Westholme School - Extra Curricular Activities

Extra Curricular Activities

Westholme School prides itself on enrichment programmes from a young age. The Boys’ Junior School is a hive of activity with a host of extra-curricular opportunities to complement and support the work that goes on in the classroom.

Education Trips and visitors

The work in the classroom is complemented with wonderful educational trips. Some of these are more local than others but all offer tremendous learning opportunities for the boys. Recently these have included visits to Roman Chester, the World Museum in Liverpool, Quarry Bank Mill and the RSPB education centre on the Fylde coast.

We also welcome visitors into school; The Bug Box company with its fascinating insects and bugs, the Tapestry of Music, African drumming, dentists and opticians to mention just a few.

There is a strong outdoor pursuits programme with Year 3 and 4 visiting Hollingworth Lake, whilst Years 5 and 6 venture to Patterdale Hall in the Lake District. For Year 6 this is a residential which includes and night camping in tepees on the shores of Ullswater.

Our French trip, for Years 5 & 6 across the Junior Schools, is a hugely popular and rewarding trip. In a long weekend, boys get a feel for all things French, from visits to Azincourt, a boulangerie, a snail farm and the market in Boulogne.

Activities, performances and events

There is a great variety of activities on offer to boys during lunchtime and after school. These include both sports and non sporting activities. Activities range from board games to teams sports and choir to gardening. Examples of activities include; football, rugby, cricket, cross country, athletics, art, drama, scabble, orchestra, choir.

Many of these are open to all pupils, however, some of them are by invitation only as they are squad training sessions or rehearsals, such as the swimming activity. Where necessary, we bring in specialist coaches / teachers for things such as martial arts, for which there is a termly charge for taking part.

Sporting fixtures are a part of our busy school diary, with many of the boys representing the school across a range of sporting disciplines each week.

Boys with a keen interest in music are able to join the brass group and the joint Junior Schools' orchestra. The school is very pleased to have a popular choir with approximately one third of the school community preparing for regular events throughout the school year. From Year 3 boys have the opportunity to learn to play either a brass or string instrument; as they progress through the years with their instrumental lessons they reach the required standard to attempt the relevant grade exam.

There are many opportunities for boys to take part in Performing Arts at the school.
The school actively encourages boys to develop their public speaking skills. Boys joining from the Infant School will already have completed some LAMDA (London Association of Music and Dramatic Arts) examinations and this is continued through Years 3 and 4. Boys that are new to Westholme in these years are able to join in this programme at the relevant level. Our boys enjoy a great deal of success in these examinations and have fun learning some very humorous poems.

In Year 5 boys enter a House Reading Competition; they read a passage from their favourite book in front of their classmates and earn points for their house. At the final, boys join with girls to read in front of all pupils from Year 5, as well as finalists, parents and an adjudicator. Year 6 boys prepare for the House Public Speaking Competition which follows a similar pattern to the Year 5 Reading Competition. In this event, the boys prepare speeches on a range of topics; these have included the Tour of France, ‘Air’ at Alton Towers, Mini-beasts, and Scandals in the World of Cricket to list but a few. They deliver these with clarity and expression, as well as a sense of timing, all completed with minimal cue cards.

All classes lead regular assemblies to which parents are invited. These are wonderful occasions with delightful scenes acted and there is always a powerful message to be taken away. On a much grander scale Year 4 boys join forces with Year 4 girls in WISPA (Westholme Inter Schools' Performing Arts) to perform a major stage production in the Westholme Theatre. Recent productions have included Disney's Aladdin, Seussical Jr., Wilbur and the Web and Disney’s Mulan. These are fabulous events and the children rise to the occasion of performing in such a prestigious venue.

We have various concerts, services and events throughout the year in which boys have the opportunity to perform. The lunch time carols and carol service at Blackburn Cathedral, our harvest festival and prizegiving are just some examples.

House System

There are three houses at Westholme Boys' Junior School: Bowland, Longridge and Pendle. Every boy belongs to a house, as do all the staff team.

Every term one house wins the Beardwood House Cup, which is awarded to the house that gains the most housepoints. These are awarded for good academic work, as well as other good deeds carried out around school. House competitions also contribute to this cup; boys compete in a range of sporting and non-sporting competitions, which include athletics, cross country, football, music, public speaking, reading and swimming.

May 14, 2012

Volcano model viewing

Year 4 boys view the volcano models at Wilmar Lodge