Margaret Wix Primary School
Enrichment
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Curriculum Enrichment at Margaret Wix
A primary focus of our curriculum is to raise aspirations, engender a sense of personal pride in achievement, extend the range of children’s experiences (cultural capital) and provide a purpose and relevance for learning. This is done by enriching our curriculum with a variety of off-site visits, workshops, residential trips, themed days and weeks, visitors, clubs and practical experiences. Children have the opportunity to apply and enhance what they have learned in the classroom through meaningful and memorable contexts.
Fostering the enjoyment of reading and encouraging pupils to read widely is of the highest importance. At Margaret Wix, we have a vast library that includes a tremendous variety of both fiction and non-fiction for readers at every stage of their learning journey. Weekly, our library opens early and parents and caters are encouraged to join their child in listening to a story read by a member of staff before sharing books together. To further inspire our pupils and help them to develop a love of reading, we invite authors into school to run workshops with pupils in every year group.
As well as their weekly music lessons that are taught by a subject specialist, children have opportunities to learn to play a variety of musical instruments at Margaret Wix. Additional lessons are provided by peripatetic teachers from Hertfordshire Music Service. Our school has its own band and choir, providing the children with a variety of opportunities to perform alongside their peers. They share their talents with the rest of the school in our weekly music assemblies and with our wider community during termly music concerts.
Forest Schools is a Scandinavian initiative designed to encourage and inspire individuals of any age through an innovative, long term, educational approach to outdoor play and learning in a woodland environment. As a school, we are very fortunate to have extensive grounds and our own woodland area in which EYFS and KS1 pupils have regular lessons. Further up the school, opportunities are built into the curriculum for children to continue learning beyond the classroom including undertaking fieldwork and enquiry based-work in the local area.
Teachers at Margaret Wix offer a wide variety of free lunchtime and after school clubs, including football, netball, dodgeball, multi sport, gardening, Lego, art, photography, board games and philosophy. As well as this, children have the opportunity to attend paid for drama and coding clubs.
At Margaret Wix, we promote and encourage pupils’ active citizenship and positive contribution to the school and wider community. We offer lots of opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities and be involved in successfully supporting the life and work of the school. These include elected representatives on our pupil parliament and charity committee. Year six pupils can also apply for the position of house captain. Pupils who are elected to these roles have a range of responsibilities including fundraising for our school, organising harvest and food bank donations, leading tours of the school for prospective parents, greeting visitors such as local MPs, litter picking and developing other eco initiatives, supporting younger pupils at playtimes and more. Pupils tell us that they enjoy the opportunity to volunteer to help make their school an even better place to be and rising to the challenge that additional responsibilities bring. Further information can be found on our pupil leadership page.
Recently, we have developed links with a local independent school, Haberdashers’ Boys’ School. Our pupils have been invited on day trips to the school to make use of their science labs, swimming pool, rock climbing walls and gymnasium. Pupils and staff from their school have visited Margaret Wix to run challenging English and maths workshops for year six pupils. Please take a look at our latest news page to see what our pupils have been up to most recently - https://www.margaretwix.herts.sch.uk/stream/news/full/1/-//
School trips, visits, workshops and experiences by year group:
| Whole school | Pupil Parliament, Charity Committee, Christmas pantomime, quidditch, Aspirations Day, maths week, science week, book week, art week, international/culture event, Online safety day, Digital leaders, visits from religious leaders, link with St Albans' Boys, various charitable events headed up by the charity committee, visit to The Houses of Parliament for the School Parliament, Sports Day, Christmas Lunch and Christmas jumper day, three whole school music concerts, variety of House events, early morning library sessions, whole school walk to school events, French Cafe, Headteacher for the Day, Junior Citizenship Challenge, dance workshops, street parties, special instrument show case events, art exhibitions, district sports, sponsored swimming events, a wide variety of clubs including coding club, running club, computing club, rounders, basketball, photography, quidditch, gardening and more. |
| EYFS | Communication & Language: little city visit. Visits from people who help us (e.g dentist, nurse, police and fire brigade). Animal visits including a horse and pets. St Albans Cathedral visit. Nativity performance.
Physical Development: Physical development share and learn.
Personal, Social & Emotional Development: Little city visit. Teddy Bears picnic. Animal visits including a horse and pets. St Albans Cathedral visit.
