Extracurricular Activities
At Birchwood High School, we offer a diverse range of extracurricular clubs that aim to enhance your child's overall learning experience. Opportunities for students to explore their interests, develop new skills, and foster meaningful connections with peers is a hugely important part of what it means to be a Birchwood student. Our engaging extracurricular clubs aim to boost self-confidence, improve time management skills, and instil a lifelong love for learning.
We understand that choosing the right club can be a tough decision. To assist you in this process, we have meticulously designed a variety of clubs and opportunities that cater to diverse interests and aptitudes.
Our dedicated team is committed to creating a supportive and enriching environment for all participants. We believe that the skills and values acquired through extracurricular activities will not only benefit them academically but will also prepare them for the challenges and opportunities they may encounter in the future.
Duke Of Edinburgh
“The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has helped countless young people on their sometimes difficult path to adulthood.”
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
DofE Bronze Award
We run the award with Year 10 students. This allows students to complete their Bronze Award without affecting their GCSE studies. The award starts in October and students attend bi-weekly meetings on Fridays to carry out the training needed for the expedition. Students are expected to complete the volunteering, physical and skills sections in their own time. They will need to start as soon as the award begins in order to complete the Bronze Award before the end of Year 10.
DofE Gold Award
The Gold Award runs in Years 12 and 13. We aim to create a truly student-led DofE Centre with our ‘Gold Team’ of students being responsible for everything from planning and organising expeditions to recruiting and training Bronze participants. The DofE Gold Award consists of five sections: volunteering, skills, physical, expedition and residential. The Award requires participants to maintain their commitment to various activities over an extended period and will take around 18 months to complete. Students will be expected to complete two expedition trips, one in the summer of Year 12 and one at the start of Year 13. We recommend Gold participants complete their residential section during their holidays in Year 12. If completed in a timely manner, students should finish their award during the summer of Year 13.
Additional Information
Students will be given support and guidance throughout their award and will help provide support and guidance to others. They will be expected to find their own activities to complete for the skills, residential and physical sections and will be expected to complete these on the DofE website, ensuring they meet deadlines set. The Expedition section consists of two four-day expeditions for Gold participants and a two-day expedition weekend for the Bronze participants.
Please contact our DofE coordinators for more information:
Useful links to the DofE website:
Equality Groups
Fusion
Fusion celebrates difference and diversity in our learning community. The group provides a regular space for students to meet their peers and create a supportive network within school, ensuring that an attitude of acceptance and respect for all remains a central part of life at Birchwood.
Mosaic
Mosaic is Birchwood’s new student-lead multicultural group, created to help raise awareness of different cultures, heritages, experiences and identities.
Edge: Environmental Group
Edge meet regularly to discuss the school's environmental responsibilities. James Veness from the Energy Sparks recently visited the group to review a number of key actions that could reduce in the “baseload” of the school.
Ocean
Birchwood’s Sixth Form Equality Group meet fortnightly to discuss gender-based issues within our school community and how best to tackle them.
Expressive Performing Arts
Music
A programme of extracurricular ensembles and choirs runs weekly at Birchwood High School. They build on the experiences of individual music lessons and/or classroom music teaching. Our clubs offer the chance to gain experience, performing alongside other musicians of a similar ability and there really is something for everyone; a place to hone your skills of ensemble musicianship and make friendships.
Students are encouraged to take part in our yearly concert programme, including Autumn and Spring Chamber Concerts and a Summer Prom.
The Young Musician of the Year Competition:
Now in its 10th year, this annual competition celebrates the plethora of talented musicians at Birchwood. The categories that students can enter are Pop, Musical Theatre or Classical, with the overall winners being decided by judges in a live final.
The range of talent on display in this year’s competition was inspiring and the final included solo performances on flute, piano, voice, heavy metal guitar and acoustic guitar.
Sport
We have a proud tradition of sporting excellence at Birchwood. Our students compete locally and nationally in a wide variety of sports. We have a regular roster of fixtures for football, rugby, hockey, netball, cricket, basketball and athletics. Students also learn many other sports, both in P.E. lessons and in our after-school extracurricular clubs.