Sixth Form Co-Curricular

Our enrichment programme has been designed to enhance the academic curriculum and expose students to a broad range of ideas and activities.

Our weekly Enrichment programme sees students in Year 12 select a different activity every half term. Enrichment gives students the opportunity to learn new skills, develop new or existing interests and do something different from their A level subjects. In this way, students develop a breadth of experience that supplements their academic studies.

Enrichment activities offer practical opportunities for leadership, teamwork, independent learning, project-based learning, teaching and mentoring. Students can focus on opportunities or super-curriculars that target academic skills, personal development or giving back to the community, both at KAS and beyond the school gates. Many students select options that will enhance their personal statement, university applications, CV or preparation for life after KAS.

Recent options include:

• Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
• Peer Mentoring Program (PEP)
• Choice Leadership Program
• British Sign language (BSL)
• MOOCs other online courses
• Springpod Virtual Work Experience
• Lower School Reading Buddies
• School Farm Volunteers
• Volunteering with Kenwood House
• Directed reading or documentary lists
• Independent projects (e.g. learning to sew, coding projects, pilot license, charity campaigns)
• Super curriculars (e.g. HE+, STEP Maths)

Year 12 Camp

At the start of the school year, Year 12 students go on a two-day residential camp as part of their induction programme. Bringing together new and returning students in a relaxed setting helps to create friendship bonds and builds community spirit and teamworking skills.

Cross Year Group Trips

Sixth Formers also have the option to join the annual school ski trip. Other recent trips open to all Sixth Form students have included ecological field work in Indonesia and a History and Politics trip to the US.

Curriculum trips

Students benefit from a wide range of subject-based trips designed to enhance the curriculum.

Every year, students studying Art, Three-Dimensional Design and Photography travel to exhibitions in cities such as Berlin, Barcelona, Venice, Istanbul, Eindhoven and Paris.

The Biology department runs an annual trip to Flatford Mill, whilst the Geography department organises various field trips, including one on the Sussex coast.

Students also have many opportunities to visit London’s varied cultural facilities, including theatres, art and photography shows, galleries, workshops, museums, university degree shows, businesses, conferences, book readings and festivals.

Workshops, Callovers & Guest Speakers

Taught sessions and workshops are held throughout the year, focusing on study skills, academic development, mental health and well-being. Regular assemblies (called ‘Callovers’) provide opportunities to engage with a wide range of issues, helping to enhance their understanding of the world around them.

A range of expert speakers provide academic lectures on subjects ranging from science and sustainability to art to politics. Topics are chosen in areas of student interest and delivered from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Our extensive alumni of Old Alfredians regularly deliver ‘KAS Connected’ talks and panel discussions on their areas of professional expertise or career development.

A huge variety of co-curricular clubs are available to students, ranging from blacksmithing to backgammon and from life drawing to language debate in French and Spanish. Music clubs include: Rock Band, Music Tech, Orchestra, Choir, KAS Bellas and Jazz Band.

There are also many opportunities for students to get involved in drama and music performances throughout the year. Specialist music teachers provide on-site lessons and many students chose to take the LAMDA drama qualifications up to Gold Medal level.

Additionally, there is an Upper School musical production every Autumn Term, which all students are invited to audition for. Recent productions have included Guys and Dolls, The Addams Family, Legally Blonde and Les Misérables.

TEDx Event

The King Alfred School Society organises and hosts a day of TEDx talks which has featured Sixth Formers among the speakers. Pitching their ideas and refining their talk before performing it in front of an audience is a hugely rewarding experience for our students. Find out more here.

Duke of Edinburgh Award

The Duke of Edinburgh Award has been running at KAS for several successful years now. The award can be started in Year 9, 10, 11 or in the Sixth Form. The award is vocational in its nature, and can reward students with a great sense of achievement and purpose, especially when helping others in the volunteering section and when working in a team for the expedition.

In Year 12, Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education is delivered by our dedicated PSHE teaching team during the weekly Form Hour. The programme is carefully designed to meet all statutory requirements for Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education, while also supporting students as they prepare for adulthood.

The curriculum covers key areas including mental health and emotional wellbeing, healthy relationships, consent, sexual health, online safety and managing risk. Students also explore topics such as substance use, personal safety, financial wellbeing and preparing for independent living.

Through a structured and age-appropriate programme, students are supported to develop the knowledge, confidence and skills needed to make informed decisions and lead healthy, safe and fulfilling lives.

Games and Sports Clubs

All Sixth Formers have Games on their timetable, which is a chance to get out of the classroom and take some exercise. There is a choice of sports to get involved in, including football, basketball, netball, fitness, yoga, tennis, rounders, badminton and volleyball.

The football (girls and boys), netball (girls) and basketball (boys) teams compete in regular fixtures throughout the year, and Sixth Formers can attend after school clubs to practise for these.

Students can also take on leadership roles in the PE department as coaches and sports assistants, giving them an excellent opportunity to develop teaching and mentoring skills.

Our fitness studio is also available to Sixth Formers to use in their free time, once they have completed a gym induction.

Sailing

The School has three boats, built by staff and students (with help from boat designer Nigel Irens) and named after King Alfred’s three daughters: Æthelflæd, Æthelgifu, and Ælfthryth. There are opportunities for Sixth Form students to sail the KAS boats, including the Thames Great River Race in which both students and staff participate.

Co-ordinated by Extended Project Qualification mentors, the EPQ is a qualification that all Sixth Formers can take to show what they are capable of when given the chance. There is no formal teaching, and there are no exams. Students choose the topic they wish to investigate, and will be entirely responsible for the project content. A tutor is assigned to teach the fundamental skills required to realise the project. Some skills will be relevant to all projects, such as time management, research and organisation, but others will be specific to the student’s project.

The finished project can be presented as either a 5000-word written investigation or a ‘production’ by the student; this could be an artefact, website, performance, novel, event, blog, play, or otherwise. If choosing the latter option, a 1000-word document must complement the project.

Students also have to submit a production log, which records planning and progress, including the review meetings with their supervisor.

Finally, students will need to make an oral presentation of their project in front of an audience. The students’ work is assessed and moderated by the teachers, before being submitted to the board. Marks are awarded as follows:

• Project Management Skills: 20%
• Effective use of resources: 20%
• Developing and realising the project: 40%
• Review / evaluation of own performance: 20%

The project is equivalent to half an A level and is graded in the same way. So an A* grade would give 28 UCAS points, an A 24, a B 20, a C 16, a D 12 and an E 8.

Overall, the EPQ is a great way for students to prepare themselves for university-style learning, and can be a means of distinguishing between students when it comes to university applications.