Co-Curricular Activities | Sheffield Girls'

Be in your element with our fantastic co-curricular opportunities.

Life at Sheffield Girls' is about much more than academic success. It's also about trying new things, learning new skills, making new friends, and focussing on personal development.

We offer our girls a broad and vibrant range of co-curricular activities and trips, both in and outside of the classroom.

Students at Sheffield Girls’ benefit from the opportunity to take part in a wide range of co-curricular activities and clubs which complement a well-rounded education and help them with their personal growth, as they learn about teamwork, leadership, perseverance and creativity. Our older pupils also lead clubs and activities mentoring their younger peers and raising their aspirations whilst developing their own leadership and communication skills as positive role models.

Our co-curricular activities are accessible for all, and many run at no extra cost.

We incorporate our co-curricular activity programme into wider school initiatives to support our girls as they flourish into positive, kind and courageous people. Junior School pupils participate in the Girl of Steel Award, an in-school scheme that encourages our girls to be engaged holistically in academic study, co-curricular activities and service opportunities for the school and wider community. In Years 3 and 4, students focus on building their Values Awards Portfolios through activities that emphasise the core values of courage, positivity, and kindness. They document their work and experiences, which are celebrated each term. This culminates in Values Awards, presented at the end of Year 4.

In Years 5 and 6, the focus shifts to developing life skills and attributes such as social skills, communication and decision-making, aligned with our unique Fusion Curriculum. Students complete at least 12 tasks with successful completion leading to the Girls of Steel Silver Award in Year 5 and the Gold Award in Year 6. The programme is supported by our integrated pastoral support structures, and is delivered within small, all-girl classes.

The Girls of Steel programme threads throughout our school community, and in Senior School our character education activities continue in Key Stage 3 and 4. The programme focuses on six core skills: leadership; communication; collaboration; independence; critical thinking, and reflection. As our senior students develop their skills portfolios, they gain invaluable experience to help them thrive in the wider world and demonstrate the values, knowledge and capabilities which are most highly prized by employers.

Our character education programme underpins everything we do and as our students complete Key Stage 4 they prepare for their final stage of schooling in Sixth Form and embark on our Forging Future enrichment programme.

Our Forging Futures Programme supports our oldest students to develop their talents and interests, equipping them with a broad range of life skills and exposing them to a wide range of careers opportunities as they consider post 18 routes and options. Year 12 students participate in one hour of weekly enrichment activities, choosing from topics as varied as Model United Nations, photography, film-making, events management, driving and survival skills. The programme also includes regular tutorials for personalised support on academics, pastoral issues such as finance and wellbeing, and a schedule of external speaker sessions. The third stream of our Forging Futures programme focuses on careers with our Sixth Form students completing a wide range of activities to support them with careers choices, UCAS applications and interview skills.

All of this runs alongside our annual schedule of trips and visits, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, a vast range of clubs and societies and our broad sports offer.

Co-Curricular Options

Club Timetable Examples

Co-Curricular Clubs and Societies

At Sheffield Girls', we ensure our students have access to a wide range of co-curricular clubs and activities throughout the year. From sport teams, to music theory sessions, to becoming peer mentors, to learning how to knit, our pupils can select anything they wish whether they're learning from scratch or competing at a national level.

Sport

At Sheffield Girls', the Physical Education department in the Infant, Junior and Senior Schools is committed to offering a variety of extra-curricular activities and clubs which are open to all pupils. The programme is broad and balanced, so that all ages and abilities are given the opportunity to participate in a range of physical activities.

We offer co-curricular sporting activities which aim to:

complement and extend the curriculum beyond what is covered in timetabled sessions
allow all pupils to extend their interests and abilities
give our students opportunities for team and individual participation
provide leadership opportunities
promote health and physical fitness
give opportunities to travel both in the UK and abroad
allow students of different ages and abilities to interact

Participating in sport throughout school

As a school, we support local sport and we have a long record of success in the Sheffield Federation for School Sport (SFSS) competitions. Both teams and individuals are also given opportunities to compete against other independent schools in the Midlands and the North of England on a regular basis, both in friendly and competitive situations. Girls are able to access these opportunities starting in the Junior School.

Our pupils compete in many national competitions, and we achieve county, regional and national finals titles every year. Sporting achievements are celebrated through the school's star system in assemblies and through the awarding of school colours.

Music, Drama, Dance & Art

Our excellence in creative and performing arts has been recognized by the Artsmark Gold Award and many of our girls go on to careers in art and design, fashion, music and performing arts.

