Extracurricular Opportunities and Enrichment

Eltham Hill students are expected to engage with our extracurricular and enrichment programme. We believe that this is essential to ensuring that students develop as happy, rounded and outward-looking individuals. In addition, we know that it is extra-curricular and enrichment activities that often help our students to stand out from the crowd when applying to university or for apprenticeships and employment.

To ensure that all students know what opportunities are available to them, we hold a ‘Freshers Fair’ in September of each year, where students can find out about and sign up to a whole range of clubs and activities. We also encourage students to support with clubs and events going on in the rest of the school, and to volunteer to lead in setting up new clubs and opportunities.

Another important part of our extra-curricular offer is the Sixth Form Leadership Team. This team is responsible for leading the Sixth Form council;  liaising with the school leadership on behalf of students; overseeing the organisation of events (including the prom) and representing the school on a wider stage.

Sixth Form visitors have included:

Martin Prendergast, Director of Development and Public Affairs, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) visited the school and spoke about his experience in his industry, and LGBTQ+ issues.

Bernardine Evaristo, British writer and author of ten books and numerous writings, visited the school to speak about her own experiences as an Eltham Hill Student and her career to date.

Dame Marjorie Scardino, the first female chief executive of a FTSE 100 company (Pearson), visited the school and spoke to the Year 12 students about how she became so successful.

Sir Ian McKellan visited Eltham Hill School, a Stonewall School Champion, to raise awareness of homophobic prejudice and bullying.

US Ambassador, Matthew Barzun, visited Eltham Hill School and spoke inspirationally to students in Years 11, 12 and 13 about the United States of America.

Peter Barron, Google’s Director of External Relations for Europe, Middle East and Africa, visited the school and spoke to our students about how his choices in his education, were the main foundation for his successful career.

Examples of other enrichment opportunities offered at Eltham Hill Sixth Form:

• Work Experience
• Mentoring
• Student Leadership
• Students on UCL Summer Programme
• Students on The Cambridge University of Study Programme
• Students preparing for Oxbridge/Medical and Veterinary Courses
• Speakers from the University of Oxford and Imperial College

CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES 

Young Enterprise Company Programme:  Empowers young people to set up and run a student company under the guidance of a business volunteer. Students make all the decisions about their business, from deciding on the company name, managing the company finances and selling to the public. Participants gain practical business experience and key skills.”

Young Enterprise Online: https://www.young-enterprise.org.uk/programmes/company-programme/

Model UN: Students take on the roles of delegates from a particular country and build a body of research into a global issue, examining their countries policies, economics and political stance. Their hard work culminates in a conference day where we role-play a UN conference in the hope of creating some imaginative and long-lasting solutions to global issues. A great activity to develop critical thinking, oracy skills, negotiation and a deep knowledge of global affairs.

Projects and opportunities

Mark Evison Foundation: Supports young people to take on their own personal challenges. The foundation provides mentoring guidance and advice, as well as funding for students to complete their projects. Challenges must be rigorous and require confidence, strength and resilience. In recent years Eltham Hill students have completed hikes in the garden of Kent and the beautiful Lake District.

Roles and Accreditation

Student Leadership Roles and accreditation with SSAT: We have several roles available including Student President, Deputy Student President and Assistant Student President. Alongside this core team in the Sixth Form we also have another team of Form Captains and Vice Form Captains. Students in these roles will actively participate in sixth form and whole school council meetings, as well as being the spokesperson for their form and year group. We value our student leadership team and work closely with them to grow and develop our sixth form. Students can also formerly recognise their skills and experience in these leadership positions with the SSAT Student Leadership Accreditation Programme.

Mental Health Ambassadors and SAFE training with IMAGO: We take supporting mental health and well-being at Eltham Hill very seriously and have trained our very own Mental Health Ambassadors within the sixth form. The team of students have created and delivered their own assemblies, fundraised for mental health charities and have also run Art Mindfulness sessions after school for young students. Mental Health Ambassadors take part in two full days of SAFE training with IMAGO to prepare them for this role.

Student Ambassadors: This is a great role for students who wish to get involved in whole school events and representing the school in outside activities. Students have supported at our open events as well as visiting other schools to promote the sixth from.

Student Mentors: A rewarding role for students who are able to give up their own time to support another student. Sixth form students can mentor in lots of different capacities, this could be through subject specific mentoring, for example helping younger students with their reading skills, or GCSE students with maths. Or this could be in a supportive way supporting new students to settle in to our school community. We welcome all students to let us know how they would like to help and match them with a student so they can make a difference.

YST Young Coach and Activator leadership programme: The programme develops student’s leadership skills within sport and develops their organisational skills. The programme comprises of 4 theory-based sessions with practical tasks to build the students up to being able to run their own event/competition within school. As part of the programme students have the opportunity to support Year 7 classes in a variety of Sports and lead on warm-ups. They also set up their own clubs to engage more students to take part and inspire students to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. 

Visits and trips

Oxbridge visits: Eltham Hill School is linked with Mansfield College, Oxford and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. In Year 12 visits to these colleges are arranged for students planning to make an Oxbridge application.

Progression

The Elephant Group: Eltham Hill School is a member of the Elephant Group; whose aim is to increase the number of students from non-selective schools who attend top universities. We attend conferences, university visits, summer schools and host visiting speakers.

Medic Mentoring: Students aspiring to study medicine are mentored from the start of Year 12. They are offered a range of opportunities through organisations such as Medic Mentors and Health Pioneers which include work experience, on-line mentoring and conferences. In the summer of Year 12 students are helped prepare for the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT). In the autumn term of Year 13 they receive assistance with the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT).

Further Information

Future Choices