A School bursting with LIFE
Following our most recent inspection, Ofsted concluded that
“Arden is an outstanding school at the heart of the community,
where students thrive”. Ask any one of our pupils how this
translates into real life and you might hear of exciting
adventures that range from cultural visits to France or Germany,
to skiing in Austria or North America and cycling the C2C
route from Whitehaven to the North East Coast.
But not all our out-of-classroom activities require strong nerves
and a hard hat! Over the course of a year, pupils of all ages
will be given opportunities to enhance their learning
experience outside the school – often by participating in an
activity or special trip which complements a subject. Regular
visits include theatre trips to build on the work taught in Drama
and English, visiting Drayton Manor Park for a more detailed
look at Travel and Tourism in action, and even flying to Iceland
to develop greater Geographical understanding.
Teaching staff at Arden take special pride in arranging visiting
speakers, field trips and excursions which bring their subjects
to life. Often the aim will be to challenge the pupil, mentally
or physically, in order to create a dimension of understanding
and appreciation unlikely to be forgotten.
Strong links with the University of Warwick have enabled Arden
pupils of all ages to develop skills they have gained on projects
both in the local and international communities. If a pupil has
an interest then we do all we can to encourage it. Arden pupils
have found success in national competitions such as Future
Chef, the National Mathematics Challenge, the Physics
Olympiad, the Eco Furniture Design competition, the
Magistrates’ Court and the Rolls Royce Business Challenge.
Sport figures highly on the agenda of many pupils, and a
glance at the annual list of honours and achievements gained
by school teams and individuals, at district and county level,
tells its own story. The opportunity to attend sport clubs
stretches before and beyond the school day, developing skills
across a wide range of abilities and interests.
Music and Drama are also celebrated extensively with a range
of school clubs and groups. The Soul Band, Wind Band and
Orchestras are just a few of the musical opportunities on offer.
The ‘Ardenaires’ or the Chamber Choir perform regularly at
local community events. The skills and experience of pupils
who enjoy Drama are enriched by participation in annual
school performances, as well as by attending Drama Club and
working towards the nationally accredited Arts Awards.
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