Co-Curricular
At Barnsley Academy we want our pupils to grow up to be kind, honest, curious, and integral citizens with the resilience and perseverance to make wise choices and do what’s right. Enrichment is a vital part of our ‘taught, caught and sought’ character education curriculum, where these additional opportunities enable pupils to put into practice virtues such as courage, service and gratitude. Our enrichment programme helps pupils to understand how important it is to build a good work ethic and prepare for life after school. We offer period 5 enrichment opportunities not just as an extra-curricular but creating a sense of belonging for all students in a variety of subject areas. Stretching beyond the traditional programmes, we offer a truly broad education for pupils in areas such as Coding, Musical Percussions, Dungeon’s and Dragon’s, Horrible Histories, Axiom Maths, Girls Football and activities including Friday’s Social Space.
In Year 7 all pupils will be given a musical instrument and learn how to play classical and contemporary music as part of an orchestra in association with Andrew Llyod Webbers Music in Secondary Schools Trust programme. Students will be offered the opportunity to take part in overnight residential at The Gresham Boarding School, and play at venues such as The Royal Albert Hall, St. Pauls Cathedral, The Barbarian and The Roundhouse in London. In addition, many Year 7 students will be offered a prestigious place taking part in The Grammar Stream. Students will learn the language of Latin, Maths and Music during Period 5 lessons every week. A five-night residential is offered to all students in Year 7 by The Outward-Bound which is DEFRA funded in The Lake District.
All Year 9 and 10 pupils have the option to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Awards programme. This is nationally recognised award combining the great outdoors, social action and stretching beyond the ordinary. Thereafter some choose to advance further to higher awards. In Year 9 to 11 students will be offered the opportunity to take part in the Access to Sheffield University program run by University of Sheffield to promote students interested in STEM. Students selected attend University taster sessions and an overnight residential.