Co-curricular

Early in Year 7 pupils enjoy three days in Norfolk where, along with outdoor activities such as climbing, abseiling and raft-building, they are introduced to the school’s values and ethos and the importance of building positive relationships.

Excellent use is made of the museums, theatres, galleries and other learning environments in and around London. Field trips take place in the local area as well as further afield.

Older students have the opportunity to attend the Student Leadership Conference run by the Association of Christian Schools International.

Older pupils and sixth formers have the opportunity to take part in a two week trip to Tanzania to build goat sheds, water tanks and support local health initiatives, schools and reforestation. The opportunity to work alongside villagers in rural Africa provides an insight into the challenges of life in a developing world country. Pupils return more focused, open-minded and reflective, and with unforgettable memories. This trip has won an Independent Schools Association Award for “Outstanding Contribution for International Understanding” in recognition of its unique grassroots nature.

Opportunities for overseas trips are open to every pupil to broaden their horizons. Recent trips have included the Bay of Naples to see Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii and Herculaneum, a geography trip to Morocco, a history trip to Berlin and skiing in Austria.

Thames provides an imaginative range of co-curricular activities in academic, sporting and creative subjects. Our small size enables pupils to have a high degree of participation.

Pupils participate in national competitions such as the F1 in Schools, Young Writers, UKMT Mathematical Challenges, British Biology and Chemistry Challenges and Olympiads, National Geographic WorldWise and Independent Schools Association competitions.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award provides pupils the opportunity to gain skills and grow in confidence, giving them an edge when applying for university and beyond. Bronze is offered in Year 9, Silver in Year 10 and Gold in Year 12.

Co-curricular opportunities typically include:

3D modelling, 3D papercraft, Bake Off, Brand design, British Sign Language, Chess, Choir, Christian faith exploration, Coding, Cookery, Dance, Debating, Dissections, Drama, Electronics, Fashion & textiles, Instrumental ensemble, Life drawing, Lino cutting, Mandarin, Musical theatre, Model UN, STEM, Tech dissection & repair, Thames News, Thames Radio, Woodwork

Sports offerings include badminton, basketball, football, gym, netball, rugby, table tennis, tennis, and volleyball.

The wider curriculum is designed to facilitate the formation of character, preparing pupils with the skills to negotiate the workplace and beyond. It includes workplace skills, careers education, cultural intelligence, conflict resolution and citizenship. Additionally, Year 9 and 10 Life Skills lessons include financial literacy, success habits, leadership, cookery, entrepreneurial skills, Chinese culture and Mandarin. Sixth formers also enjoy an extensive co-curricular programme that includes leadership development, advanced IT skills, critical thinking, cultural history and philosophy.

Regular careers fairs and guest speakers inspire choices, and teachers advise pupils in their selection of GCSE and A Level subjects, enabling them to prepare for their chosen career path.

Work experience opportunities are tailored to their individual subject choices and career aspirations.

Forming part of our Life Skills programme, dedicated cookery classes take place across all year groups, building up basic skills in Years 7 and 8, going on to more advanced skills in Years 9 and 10. In the Sixth Form, students recap core skills and learn more advanced techniques, with a focus on nutrition, improvising from limited ingredients and eating healthily on a student budget, with the aim of preparing them for independent living at university and beyond.

Baking in Year 7 teaches core skills with the focus on accurate measuring and kitchen hygiene, before learning to use knives and some electrical appliances safely in Year 8. A tasty range of European and Asian recipes provides a vehicle for learning cooking techniques including chopping, dicing, slicing and grating, rubbing in, creaming, making batter, Béchamel sauce and biscuit dough, cooking off spices, safe handling of raw chicken and more. By Year 10 pupils are learning more advanced cooking skills, including breading, making curries, koftas, Spanish tortilla, pizza and pasta from scratch and even homemade mayonnaise and custard.

Co-curricular options include International Cookery and Bake Off. These popular activities are always over-subscribed.

All this is enabled by our fully equipped cookery classroom with eight stations each comprising an oven, hob, food preparation area, sink and draining board. Pupils generally work in pairs, fostering collaboration skills, and they get to take home their creations.