The benefits of extracurricular activity
Extracurricular activities can play an incredibly important role in a student’s educational journey. They give young people the chance to explore beyond their classrooms, providing them with the opportunities to discover new interests and learn new skills.
The benefits of extracurricular activities
A study published in the Economics of Education Review by Stephen Lipscombe found that when it came to extracurricular activities, athletic participation is associated with a 2 percent increase in maths and science test scores. Club participation is associated with a 1 percent increase in maths test scores, and involvement in either type of activity is associated with a five percent increase in Bachelor’s degree attainment expectations.
It’s crucial however, to avoid thinking extracurricular activities are only good for supporting subjects on the mainstream curriculum. Each one has its own intrinsic value and can spark an interest or uncover a passion which students carry with them for years to come, either simply as a pastime, or something that influences their choice of a profession in later life.
Paradigm’s core principle is that our curriculum prepares students to lead fulfilling lives and to play an active, positive and productive role in our democratic society. In essence, the value of extracurricular activities lies in the holistic development they offer, contributing to well-rounded individuals ready to face the challenges of the future.
Extracurricular activities often improve social skills and teamwork. Whether through sports teams, games clubs, music ensembles or other activities, students learn to collaborate, communicate effectively, and appreciate the importance of collective effort. These experiences can contribute to personal growth and prepare students for the collaborative nature of the world of work.
Taking part in extracurricular activities is also a positive way for young people to build cultural capital. Participation exposes students to a variety of new experiences and environments, and this exposure can help them develop a broader understanding of different cultures, perspectives and ways of life. Participating in arts, music, drama and other creative activities can allow students to express themselves and develop an appreciation for various forms of cultural expression. This exposure enhances their cultural capital by growing creativity and aesthetic awareness.
Finally, clubs can also encourage students’ attendance, as they provide something additional they may look forward to coming to at school.
By having a wide range of extracurricular activities on offer, before and after school, and at lunchtimes, we can give young people access to learning and experiences they may not receive otherwise, helping them become more rounded individuals for the future.
The benefits of regular attendance
Regular school attendance is a key focus at Ipswich Academy because of the many ways it benefits our students.
One of the advantages of regular school attendance is academic success. Research shows pupils who attend school consistently are more likely to stay on track with their studies, grasp key concepts, and excel in examinations. Consistent attendance allows continuity of learning which is fundamental for academic achievement.
In 2019, 84% of UK pupils in Key Stage 2 who had 100% attendance achieved the expected standard, while only 40% of pupils who were persistently absent managed to hit their target.
The pattern continues through school. Students who didn’t achieve a grade of 4 to 9 in GCSE maths and English on average had missed 10 more days over the key stage compared to students who achieved grade 9 to 5 in the subject. It’s estimated just 17 missed school days per year will result in a drop in GCSE grade.
School is also crucial for developing social and emotional skills. Regular attendance allows students to form lasting friendships, engage in extracurricular activities, and develop essential interpersonal skills they’ll need in adult life.
Attendance also instils discipline and a sense of responsibility in students, and employers often look for people with these traits who can demonstrate reliability and commitment.
To help children who struggle with attendance effectively, we need a comprehensive whole-school approach that addresses the root causes. However, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution – we treat each case individually. As a Trust, some of the strategies we use are:
Focusing on Success
If students find lessons unengaging and irrelevant, they’re less likely to attend school, so we teach in a way that results in young people feeling they are doing something worthwhile, but also secure enough that they feel safe. This feeling of achievement then helps them become more engaged in lessons. We continually review what we do to find ways we can refine and improve, then share them across the Trust.
Parental Involvement
Parents have a crucial role in ensuring their child/children attend school regularly. We promote parental involvement through regular communication, parent-teacher meetings, and highlighting the importance of attendance for their child’s future.
Early Intervention and Support
Identifying attendance issues early on is essential for effective intervention. By establishing a supportive environment where students feel comfortable discussing their challenges we can implement early intervention and prevent prolonged absences. This can be done internally – we have a large pastoral team with extensive experience who work hard to understand the individual circumstances around students’ absences and create plans to overcome the challenges. Or it can be done with the support of external agencies, such as our partnership with Synergy Education and Welfare Services which is building on our existing school attendance process and procedures in school.
Positive Reinforcement
Recognising and rewarding good attendance can motivate students to attend school regularly. This includes attendance awards, certificates, or even small incentives to celebrate students with high or significantly improved attendance. Students with high or improved levels of attendance are recognised through our weekly and end of term celebration assemblies.
By having a range of support strategies available, and taking the time to understand each student’s particular situation, it’s possible to respond effectively and improve attendance. For example, after implementing a Soft Start room for students to come into at the start of the day with a member of the pastoral team, we are now seeing students come into school every day this year who didn’t attend school at all the previous year. This is just one of a number of strategies we use.
Through this work, we can help more students spend more time at school, so they are better educated and better prepared to succeed in their adult lives.
Teacher Training
So they’re able to give students the best education possible, we aim to give all our teachers the best training possible, whether they’re at the start of their career or established members of the leadership team
Why train to be a teacher with Paradigm?
