Enrichment
Whilst our core and Reading Enhanced curriculum provides opportunities for children to learn and have access to different experiences, our Enrichment is an additional layer. This is a vital part of our ethos – as it provides opportunities that children may not have on a day to day basis outside of school and also has an element of individual choice, through after-school clubs, where children can identify and develop their own interests.
Experience path
During their time at Highfields, children follow an ‘Experience path’ which gives them the opportunity to try new things, visit new places and develop an understanding of other people, places and cultures. This runs all the way from Nursery, through to the end of Year 6. The aim is to ensure that children have access to opportunities that they may not receive outside of school to develop their understanding of modern Britain and also to develop their aspirations and skills!
After-school experiences
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | |
| Activity | Multi-sports | Arts and craft Forest School | Board games Forest School | Football |
| Leader/ Area | Mr Millar – Sports | Miss Brown – Creative Miss Hepworth – Outdoor | Miss Gardom – Games Miss Hepworth – Outdoor | Mr Millar – Sports |
Each week we run afterschool clubs which are free of charge and accessible to all pupils. We offer a range of clubs which allow children to access different experiences. The clubs are very popular!
Forest Schools
At Highfields we have a Forest Schools practitioner who is able to deliver outdoor learning sessions for our pupils.
‘Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning process, that offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions. It is a long-term program that supports play, exploration and supported risk taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting.
Forest School has a developmental ethos shared by thousands of trained practitioners around the world, who are constantly developing their learning styles and skills to support new and imaginative learners. Its roots reach back to the open-air culture, friluftsliv, or free air life, seen as a way of life in Scandinavia where Forest School began. It arrived in the UK in 1993 and has grown from strength to strength since then.’ (Forest School Association)
We follow the six key principals and criteria of good practise from the Forest School Association (FSA) to ensure that we deliver a quality provision:
- Forest School is a long-term process of regular sessions, rather than one-off or infrequent visits; the cycle of planning, observation, adaptation and review links each session.
- Forest School takes place in our very own woodland and natural environments to support the development of a lifelong relationship between the learner and the natural world.
- Forest School uses a range of learner-centred processes to create a community for being, development and learning.
- Forest School aims to promote the holistic development of all involved, fostering resilient, confident, independent and creative learners.
- Forest School offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.
- Forest School is run by a qualified Forest School practitioner, who continuously maintains and develops her professional practice.
Our highly skilled Forest School Practitioner works with all pupils from Nursery through to Year 6 in during their time at school. We also run this as an after-school clubs for those who want to immerse in more outdoor experiences.
For more information on the Forest School approach and ethos, please see the national website: