After School Clubs and Extra Curricular Activities
At St. Mary's Catholic Federation, Carshalton, we pride ourselves on offering a wide range of extra-curricular activities for all of our pupils. These range from sporting activities to music lessons. We believe that school is about so much more than learning how to read and write and that all children should have the opportunity to develop hobbies and pursue interests alongside their formal education. We work hard to utilise the Sports Grant funding to engage as many children in active sports as possible, both during and after the school day.
We endeavour to provide a variety of clubs to try to meet the interests of all children and therefore our clubs/activities timetable changes termly. The clubs sign up letter is sent out before the end of term, via our school mailing system and parent/carers are notified if their child is successful in gaining a place within the club by the club leader.
Some of the clubs that we offer are:
* Lego Club (Internal provision)
* Colouring Club (Internal Provision)
* Football - Yrs 1 & 2 (Gold Coaching)
* Football - Yrs 3/4/5 (Gold Coaching)
* Boys Football - Yr 6 (Teacher led)
* Girls Football - Yrs 5/6 (Teacher led)
* Martial Arts - Yrs 3/4/5/6 (Progressive Martial Arts)
* Debutots - Yrs R/1/2 (Debutots)
* Gymnastics - Yrs 1/2 (Future Gymnastics)
* Gymnastics - Yrs 3/4/5/6 (Future Gymnastics)
* French - Yrs 1/2 (Mrs M Alexander)
* Tennis - Yrs 3/4 (Sutton Tennis Coaching)
* Choir - Yr 2 (teacher led)
* Choir - Yrs 3/4/5/6 (teacher led)
* Netball - Yr 6 (teacher led)
* Athletics - Yrs 3/4/5/6 (teacher led)
* Multiskills - Yrs 3/4/5/6 (Golds Coaching)
* Chess - Yrs 3/4/5/6 (Marcus Gosling)
* Running - Yrs 3/4/5/6 (teacher led)
A variety of other groups are set up, but these may be in line with a range of learning needs.
Music Lessons
Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils resulting in an increase in their development to a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music allowing them to perform, compose, and to listen to a variety of genres and culture whilst studying the inter-related dimensions of music.
Singing is at the centre of the curriculum. It enhances their musical skills, develops their aural awareness and their ability to apply their knowledge and understanding in their compositions. Project work includes music from different cultures and times including the use of musical instruments and an introduction to reading music notation.
The Sutton Music Service provides instrumental lessons under the Wider Opportunities Scheme. In Year 2 all the children learn to play the Djembe and Recorder and in Year 4 all children learn to play the Violin or Cello. Please note that Health and Safety is strictly followed regarding playing the recorder and all recorders and cleaned before and after each use.
At the Junior school, Choir is open to all children as a morning school club and at the Infant’sschool as a lunchtime club for Year 2.
Hymn practice and Sing and Praise are held for the whole school on a regular basis, as a preparation for assemblies, masses and other religious celebrations.
Several peripatetic teachers provide extra-curricular lessons in irock (https://www.irockschool.com/), guitar, violin, trumpet, trombone, cello and piano during class time in the Junior School and piano during class time at the piano during class time in the Infant School. (There is a charge for these lessons and parents who wish their child to learn a musical instrument should place their names on a waiting list in the school office.)
The school aims, among other things, to develop children socially, culturally and spiritually. Music makes a significant contribution to all these areas and it is our aim for our children to leave our school confident that they have developed skills in performing, composing, listening and appraising and confident that they can express ideas and feelings through the medium of sound.