Extracurricular Opportunities
We offer a wider range of activities for all students to participate in. The way in which students embrace the opportunities in front of them and their enthusiasm for the ‘the extras’, is one of the many things we are really proud of them for.
Duke of Edinburgh Awards
This is a life-changing experience. A fun time with friends. An opportunity to discover new interests and talents. A tool to develop essential skills for life and work. A recognised mark of achievement.
The DofE is many things to many people, supporting young people successfully navigate to adult life.
There are four sections to complete at Bronze and Silver level and five at Gold. They involve helping the community/environment, becoming fitter, developing new skills, planning, training for and completing an expedition and, for Gold only, working with a team on a residential activity.
Year 9 begin their DofE journey by undertaking the Bronze award. We partner with an outdoors education provider called Ocean Rock who support the students with the expedition. Participating in DofE is the norm at Stroud High School with well over 90% of Year 9 students choosing to undertake the award. Year on year, SHS students rank amongst the highest for their completion of the award.
Year 10 progress to Silver and take the next two years to complete this level of the award. Again, really high numbers of students engage in the award with approximately 60% of students taking part.
Gold Award begins in Year 12 and is a major undertaking by the students. Achievement of Gold or gaining the hat trick of all three levels is something our students are rightly very proud of.
National Citizen Service
NCS is a great opportunity for our Year 11, 12 and 13 students. Each year we have up to 100 students taking part. At a very low cost students receive four amazing weeks of organised fun, activities and leadership opportunities. It will develop you as a person and allow you to learn new skills.
Students that take part will meet a new group of like-minded people, participate in a residential with a range of activities from canoeing to abseiling, have the opportunity to stay in halls of residence, and work as a team to make an impact by improving an area of your community.
SHS has previously received a NCS Bronze Award for participation. Participants are invited to attend a celebration at Gloucester Cathedral, where students are recognised for their efforts.
“NCS was a great way to meet new people outside of the Stroud community and make new connections” – Year 13 Student
Combined Cadet Force
Stroud High School Royal Navy Section proudly parade on a Monday after school in our own dedicated Unit, HMS Amazon. Cadet units in school have a long history and go back 150 years, with the CCF formally established in 1948 covering all three services. Stroud High has been part of this tradition since November 2019 with our own Royal Navy section.
CCF activities provide a wide range of opportunities for cadets to take on responsibilities and leadership skills through the assessed completion of syllabuses as they rise through the Royal Navy CCF ranks. Cadets learn about the role of the Royal Navy, as well as a host of practical skills such as ropework, afloat training, navigation (both on land and on the water), and communication techniques using semaphore, NATO alphabet and Morse code, amongst many others.
“Our aim is to enable the development of personal responsibility, leadership and self-discipline. Each CCF is an educational partnership between the school and the Ministry of Defence.” - Combined Cadet Force
During their time in Year 7 and Year 8, we aim to support your child in developing the habits and attitudes needed to look after their own wellbeing and become a successful learner. These ideas are introduced to students through the Stroud High Star Awards. Students will work towards achieving their Star Awards until the Easter of Year 8.
We look forward to seeing your child's progress towards achieving their Star Awards and will celebrate their success with you in the Year 8 Celebration evening.
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We offer a broad range of clubs and societies across all ages. Students engage in clubs with enthusiasm and levels of participation are high. In pre-pandemic times nearly all students in Years 7 and 8 participated in at least two extracurricular clubs. This commitment to participation remains strong through all phases of the school.
Despite current restrictions, many of our clubs and societies are going strong with groups such as chess, history society & ecocouncil moving to online platforms. Our sports clubs are currently relaunching, and we hope to see a return to other activities such as musical groups, book clubs, science club, debating society, cyber club, plus art and drama clubs soon.
Sport
Physical education has a key role in the development of all students at Stroud High School. Sport is used to promote collaboration, confidence, perseverance and resilience. We also aim to equip our students with the knowledge, ability and fortitude to continue to enjoy participation in sport beyond their time at Stroud High School.
Led by a specialist team of PE staff and coaches, students are given the opportunity to participate in various levels of both competitive sport and recreational activity. We believe in sport for all and that inclusivity is as vital as elite performance. Current opportunities available include:
| Competitive | Recreational | House Competitions |
|
Netball Hockey Handball Football Cross Country Dance Swimming Rounders Cricket Athletics Equestrian Skiing |
Netball Hockey Handball Football Rugby Dance Badminton Swimming Couch to 5K Rounders Cricket Athletics Fitness Suite Yoga Volleyball |
Netball Football Rounders/Cricket/Tennis 5K Swimming Gala Sports day Athletics National School Sport Week |
Drama
There are a variety of extracurricular clubs run by the Drama Department, such as Musical Theatre, Improvisation and Devising, and Special Effects Makeup.
Students can also audition to be in the cast of the yearly school productions. Shows alternate between using upper and lower school casts, and a mixture of plays and musicals have been performed. Students are also part of the backstage crew for every show, including positions of Assistant Director, Stage Manager, Lighting and Sound, Set and Props, and Makeup and Costume Designers.
House Drama Competitions run every year, with every House performing a short pantomime at Christmas.
Art
The Art Department run KS4 and KS3 clubs for students to experience techniques not always fully developed during curriculum time. During Enrichment Week, specialist workshops are delivered by visiting artists, such as: screen printing, model making and stop motion photography. Art trips to London, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff and Oxford are encouraged each year, combined with opportunities to photograph new environments and attend inspiring exhibitions. Many KS5 are also encouraged to attend locally held life drawing classes.
What our students say...
“This trip was such a great bonding experience. It really pushed me out of my comfort zone to do all the different activities. I made good memories and came out of the trip with new friends” - Year 7 Residential
“This was my first trip abroad with school and it was so much fun. The highlight of the week was the trip to Germany’s biggest theme park, Phantasialand, on the final day. Alongside the theme park trip we also got to go on a chairlift ride up the mountain Sesselbahn and visited the Lorelei statue on the River Rhein. What a great week!” - Year 8 German Holiday
“The French Exchange in Year 9 was one of the most rewarding things I've done and would recommend it to anyone. We went to France in November to stay with our French host family and then in March they came to stay with us in England. We spent the evenings and weekend with our French host family and got to know them well while immersing ourselves in the French language. My favourite place that we visited was Les Machines de L’île in Nantes. I also really liked the Rochemeier Troglodyte village because it was all about the history of the early French settlers” - Y9 French Exchange
“This was undoubtedly the best school trip I have been on- and one of the best weeks I have ever had. We travelled all the way to Austria and spent the week skiing the beautiful mountains in perfect conditions. I didn’t go with my immediate group of friends but ended up spending time with others from my Year (and the one below) that are now some of my closest friends! I was pushed out of my comfort zone by our group instructor but by the end of the week I felt I had made so much progress- doing runs I hadn’t even considered doing prior to the trip! A truly incredible week, I would give anything to go again” - Austria Ski Trip