Out-of-Timetable Activities

Chenderit School has a long tradition of providing extra-curricular activities. These take place at lunchtime, after school, at weekends and during holiday.

Music

The school has always had a very strong music tradition. There are 2 full-time Music teachers along with 8 peripatetic staff from the Northampton Music Centre. Several of our students have taken part in county music groups: training orchestra, county orchestra, county brass band, jazz band, and county junior orchestra.

Extra-curricular music clubs include:

  • Monday: String Orchestra.
  • Wednesday: Vocal Group.
  • Thursday: Flute Choir.
  • Friday: Jazz Band.

The Music Department holds a number of annual concert and performance evenings. Smaller musical events are held throughout the year, such as sixth form recital evenings and GCSE performances. The Music Department plays a key role in school productions.

Many students have lessons within the school from peripatetic instrumental specialists and there is a waiting list for tuition on most instruments. If students have been receiving tuition at their previous schools, we endeavour to ensure that this is continued at Chenderit. Instrumental lessons are partly paid for by the county and the school. However, as demand is high, a parental contribution is expected thereby allowing for more teaching time to be provided.

The peripatetic music staff are:

  • Mr Butler: Percussion
  • Mrs Mold: Upper Strings
  • Mrs Wild: Brass
  • Mr Taylor: Guitar
  • Mrs Keeble: Woodwind
  • Mr Thom: Lower Strings
  • Mr Bason: Keyboard
  • Mrs Blunsdon: Voice

Drama

There is a Drama Club which runs on a Tuesday lunch time each week for interested students in Years 7, 8 and 9. We improvise, rehearse and perform various styles of drama and work from a variety of themes.

In the last few years we have seen very successful whole school productions of  “Little Shop of Horrors”, “Smike” and this year, “Grease”.

In addition to this there are less formal evenings of Drama Showcases where our exam groups show their practical work, either devised or scripted to friends and family in the relaxed atmosphere of the drama studio.

Dance

Dance continues to be a strength within the school. Dance offers a wide range of curriculum activities both for boys and girls. Students are able to experience a variety of dance styles, from 'street jazz' to 'rock and roll'. Older students are encouraged to become involved in lessons and with the running of the lower school Dance Club, and to perform in Dance Evenings.

The Dance Department has become involved, over the years, with whole-school productions, and has also hosted numerous dance evenings.

Art

The school was designated a specialist school for the Visual Arts in September 2002 and re-designated in 2007. Having an enviable reputation for its excellent work in the Visual Arts, we also hold an Artsmark Silver Award for work across the Arts.

The specialist status building work has allowed the construction of the Michael Heseltine Gallery, a purpose built gallery which features several contemporary exhibitions each year together with exhibitions by local artists, art groups, Banbury Camera Club, South Northants Select Open and our own students. It is for the benefit of students, partner schools and the community and is open daily 9.00 am - 5.00 pm and on Sunday afternoons (2-5 pm) as published.

The school has an artist in residence each year from September to July.  These artists use the department as the base for their work preparing for a gallery exhibition each July.  They also work with our students and partner schools.

A number of master classes for students will be available after school on Thursdays in the autumn and spring terms when a free late bus to our partner villages will be available. A range of evening classes are also available on Tuesdays for the local community and parents.

Students achieve high standards and many continue to colleges to take degree courses in Fine Art, Textiles, Fashion, Graphics, Illustration, and Jewellery. All students are encouraged to use the Art rooms at breaks and after school. They are available every day until 5.00 pm, although special clubs are held on certain evenings. Workshops by practising artists and visits to local and national galleries in the UK and Europe are a regular feature of students' experience of Art at Chenderit. The use of sketchpads for recording and visualising ideas is an essential aspect of the department's work.

The department is also offering students the opportunity to do the Arts Council Arts Leader Award,  which is available at bronze, silver and gold levels.

Sport

The school has been granted a Sportsmark Award by Sport England, in recognition of our developing Physical Education and sports programme.

A very high standard is set in both curriculum and after-school activities in this area. As well as offering the major sports of football, rugby, hockey, tennis, athletics, cricket and netball we also offer badminton, basketball, aerobics, trampolining, gymnastics and table tennis. Golf, fitness studies and squash are offered to students in Years 11, 12 & 13, plus many other minority sports.

The school has had many sporting successes, for teams and individuals, boys and girls, at inter-school, county and national levels. Last year the school had several representatives at county, district and national levels.

There is a full list of fixtures available to all students in all sports, if selected. A great deal of sporting activity is linked with work in the community and boys and girls are encouraged to join their local groups. Presently numerous students are enjoying success in their respective sports, having taken advantage of this opportunity. We are very proud of the fact that a number of individuals have achieved outstanding success in recent years.

Clubs And Activities

Various clubs and activities take place after school, e.g. Badminton, Library, Languages. A late bus is available to partner villages on a Thursday in the autumn and spring terms.

Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme

Over one hundred students take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme at Chenderit. A significant number have gained awards at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels. For each award students participate in a range of physical, service, residential and skills-based activities as well as completing expeditions in the local area and further afield in Austria and Ireland.

Curriculum Experiences Offered Beyond the Normal Timetable

The school offers a wide range of residential and non-residential activities throughout the time spent at Chenderit. Such activities range across many departments and include A level Art trips to a variety of destinations, like Barcelona and Paris, as well as local and national galleries, field visits to Snowdonia with Geography, and foreign exchanges to France, Germany and Japan. Each year students in Years 7, 8 & 9 are offered various activities, like camping and outdoor pursuits, with a detailed brochure being produced in the Autumn Term.

In addition to the normal curriculum there are opportunities to participate in activities that require longer time than the usual one-hour sessions. These may be day study visits to museums, castles or galleries, work on surveys or field study assignments, or work in school with visiting speakers, theatre groups, etc.