From chess to skiing, education continues outside the classroom

School is about much more than exam results. A pupil may emerge from sixth year with straight ‘A’s in academic subjects — but without something to offer the world in terms of interests, balance, personality and enthusiasm, he will be ill-prepared for life beyond the school corridors. The emphasis which Scotland’s independent schools place on extra-curricular activities — particularly on sports, outdoor pursuits, music and drama — is one of the principal deciding factors for many parents in choosing to send their children to a private school. Common activities include the usual rugby, hockey, football, orchestra, annual musical and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, while more unusual pursuits include mahjong, origami, war gaming, reptile handling, aircraft modelling and even unicycling. Some schools also offer non-certificated subjects within class hours, such as Mandarin Chinese, sign language and braille, while others foster political awareness through a youth parliament.

Fiona Valpy, assistant director of the Scottish Council for Independent Schools (SCIS), says: “It is possibly one of the independent sector’s greatest strengths in terms of the breadth of opportunities they offer to pupils. “Extracurricular activities tend to be a very important and integral part of what they have to offer, rather than a bolt-on extra.”

Gordonstoun School in Elgin places such an emphasis on outdoor and other non-academic activities that they are considered an essential part of the curriculum. “What we do beyond the classroom is as important in our school’s ethos as what is done in the classroom. We would call them part of the curriculum, rather than extracurricular,” explains school head Mark Pyper. “We’ve always had outdoor education and community service at the heart of what we do and learn because this is a philosophy-driven place, where it’s all about personal development and being a good citizen as much as academic achievement.” Gordonstoun has a sail training boat, coastguard unit and fire service for pupils. Pyper says: “This week we’ve got 16 boys and girls aged 16 on a sail training vessel off the west coast of Scotland. That’s as much as part of the curriculum as maths or English. Thirty students and six members of staff are fully qualified firefighters.” In the summer break before the final year, pupils also have a choice of three projects: providing a village in Korea with a fresh water supply, working in an Aids hospice in Romania and conservation work in the Sinai desert. “It’s a tremendous social service but it’s the cultural experience which is almost as important,” says Pyper. “They’re life-shaping experiences.”

Loretto School in Musselburgh has its own golf academy, as well as a wide range of activities including ceramics, clay pigeon shooting, skiing, tap and jazz dancing, a pipe band, an exploration society, karate and judo, an astronomy club, debating and public speaking, the school magazine, scuba diving and chess. The school’s headmaster, Michael Mavor, explains: “The golf academy is one of Loretto’s unique features. Pupils benefit from our own on-campus putting and driving bay facilities, and a full-time golf professional.” Loretto is also known for ‘fives’ — a court game which has been played since medieval times and is similar to squash, except players hit a hard leather ball with padded gloves on both hands.

In addition to standard offerings, George Watson’s in Edinburgh runs a third-year projects programme. “S3 Projects sees small groups depart for the wilds for experiences that can qualify pupils for the John Muir Award,” says school principal Gareth Edwards. Out of nearly 80 clubs and activities to choose from, he adds: “Model United Nations and angling are just two examples of the many clubs which offer the chance to try something completely new. “Another example is eco-action, which counts among its initiatives a cleverly devised logo used around school to encourage pupils and staff to save energy. The home economics department runs ‘dress to impress’, allowing pupils to make their own ball attire.” Edwards adds: “Each extracurricular activity provides an opportunity for teachers to establish a strong dynamic with the pupils taking part, and for the pupils to develop new skills and interests — as well as self-confidence and a sense of achievement, which also makes a difference to their academic achievements.”

Pupils can also learn more about homelessness issues through the school’s active involvement with the Ark Trust, while Young Enterprise and the City Club enable teenagers to develop business skills and explore the workings of the stock market. In the final year, non-certificate courses are also available, including geology, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, sign language, braille and — always popular with pupils preparing to go off to university — a homegrown ‘can’t cook, will cook’ course. At The High School of Glasgow, activities include electronics and a sci-fi club, while the school’s literary and debating society has a record of success in national competitions. Snowboarding and golf are particularly popular at St Aloysius College in Glasgow, while George Heriot’s in Edinburgh offers a wide variety of activities including a full symphony orchestra and a jazz band. Courses such as philosophy, Portuguese and reptile handling are also provided outside the curriculum.

According to the SCIS, independent schools place a special emphasis on every facet of a child’s personal development, nurturing the social, artistic, creative, practical and physical aspects, as well as the academic. The options open to children at private schools in terms of extracurricular activities are almost boundless.

Mark Pyper says: “Apart from all the other benefits, I’m not sure you get the best academic results anyway by just focusing on the classroom.”

Miranda Fettes
http://news.scotsman.com/education.cfm?id=1098192004

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