T: 01666 880333
E: office@westonbirt.gloucs.sch.uk
Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL8 8QG
Extra Curricular
Plenty of Extra-curricular Activities for All Ages
Life at Westonbirt will bring you the chance to enjoy existing hobbies and develop new interests too, via our busy programme of extra-curricular activities.
The "Big Four" of Art, Drama, Music and Sport are very well represented at Westonbirt, but every day there are also all kinds of other activities and clubs available, from cheerleading to cookery, from science to swimming, from fencing to polo.
Some of these are specifically timetabled after tea every day, when they run instead of lessons for Years 7-9, but girls of any age who have free periods at this time are welcome to join in. Mrs Bell, Head of Lower School, runs this programme. Others run during weekday evenings, at weekends or during lunchtimes by many other members of staff who like to share their own interests with the girls.
If you have a particular interest that you would like to pursue, please do ask - we are always adding more activities to suit our current pupils' needs. Recent additions include fencing, a new hobby taken up by many other girls since a top-class fencer joined our sixth form; wakeboarding, when we recruited an Assistant Housemistress who is an international wakeboarding champion, and cheerleading - just for fun!
A cross-section of activities currently available is listed below, in alphabetical order.
Art
All girls take art from Year 7 onwards and many are surprised to discover they had greater artistic talents than they first thought! Whether or not you choose to take Art to GCSE or A Level, the school house and grounds are an inspiring setting for artwork of all kinds. Art is often taught out of doors and our neighbour, the Arboretum, is also a great venue. There is an active programme of visits to art exhibitions throughout the country and further afield too.
Ballet
A local teacher, formerly a professional ballerina with international dance companies, visits the school in the evenings offering ballet classes to suit girls of all abilities. This is the ideal opportunity for girls new to ballet to take it up as well as for highly experienced dancers to continue to develop their skills and work towards examinations.
Charity Work
Girls throughout the school regularly take part in charity work to support good causes both near and far. Some projects involve the whole school, such as the Rainbow Walk in aid of Hope for Tomorrow, and others involve small groups of pupils or specific year groups. The Charities Officer is Mrs Spyvee, who works in the Learning Support Department. She also runs our World Challenge scheme, in which sixth formers undertake a two-week trip to a country in the developing world to benefit a community project at their destination.
Cheerleading
This fun activity has some serious purpose to it too - it's great for teamwork and excellent exercise. We have a new teacher about to join us this term to run cheerleading classes - watch this space for more information soon! In the meantime, Head of Lower School Mrs Bell will be happy to answer any questions about it - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to send her a message.
Debating
Debating is a popular activity that appeals to a wide range of girls, from those who see it as an interesting extension of their Speech and Drama studies to those who have their sights set on a legal career eager to hone potential courtroom skills.
Drama
Quite apart from Drama and Theatre Studies curriculum choices, there are many opportunities for you to develop your dramatic talents. There are two major school productions, the Junior Play in the Summer Term and the Senior Play in the Autumn Term.Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
There is a thriving DofE programme at Westonbirt with record numbers of girls now working towards their Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards.
Fencing
Fencing is a highly regarded sport included in the Olympics as well as being useful to drama students or to anyone looking for an interesting and different means of keeping fit and improving their posture. We are fortunate to have former GB national squad fencer n Jamie Melia our coach, teaching pupils who range from complete beginners to one pupil who is in Britain's Junior top 20.
Film Club
We love film nights, when we turn the Orangery Theatre into a cinema, rolling down the big white screen.Leith's Cookery Course
We are one of a handful of schools in the country with the licence to run the Leith’s Basic Certificate in Food and Wine, franchised from the prestigious Leith’s School of Cookery in London.Model United Nations
If you are interested in current affairs and global politics and enjoy debating or public speaking, you will gain a great deal from joining our Model United Nations programme.
Music
The list of choirs, bands and ensembles at Westonbirt just seems to keep growing! From orchestra, to jazz, to samba, there’s something for every musical taste and a place for every instrument you can think of.Polo
The Beaufort Polo Club is one of our nearest neighbours, offering us the ideal venue for our girls to experience polo. Many choose to take polo as an optional extra. Prior equestrian experience is not essential but in the past girls who are experienced horsewomen have gone on to develop their polo skills to a high level. For those who prefer to watch, there are frequent trips to matches at the weekends.
Sport
We may be a relatively small school, but the choice of sports to play is huge. Every girl will have a good chance of representing the School in one sport or another, and there are lots of opportunities to play sport in your leisure time as well as in lessons.Wakeboarding
This curious mixture of surfing, skateboarding and waterskiing has been introduced to Westonbirt by international wakeboarding champion Steph Caller, who is one of our Assistant Housemistresses. The girls enjoy lessons with her at the nearby Cotswold Water Park, weather permitting!