Our students have been enjoying a variety of engaging extra-curricular activities as part of the elective provision during Term 1 at Brooke Weston Academy.

Year 7 Highlights:

• Zombie Apocalypse (STEM): Investigating how design and technology can aid in surviving a zombie apocalypse.
• StrategiSphere Board Game Design: Creating and designing board games.
• Magical Studies (STEM): Exploring the chemistry behind colour-changing potions.
• Coding Club: Learning about microcontrollers and developing new coding skills.
• Couch to 5K: Challenging themselves to build up their fitness.

Year 8 Highlights:

• Language Leader Elective: Students are planning and teaching language lessons, which they will deliver at primary schools in the summer term.

Sara-Maria Irimie (Y8) said, ‘We get to choose if we want to do French or Spanish, and we have selected 10 words to do our first activity in PowerPoint. We will then teach it at a primary school. I like this elective because it gives you a variety of skills, such as lesson planning, and communication skills.’

Ava Nicholson (Y8) said, ‘If you want to get into teaching or get used to standing in front of big crowds, it can encourage you to be more confident.’

Year 9 Highlights:

• Duke of Edinburgh Awards: Students are learning valuable life skills such as first aid, improving their skills, taking on new challenges, and learning teamwork.

Grayson Cotton said, ‘We have been learning how to put our partner in the recovery position because we are going on an expedition, and we need to be prepared for all emergencies’

• Book Club Elective: Reading and exploring “Every Line of You” by Naomi Gibson.

Head of English, Rebecca Liquorish said ‘Our elective is centred on promoting the love of reading and introducing students to different genres. We selected a book about AI which deals with relatable issues for our students, alongside deeper issues such as grief and morality. This has led to discussions about the importance of online safety, misplacing trust and taking responsibility for your actions. Our students enjoyed the book so much that one student read it within two days of receiving it!’

Year 10 Highlights:

• Sewing Skills Elective: Students are learning to fasten on and off, thread needles, split embroidery thread, and match the colour and number on the pattern to the thread they need to use.

Science teacher Sarah Kemp said, ‘One student said that she was going on a trip in a few weeks that will involve quite a lot of travelling and has asked her mum to get her a cross stitch kit so that she has something to do on the journey. I thought that was lovely as it is a new skill that she has learnt at school that she has enjoyed and wants to carry on at home.’

Careers and Electives Lead, Amber Colquhoun said, ‘These electives not only provide students with practical skills but also help them build confidence and explore new interests. It’s wonderful to see such enthusiasm and engagement from the students!’