At Houghton-on-the-Hill, we are committed to providing all children with an engaging, rich and varied curriculum, and we love to see children enjoying their learning.

In addition to the core curriculum, we believe enrichment plays an essential role in children’s learning; it is important for providing children with new experiences and extending their learning.  We highly encourage all children to pursue their own interests and talents, whether that be: in the arts, sports, science and technology, leadership, caring for the environment, and many more. We have a wide range of enrichment opportunities available to children of which some are detailed below.

We believe that education is more than just mastering English and maths – it’s also about enrichment and extraordinary experiences that extend children’s learning through new encounters and opportunities, creating brighter tomorrows and supporting them in  becoming courageous advocates and being aware of their roles as global citizens.  All classes have a Let’s Go Zero focus encouraging children to see that no matter how small we are, small actions can lead to big changes.

Enrichment and extraordinary experiences give children opportunities to try new and varied activities that may not strictly fit into the curriculum, but that develop character. They help to teach life skills that benefit children beyond the classroom, and can develop an appreciation for cultural and community issues, teamwork and social responsibility.

By ‘character’, we mean a set of attitudes, skills and behaviours – which we live out through our Team Houghton values (respect, courage, kindness, self-control, gratitude and forgiveness ). These behaviours reflect and underpin our core values, we empower, we respect, we care, and we believe that this enables success in school and beyond.

We provide opportunities for children to develop key life skills such as the ability to respond to setbacks, work well with others, build relationships, manage emotions, and cope with difficult situations.

Pupil Leadership opportunities are provided through a range of roles and responsibilities including a Year 6 Prefect and House Captain system and committees (Well-being Committee,  Welcome All Committee,  Online Safety Committee, Circle of Life Garden Committee,  School Council) that have representatives from all year groups from years 1 to 6.