Extra-Curricular Activities

Extra-Curricular Activities

You may also be interested in the clubs page.

Sport

In addition to their timetabled PE and games lessons, Years 7 to 10 also take part in a series of inter-form tournaments. These usually take place across a whole morning, with all students from the year group participating, but some tournaments are held at lunchtimes. A trophy is awarded to the winning form in each Year group. Forms learn to work together as a team, and students enjoy the competition.

Clubs are organised for a range of sports: rugby, football, hockey, netball, cricket, tennis, short tennis, basketball, badminton, rounders and athletics. Clubs are open to all students, regardless of ability. There is also a comprehensive midweek fixture list involving teams from St Ivo competing with other local secondary schools (details can be found on the Schools Rugby site by clicking here). St Ivo students are invited to trials for District and County teams.

Dance

A range of dance clubs meet on a regular basis, including a boys' dance club, and the hugely popular Thursday workshop sees dozens of students staying at school until 4.30pm. In December, entries are taken for the annual "Spotlight" dance show, in which individuals, pairs, and small groups perform an impressive range of dances. The dance clubs and GCSE and A Level groups also contribute, and over 250 performers take part on the two nights.

Drama and Theatre Studies

In November 2007 we produced our own version of Federico Garcia Lurca�s play �Yerma� with stunning set design, lighting and combining dance, drama and music. We follow it with a production of �The Visit� by Frederick Durrenmatt in November 2008.

Our AS students produced innovative devised pieces of theatre and our A2 students mounted ambitious and creative productions of plays by John Godber, Steven Berkoff and Debbie Isitt.

Music

Peripatetic staff from the Cambridgeshire Instrumental Music Agency visit the school, providing tuition for students in strings, woodwind, brass, percussion and voice. We also have a piano and keyboard teacher and an electric guitar and drum tutor.

Clubs presently on offer include senior choir, gifted, talented and interested club, chamber orchestra, wind band and big band. An annual �Come and Play Day� is held for KS3 and Year 6 musicians to come together to rehearse and perform as one. The next one will be held in Summer 2009. The Christmas concert will as usual be a celebration of pupils music making over the Autumn term with a festive theme. The Year 7 choral item will be a special feature, as will be the inaugural performance of the chamber orchestra.

Mathematics

Students in all years enter national competitions organised by the UK Mathematics Trust, with a number gaining certificates. Each year, up to nine Year 8 students take part in a series of five mathematics workshops in Cambridge. The Saturday morning workshops are organised under the auspices of the Royal Institution of Great Britain. Speakers include university lecturers, and participants work on challenging areas of mathematics outside the school curriculum.

The 'Green Fingers Club'

The �Green Fingers Club� originated about 14 years ago and with the �Crazy Compost Company� acts as the fund raising arm of �The Animal Shed� club which looks after the school rabbits and guinea pigs. The �Green Fingers Club� grows plants for sale to staff and the public and the �Crazy Compost Company� recycles the animal waste into garden compost or mulch. Around �650 gross is raised in this way each year and the profits used for repairs, veterinary bills and for investing in new stock.

In the past four years the �Green Fingers Club� has been actively involved in developing the school garden, a plot of land adjacent to St Ives golf course. Each stage of the development has been entered into a national garden competition for the under 18s. The club's vegetable clocks, �Garden of Reflection� and biodiversity garden have each won the Eastern region heat of each competition entered and as such have gone on to represent the region in the national finals.

Our woodland edge garden has lead to an increase in the number and species of birds and invertebrates. We have seen an increase in wildlife, including great-crested newts, dragonflies and birds of prey including Kestrels.

Charity Events

The school has a long tradition of raising money for charity. Many students participate in the British Heart Foundation Sponsored Swim and profits from discos organised by the year councils are usually donated to charities chosen by the year group. Examples of charity events include:

Year 7 students chose to support Cancer Research UK. They also took part in a Sport Relief Mile raising �1,000.

Each form group in Year 8 chose their own charity to support and took part in a number of different activities to see who could raise the most money. Charities included NSPCC, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Diabetes UK, Help for Heroes and Cancer Research. Approximately �2,000 was raised by the students. Events included sponsored bike rides and walks, cake stalls and �throw a wet sponge at the teacher�.

Year 9 provided funds for the Water Aid Charity which supports health and education on the African continent.

A Year 11 student directed and produced a play, together with other Year 11 students. The production �Blood Brothers� raised in excess of �1,500 for charity.

The Sixth Form supports a number of charities throughout the year, including raising money for cancer research, collecting boxes for Christmas presents for disadvantaged children in Eastern Europe, as well as regularly donating blood at local session. Students are also encouraged to become bone marrow donors and last year one student donated bone marrow over the summer break. The whole school raised �2,500 on Red Nose Day when students paid to attend school wearing their own clothes and wearing Red Noses.

Year Councils

Each year group has a Year Council, with elected representatives from each form. The councils organise social events, make decisions about donations to charity and provide a forum for discussion of issues concerning the school, its environment and community. The Year Councils are often consulted about matters of school policy.

School Council

Two representatives from each year group, together with additional co-opted members form the St Ivo School Council. Meeting every fotnight, the School Council examines whole-school issues and makes recommendations to the Senior Management Team. The School Council makes a practical and positive contribution to the successful development of the school, helping students to use their voice in an assertive rather than aggressive way. Having a School Council actually encourages students to reflect upon things and look at what are actual possibilities, what are non-negotiable and how to work projects through to completion.

St Ives Youth Town Council

This council was set up in 1999, with proper elections held in the school. Each year group has two representatives and the council has made major contributions to the planning of the St Ives Carnival and Millennium celebrations. Five members of the council visited their counterparts in Stadtallendorf. A major project has been setting up youth groups in the town and working on the St Ives regeneration.

UK Youth Parliament

One of our students is the nominated representative on the UK Youth Parliament for this area and eight other students sit on the local Steering Committee. This is an exciting opportunity to be involved in discussion and decision making at a national and occasionally international level.