At Alec Reed Academy we are committed to providing children with an inclusive, meaningful and culturally rich education. Our children are encouraged to develop an appreciation for cultural and community issues, teamwork and social responsibility outside the confines of the classroom. Building children's cultural capital and character development is central to our philosophy at Alec Reed Academy, giving them the very best start to life. We highly encourage all children to pursue their own interests and talents, whether that be: in the arts, sports, science and technology or in caring for the environment. 

We offer a wealth of exciting and inspiring experiences which complement our curriculum and broaden horizons.  Our enrichment activities are carefully planned to ensure that knowledge, understanding and skills are built on and developed across a broad range of subjects and that children have an opportunity to follow their own interests and talents and, indeed discover new ones! 

 

Extra-Curricular Dazzle Days and Themed Events

At the end of each half term, all primary children have the opportunity to explore different themes and concepts linked to the curriculum through a themed day. These days provide pupils with authentic practical learning experiences and allow them to develop their skills and interests. A recent pupil voice survey revealed that 91% of pupils across the primary phase felt that this day helped them develop and learn more. 

Here is an example of some of our fantastic, themed days:

British Values Dazzle Day: Pupils learned about the fundamental British values. They explored the theme of Democracy and created their own Manifestos and took part in a real primary election. This enabled pupils to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence. They were visited by local councillors who spoke to the children about their roles in society.

Oral Health Dazzle Day:

 Pupils learned how to keep their teeth clean, they were visited by an oral health promoter for Ealing and after school the Oral Health Roadshow came to visit allowing 128 children to have a free dental examination. Many children spoke about how the council can help us and some children even said they feel more confident and less worried about visiting the dentist now. What a success!

World Environment Dazzle Day: 

Pupils became active citizens and got to explore ways in which they can protect their environment. Each year group took part in a giving back project where they helped to do something good for our school and local community. Pupils in Year 4 did litter picking within the local park and children in year 6 helped to plant some fruits and vegetables to grow in our garden. At the end of the day pupils sold some of their produce to the local community as part of a community garden sale. 

Educational Trips and Visits

At Alec Reed Academy we strongly believe in the power of educational visits in bringing learning to life and enhancing interest, enthusiasm and achievement for all children.  Our visits aim for children to acquire an awareness of the world around them, an understanding of how life works and help to extend the curriculum providing inclusive hands on learning experiences. Educational visits link closely to our class themes and include visits to theatre, museums, farms, zoos and the local area.  All year groups have at least 1 external visit and a minimum of 2 workshops each year.

We also supplement the visits with visitors, shows who come into school to bring learning to life in extravagant and dramatic ways! For example, The NED SHOW visited us recently to promote our newly pupil elected school value of Resilience! 

Our Year 6 children have the opportunity to experience a residential visit.   The adventure of spending time away from home with friends provides boundless opportunities for children to develop skills such as collaboration, independence, team work and resilience.

Extra-curricular Clubs

Our extra-curricular activities nurture academic habits, skills, emotional intelligence, athletic prowess and creativity.  They are well planned, well-resourced and staffed by fully qualified coaches. Having superb grounds and ample space in school including a separate hall, state-of-the-art astro-turf and a fantastic amphitheatre, we are able to run an extensive range of clubs before and after school as well as at lunchtime. These include Young Entrepreneurs, Ocarina club, multisport, football, street dance, mixed martial arts and Art and Design club.

Assemblies

Our assemblies are linked to annual themed events and religious events to enabled pupils to be informed and aware of what is happening around them, for example,  Anti-bullying day or National Volunteering Day. These assemblies are organised and developed to help inform and inspire our pupils. Assemblies are led by senior leadership, classroom teachers and outside agencies linked to themed national events.