Music

Music is part of our way of life at Sheffield Girls'. We encourage, and provide many opportunities for, our girls to embrace musical opportunities throughout the school.

Individual music lessons are offered to all girls at an additional cost, in instruments including piano, violin, viola, cello, clarinet, flute, acoustic guitar, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, tenor horn, euphonium, French horn, tuba, harp, drums and orchestral percussion.

Girls can also participate in orchestras, ensembles, choirs, wind bands and string groups. Opportunities for performance range from playing in concerts and whole school events, to participation in local music festivals, to international trips and tours. Our Chamber Choir and Concert Band are frequently booked for performances locally and in Europe.

Dance

Dance is also a very popular activity at Sheffield Girls', with lunchtime movement clubs available for all ages across the school. Our annual Movement Evening provides a fantastic showcase opportunity for many performers.

Drama

Drama plays a vibrant and active role in our school. Girls have the opportunity to take part in school performances every year in the Infant & Junior School and the Senior School. Many of our girls also choose to take additional Speech and Drama lessons with a specialist teacher in preparation for LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) examinations.

Art

Art is a perfect subject for girls to express themselves and flourish creatively. We have craft and art clubs offered in the Infant & Junior School, and opportunities for our Senior pupils to use our fantastic art studios outside of lessons.

Robotics, Coding & More

Across the year groups, our pupils have the opportunity to learn about robotics, programming and coding and to practise their skills in a professional and practical setting. Creative solutions, lateral thinking and problem solving are all vital skills to better equip our computing minds of the future.

In our Infant and Junior School, our girls get to participate in coding clubs, robotics competitions at local, regional and national levels, and be supported by knowledgeable teachers. As we are the UK Junior Hub for Robotics, our pupils are given the fantastic opportunity to work with LEGO Spike kits on a regular basis.

In the Senior School, pupils can choose to research and write articles about technology and the digital world, compete in national robotics competitions and be mentored by older pupils, as they take part in other STEM competitions. Our students can become Digital Leaders, homegrown digital ‘leads’ who work with staff and pupils alike to advocate for the use and development of technology within the school.

Enterprise

Our enterprise and business programmes develop students' problem-solving skills, teamwork, creativity and leadership skills to tackle realistic challenges.

Activities such as a Stock Exchange Simulation Day, a Marketing Challenge Competition and the Coca-Cola Challenge for Year 10 Business and Economics students are all part of the annual schedule of competitions the school participates in. Our pupils have the chance to participate in external competitions like the ICAEW BASE accounting and business challenge. Year 9 students have the opportunity to take part in the BiG Challenge which is a Sheffield-based enterprise competition. Students start up their own business with the aim of maximising their profits. Business prefects from the Sixth Form and previous competition participants support the teams along with staff and external experts.

Sheffield Girls' pupils are recognised for their innovation skills and for their professionalism. House activities are fast-paced and encourage students' problem-solving skills, teamwork, creativity and leadership skills.

Community Engagement and Social Awareness

Trips and Outdoors Education

Getting out of the classroom and into the world around us is really important for our pupils, and we make sure that every child has the opportunity to go on a trip or experience outdoor education while they're at Sheffield Girls'. Located next to the Peak District, and in a city of such heritage and culture, we ensure our pupils’ breadth of experiences expands their horizons and encourages their curiosity.

Trips

Trip Information

There are a wide variety of school trips organised as part of our pupils' curriculum and beyond. Our girls get the chance to travel on day visits within the UK, to support the academic curriculum with practical and experiential opportunities. Our pupils also get the chance to stay away on residential visits to provide cultural experiences and personal development. Girls of every age get the chance to spend time together beyond the school grounds, encouraging their curiosity, independence and empathy.

Language trips to Europe, skiing trips and other long distance trips take place regularly, and are optional. These trips provide an excellent opportunity for our girls to bond, to experience brand new places and cultures, to challenge themselves, and to try something new.

With all our trips, we ensure our parents have access to all the trip information through regular communications via email and a specific trips page on our intranet Firefly.

Duke of Edinburgh's Award

DofE Information

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award aims to provide an enjoyable, challenging and rewarding programme of personal development for young people.

The Award is a four-part programme with three levels:

Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award (starting in Year 9)
Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award (starting in Year 10)
Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award (starting in Year 12)

The four sections involve:

Service (helping people in the community)
Skills (covering almost any hobby, skill or interest)
Physical Recreation (sport, dance and fitness)
Expeditions (training for, planning and completing a journey on foot or horseback, by boat or cycle)