Co-Curricular Activities Spotlight

Not only is this week Mental Health Awareness Week but it is also National Children’s Activity Week, and what better way to celebrate than to show off all the excellent opportunities we offer our Lower School.

An active mind is often a happy mind. On the theme of mental health, the transition from Primary School to Secondary school has been identified as one of the major causes of youth anxiety. As an educational establishment, Shiplake College recognises this and combats it with a multitude of Co-Curricular activities to ensure our boys maintain a healthy state of mind.

Year 7 have this week been getting stuck in to a spot of cookery, as they do every Wednesday. A visiting instructor from Smart Raspberry, a cookery school which visits schools and colleges across the country, comes in and teaches groups of about 25 boys how to make a variety of dishes. Last week the boys were making individual banana cheesecakes, giving them the opportunity to create a sweet treat and do their best Bake Off impressions at the same time.

All the while Year 8 were learning Taekwondo, a Korean martial art which focuses on high kicks. A group of 20 boys were practicing a variety of kicks and forms; a series of choreographed movements or steps. They also practiced some one-step sparring, which is the repeated practice of agreed moves. Once the boys have attended more lessons, they will be able to train to earn their white belt, and will go on to earn belts denoting greater experience.

The pupils of the Lower School are also encouraged to take part in Shiplake’s Science Club on a Wednesday afternoon, where they get the chance to do more advanced (and more exciting) scientific experiments. Last week the boys were tasked to make a rainbow in a test tube by combining various chemicals and elements. Assistant Head of Co-Curricular Activities Mr Alex Hunt said

It’s great that the boys are able to come along to Science Club and try their hand at what some of the higher school years are doing, in a safe supervised environment. Not only are they putting theory in to practice but they’re also learning valuable lessons about the properties of various elements and chemicals and seeing how much enjoyment there is in the Sciences!