FEATURE FOCUS: VIEW FROM THE CLASSROOM
receive funding from the local authorities and the government. We take care of our budget as well as possible and tend to think outside the box to have the financing for excellent lessons and activities for our children.
To make a long story short, as state schools, we have our yearly budget, and we manage every year to offer a private school experience without making the parents chip in. So yes, we get creative with our budget, which allows us to splurge on school trips, activities, and arts festivals.
For example, instead of purchasing school furniture (tables, chairs, lighting etc.) from the usual suppliers, we look at alternatives such as Ikea, charity shops, and Facebook marketplace. This saves a small fortune, whilst also making for a much more wholesome and private-like experience.
Luckily, we have a dedicated staff that breaks down all our costs, finds ways to make things cheaper, and always looks out for how to save more. Especially now, they are doing tremendous work to help us maintain our regular day-to-day activities without cutting from the children’s experiences.
hand at any activity of their choice for two hours a week during school time, broadening their skills and interests and shaping a happy, healthy school community.
A healthy lifestyle is the pinnacle of a happy life. That’s why the children are encouraged to follow a sport they enjoy. So, every week for two hours the pupils concentrate on improving their abilities.
As part of our arts offering, ranging from music and painting to theatre classes, the programme also offers pupils the opportunity to collaborate with renowned arts organisations, including the Royal Shakespeare Company. Furthermore, yearly festivities such as sports day at the Pingles Athletics Stadium and Griffin Arts Festivals at The Big Draw provide the perfect stage for pupils to showcase their newly developed talents.
How do you keep the children interested in all these activities?
We are trying to keep every activity as exciting as possible. So, firstly, we review the pupils’ feedback, ensuring we deliver above their expectations and improve as we go. Our end goal is to make each activity as fun as they wish it to be while catering to their academic needs. Secondly, we allow the children to pick their activity as per personal preference. Encouraging them to start something they are curious about or already passionate about will boost their hunger for knowledge.
Another approach we use and strongly recommend is adding exciting and varied activities outside the usual activities. For example, try adding sports, like fencing and trampolining, that are out of their reach to boost their interest in something that was never seen or known.
What do the children learn from their extra- curricular activities?
As mentioned before, the children are free to try on any activity they want and are encouraged to do so. However, we believe that by doing so, we build lifetime interests that they’ll take all the way into adulthood.
Entering different groups of people with at November 2022
www.education-today.co.uk 17
least one common interest is complex, and we see many adults struggling with this. However, we think that if children are encouraged to experience new things, people, and social groups beyond their existing friendship group, they can widen their horizons and grow as an individual. Being surrounded by people that you have the same interests outside of the classroom also helps form a bond and gives a sense of belonging. The confidence that forms around mastering a hobby or a sport is also rather fantastic, in addition to the great sense of community. A great addition to their education is teamwork. All the activities include at least a part of having to be in a team where you learn how to count on others, communicate in the best way possible, and pinpoint the end goal so you can fight for it together.
Developing a hobby or a passion helps raise aspiration; building goals they want and hope to achieve in the future thanks to the new passion that they were first exposed to through the trip or extra-curricular activity we put on for them. Higher aspirations incentivise improved attainment, making for a positive cycle. As you might know, state schools like ours
Thanks to prudent budgeting and best value purchasing, we are able to continue with extra- curricular actives and school trips despite the current economic climate, which, in our eyes, is all the more reason for schools to continue with them, since families will struggle to afford such experiences themselves
Can you summarise the school in a few sentences?
Our mission is to bring the children together and offer them the best education possible alongside the best extra-curricular activities at no cost to the parents. We strongly encourage free speech, sports, and arts, and we make sure we have the safest environment possible for the children that enter.
Our trust’s motto, “Proud traditions, Wide Horizons, and High Achievements”, speak about what we stand for and, at the same time, makes a promise to the parents that trusted us with their children’s education. The extra-curricular activities and trips we put on only help us achieve this even further.
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http://www.parklane-gst.org/
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