Paradigm Trust has a significant track record of delivering high-quality initial teaching training (ITT).
At Paradigm Trust, one of our mottos is “Teach the right things, efficiently.”
We know every minute we have with our learners is important so we never waste time. We take the essentials of every subject and make sure we teach them in the most effective way. We know what works in the classroom and we want to share that.
To deliver our high quality teacher training, we’ve built strong partnerships with several ITT providers. And as the national ITT framework aligns closely with the Paradigm framework, it allows trainees to fit in with our approach to education and have a good grasp of our pedagogy from the start.
The course combines personal learning sessions with vital time in the classroom, observing and working with established teachers to deliver a range of lessons to children. These practical sessions will account for around 80% of course time and give students the essential skills and experience they need to become a professional teacher.
Most of these practical sessions will be at Ipswich Academy, however we will make sure learners have time at another secondary school to expand their range of experiences. If trainees are looking to teach at primary level their training will take place at Murrayfield and Piper’s Vale instead.
Career Progression at Paradigm
After their first year, teachers can look to move into a subject lead position at Paradigm. This builds experience and confidence as a middle leader. They get the benefit of working with more experienced colleagues and as a team across the wider Trust. It improves their understanding of the curriculum, of how Paradigm works as an organisation and how to develop teacher resources, all with peer support from across the Trust.
As teachers progress further in their careers, they can take advantage of training opportunities funded and delivered by us for middle, senior and principal level training.
If you’re interested starting your teaching career at a Trust that has a strong emphasis on quality training and your career progression then contact Ben Rogers to find out more. We would be very pleased to meet with you at any of our schools.
Maths Mastery Matters
The maths department at Ipswich Academy takes a mastery approach to learning, ensuring our students revisit the same core areas throughout their schooling, so they achieve a level of knowledge which gives them greater capabilities in the subject.
Lyndsay Collin is one of our mathematics teachers and is also Paradigm Trust’s NCETM (National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics) maths hub specialist.
“With the Maths Mastery system, depth of knowledge is far more important than breadth,” she says. “By using a consistent approach to teaching the subject in the Trust, from early years at the primary schools through to KS4 and their exams, children moving through the school can grasp the fundamentals and build on them, every time they revisit.“
Having a strong foundation in maths gives a student a good advantage when they come to the more advanced topics at secondary school. This is why Paradigm Trust places a particular emphasis on learning the language of maths. From their very first years at primary school, we build pupils’ mathematics vocabulary to increase their confidence in the use of terms such as coefficient, highest common factor and lowest common denominator. This helps pupils have better conversations around the subject and makes answering examination questions easier when they reach their GCSE studies.
“There is a real ‘talk for learning’ ethos across the curriculum, so our maths lessons involve a lot of conversation in the classroom.” Lyndsay continues. “A key technique to encourage this at Ipswich Academy is the Agree, Build, Challenge (ABC) model which teachers use to coax enhanced discussion and thinking. For ‘Agree’, we give students two answers and they have to say which they agree with, then explain their rationale to justify their answer. ‘Build’ requires the teacher to ask a student to build upon another student’s answer, elaborating or giving new information. ‘Challenge’ involves us asking a student whether they would like to challenge each other’s answers and opinions in a positive and constructive way.”
The most recent progress 8 score at Ipswich Academy was a strong +0.29 and Key Stage 3 attainment is above the national average. The number of students achieving between level 4 and level 9 at Key Stage 4 is also increasing. Across the five primaries 71% are attaining level 4+ and 53.7% are working at 5+. Everything the Trust does is evidence based, and these outcomes are solid proof that the approach we are taking with maths is delivering great results for our pupils.
PE: Improving bodies and minds
It’s common knowledge physical exercise is vital for keeping our bodies in good shape but the benefits of Physical Education in school extend far beyond the sports field.
In 2020, after the national lockdown, children’s charity Youth Sport Trust carried out a survey of 1,396 young people aged 6–15 to discover how they now felt about sport and exercise. Over a quarter said physical education, sport and exercise had made them feel better during that time. Additionally, 40% said not being able to play sport had made them feel worse. Clearly, sport and exercise has a positive impact on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.
At Ipswich Academy it is easy to see the positive effects PE has on our students. In lessons following PE their attention is noticeably greater, their ability to focus is far better. And in the long-term PE builds self-confidence, reduces anxiety and improves self-esteem. It also helps young people develop attributes which help them cope with difficulties and setbacks.
We take a skills-based approach in our PE lessons to improve the fundamental movement skills – running, jumping, hand-eye coordination, balance, agility, throwing and catching – this way pupils can develop the core abilities which are used in multiple sports and physical activities.
The mental side of sport isn’t ignored though. We place a great emphasis on the ability to outwit opponents with strategy and tactics, and students are routinely exposed to attacking and defending principles specific to activities through in-depth discussion.
To be able to track our students progress effectively, measurement is key. We use five assessments each term to check how they’re improving in areas such as speed, fitness, coordination and strength. We then use that data to adjust our lessons accordingly, so the pupils continue to make progress, term after term.
