication and social skills. ● Show leadership through House and School-wide positions of responsibility.

To be innovative To develop dynamism ● Gain public speaking experience through Model United Nations, debating sessions or House Chapel services to build confidence in these environments. ● Gain future ready skills for life through the Sixth Form Carrington Award scheme.

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● Enjoy lectures from guest speakers, sharing their experiences and advice for future careers or opportunities. ● Participate in a variety of clubs and societies to develop new interests and enhance academic curiosity.

Contact Us For more information on any aspect of our co-curricular programme, please contact our Head of Activities and Trips, Fiona Gee by calling the main School office on 01494 520381 or by emailing geef@wycombeabbey.com.

For more information on Wycombe Abbey please scan the QR code.

Follow us on Instagram @WycombeAbbey and @WycombeBoarding.

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Wycombe Abbey, High Wycombe Buckinghamshire, HP11 1PE enquiries@wycombeabbey.com +44 (0)1494 520 381

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Registered Charity No. 310638