Literacy: St Albans Library visit. Share a story morning. Book week. Phonic L’s share and learn.
Maths: Maths share and learn.
Expressive Art & Design: St Albans Cathedral visit. EAD share and learn. Termly music performances.
Understanding Of The World: Little city visit. Visits from people who help us (e.g dentist, nurse, police and fire brigade). Local walk to a postbox. St Albans Cathedral visit. Nativity performance. Science week. Forest school sessions. Willows farm trip. Train ride to a buddy school. |
| Year 1 | English: Book Week, library visits, Next Page Book Fair, Now>Press>Play-immersive experience, Wondrous Writing Week. Science: Whipsnade Zoo, Science Week Geography: Batchwood woodland walk, fieldwork in the local area, Now>Press>Play-immersive experience History: Explorers workshop, Now>Press>Play-immersive experience PSHE - Aspirations Day, NSPCC workshops, Dog’s Trust Workshops, Now>Press>Play Anti-Bullying immersive experience RE: Holy Trinity Church visit, St Albans Cathedral, guest speakers, parent speakers Art: Art Week, Christmas Art Music: Termly Music Concerts Computing: Online Safety Day |
| Year 2 | English: Book Week, library visits, Wondrous Writing week, Remarkable Reading week Maths: Marvellous Maths week Science: Whipsnade Zoo, Science Week, Batchwood woodland walk Geography: St Albans food market, fieldwork in the local area History: History makers workshop, Toys workshop PSHE - Aspirations Day, NSPCC workshops RE: Christchurch visit, St Albans Cathedral visit, visiting speakers Computing: Now Press Play immersive experience, online safety day Art: Art Week culminating in an Art Exhibition Music: Termly music concerts. |
| Year 3 | History: Anglo-Saxon workshop, Science: Paradise Wildlife Park, RE: St Albans Cathedral, Maths: Metro Bank workshops, KPMG visiting speakers, Geography: Capel Manor Zoo and Gardens, History: Hertford Castle, Science: Legoland. English: Book Week, library visits, Next Page Book Fair, Now>Press>Play-immersive experience, Wondrous Writing Week.
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| Year 4 | English: Book week, author visits, library visits, Wondrous Writing Week. Science: Science Week, Mini beast workshop, Specialist Science Sessions. Maths: Stretch maths volunteers, Marvellous Maths Week Music: Ukulele lessons Geography: Field Work - sustainability, Now Press Play - immersive experience History: Trip to Verulamium Museum - Romans, Now Press Play - immersive experience. RE: Church Visit, Guest Visitors, Parent Volunteers PSHE: NSCPCC Workshop, Dog’s Trust workshop, Now Press Play - Anti Bullying immersive experience, PCSO visits Art: Art Week, Christmas Art Music: Termly Music Concerts |
| Year 5 | Maths: Herts maths challenge, Marvellous Maths Week. English: book week, author visits, library visit, Next Page Book Fair, Wondrous Writing Week. Science: Tring Museum, Science Week Geography: Now Press Play - immersive experience, Rivers Ver Field Trip. PE: Camping and bush craft, Herts Disability Sports Foundation cycling PSHE: Retune Workshop, NSPCC, Dog’s Trust, PCSO Visits, Now Press Play Anti-Bullying immersive experience DT: Puppet Workshop Art: Art Exhibitions, Christmas Art RE: Holy Trinity Church Visit, Visiting Speakers, Parent Volunteers, Theatre Production. French: Townsend French Play, French Cafe, French Theatre Production. Music: Termly Music Concerts, Retune Workshop |
| Year 6 | Maths: Young Enterprise, HSBC workshop, Marvellous Maths Week, Herts Maths Challenge. English: Book Week, End of Year Production, Wondrous Writing Week, Remarkable Reading Week. Science: Science Week. PSHE: Crucial Crew trip, NSPCC Speak out Stay Safe workshops, PCSO visits, transition workshops, Houses of Parliament trip. History: Bletchley Park WWII trip. Geography: Fieldwork week, supermarket visit RE: Christ Church visit, visiting speakers. French: French play. Computing: Now Press Play immersive experience. PE: Bikeability, residential outdoor activities trip. Music: Termly music concerts, choir. Art: Art week culminating in an art exhibition. DT: Herts Catering cookery classes. |