At the core of sport is competition, which is important for helping students develop a winning mental attitude and equipping them to handle both success and failure. To do this we play competitive games in sport and take part in inter-school competition. As well as teaching pupils about sportsmanship and respect, it fosters a sense of friendly rivalry and school pride, and boosts morale and self-esteem. PE is an essential part of the curriculum that builds strong character and develops qualities in pupils which are beneficial in all subjects, as well as their lives beyond school.
Striking the right note – music at Ipswich Academy
In a world in which we are surrounded by music every day, Music lessons help pupils understand and appreciate it in some way, whether that’s by learning an instrument, connecting on an emotional level or even using it as a method of self-regulation. It’s also a subject which has many benefits that reach far beyond learning an instrument or improving children’s musicality.
To give our students the best music education we can, all our lessons are planned and taken by specialist teachers. We have also allocated Music more space in the timetable – rather than being on a carousel rotation, music is now a regular part of the curriculum so all students in year 7, 8 and 9 receive an hour’s music lesson every week, all year round. We also run several extracurricular clubs for students who wish to explore music further, including music tech club, guitar club and Let’s Jam where they can turn up and play songs together.
As well as improving their musicality, students are also building interpersonal and intrapersonal skills in their lessons. We ensure there’s always a practical aspect to every lesson, usually group work and performance. These activities build confidence and self-esteem, and grow skills such as team-building and working with others. Learning to play a musical instrument also teaches resilience and patience, as there is no shortcut to competence, just perseverance!
A good example of what music can teach is demonstrated in our Year 7 unit called ‘Find Your Voice’. On one level this is about singing and body percussion, but it is also there to help deal with the performance anxiety many Year 7s have, especially as they are starting a new school. The goal is for them to recognise that music is a subject where there are high expectations, and even though their worries are understandable, they are still encouraged to perform. The quality of the singing is important, and so is building the learner’s confidence, so in future units of study and elsewhere in their life they are better able to cope with similar situations.
As well as learning about music theory, our pupils also learn about the cultural aspect of music and its history. As we learn about different genres of music, we also study the context and diversity of the genres; the place where it was born, the people who created it and the time period. For instance, when studying funk, soul and blues pupils also learn about slavery and segregation. In this way Music is a cross-curricular subject, linking pupils’ learning to many other areas on the timetable.
Philosophy, Religion and Ethics at Ipswich Academy
With religion and beliefs becoming more visible in public life locally, nationally and internationally, it’s important that students are able to learn about them and understand them.
Philosophy, Religion and Ethics allows us opportunities as a school to promote an ethos of respect for others, challenge stereotypes and build an understanding of other cultures and beliefs. This in turn contributes to promoting a positive and inclusive ethos at Ipswich Academy that champions democratic values and human rights.
Throughout the school year we give our pupils opportunities to explore the interaction between religions. For example, we ran a gratitude tree project at Christmas and though Christmas is a Christian festival, pupils of other faiths were able to focus fully on the gratitude side of the celebration; how they were thankful for their families and their faith during the pandemic. It is a great way to demonstrate how people of different faiths can coexist harmoniously.
Studying faith and religion provokes challenging questions and encourages pupils to explore their own beliefs. It enables them to develop respect and understanding for others and it also prompts pupils to consider their rights and responsibilities to society, and helps them understand themselves. Philosophy, Religion and Ethics supports all three Paradigm values of integrity, excellence and community.
Expert in Languages
Being able to speak a foreign language is a skill that can pay dividends.
At Ipswich Academy we focus on students mastering the basics of foreign languages. With this approach we are achieving excellent progress figures and giving our pupils the foundation they need to succeed in the future.
The ability to speak a modern foreign language is more beneficial now than it has been for a generation. In terms of business links and employability, the skill is highly in demand – recent events mean that as a nation we will be trading directly with more countries than before, and the ability to communicate effectively, and understand the culture, will be invaluable.
The demand for foreign language speakers isn’t restricted to the business and trade sectors either. Many public organisations such as the NHS and the police require employees with linguistic skills, as do private companies in a range of industries from construction to accounting and finance.
The comparative scarcity of bilingual and multilingual people in this country is reflected in the wages on offer for positions which require these skills. A recent study by Preply found that people with Arabic as a second language can earn as much as 74% extra, compared to the average UK salary, with Mandarin increasing wages by 45%, and French by 34%. While it is impossible to teach every language, studies have proven once someone has learned one foreign language, they can pick up further languages more quickly.
Learning another foreign language also develops a range of transferable skills, such as communication and presentation abilities. It also builds understanding and appreciation of other cultures, which are important qualities in today’s society and when dealing with other nations.
To teach French effectively at Ipswich Academy we place a lot of focus on retrieval practice. This means teachers revisit what has been taught and check pupils understand it and can recall that information. It takes many forms, so students see those same things again and again but in different contexts to keep it interesting. This way we can confirm pupils really understand what they’re talking about and that the solid foundations are there.
When teaching we are careful to use examples which show people around the world who speak French, not just in France. In this way students get a greater understanding and appreciation of different cultures and how language spreads around the world.
By placing the emphasis on what works, we are ensuring our pupils are making great progress in foreign languages and will be able to take full advantage of the new opportunities for foreign language speakers.