Outside Our Classroom

Outside Our Classroom

Sport

At St Lawrence College Junior School we recognise the importance of being active and living a healthy balanced life. We have produced a carefully tailored P.E. curriculum that allows our children to engage in a rich and varied experience. Whether it’s out on the tennis courts in the summer term, swimming in our indoor pool, chasing the Golden Snitch in a game of Quidditch on the back fields or challenging your mental strength on our indoor climbing wall, every student is able to challenge themselves and achieve success through sporting activities.

Through the Games programme, pupils have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of traditional sports such as football, rugby, cricket, hockey, netball, athletics, cross-country running and swimming. Pupils are fortunate to have outstanding sports coaches, including ex-county and international players. Talented players are invited to participate in our ‘STRETCH’ Sports programme and are coached by Senior School Sports staff and train above their years.

From Year 3, pupils enjoy the chance to play competitive fixtures against other schools, but, most importantly, children learn the value of fitness, a healthy lifestyle, co-operative teamwork, good sportsmanship, leadership and many other skills which complement and benefit their academic education. In recent years we gained 2nd in Kent Cross Country and U11 Hockey and have several VII County Cricketers.

Stay up to date on all of our sporting news on our Twitter page.

Art, Drama and Music

All pupils make the most of specialist-taught class lessons, which provide a broad variety of artistic opportunities. The main priorities are to open pupils’ minds to different cultures, to provide them with a range of skills and to offer regular opportunities for them to create, compose and perform.

Individual tuition is available on many different instruments: strings, woodwind, brass, harp, guitar, percussion, piano and voice. For a full current list, please ask in the Junior School office.

DRAMA & LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts)

We also offer in house LAMDA where speech and drama skills are developed, leading to examinations and performance opportunities at local festivals. Within the week there are opportunities to join Street Dance, Swimming, Choir, Orchestra and String Ensemble.

In school, performance opportunities include Chapel services, Tea-Time Concerts, Sharing Assemblies and the annual Talent Show. Pupils also perform in the Thanet Festival (where many prizes have been achieved in recent years), the Dickens Festival at the Broadstairs bandstand and are invited to sing in the local community.
Concert trips, recitals and workshops regularly enhance pupils’ experience, and cross-curricular events ensure that connections are made between music and other aspects of their education. Visiting specialists are also invited to the school to widen pupils’ experience.

Opportunities for drama and role-play are regularly woven into children’s classroom learning, especially in the English curriculum. Drama is also a regular feature of Enrichment Days, Sharing Assemblies and of children’s extra-curricular experience. Pre-Prep children all enjoy the Nativity Play, and Prep pupils are able to participate in an ambitious annual stage production.

The School’s 500-seat Taylor Hall theatre offers an exceptional venue for drama for pupils of all ages throughout the College.

LAMDA lessons help our students to build self-esteem and further reward them with the skills that filter into all aspects of school and home life. They are particularly useful for those who want to improve their spoken English, presentation skills and general levels of self-confidence.

Find Out More About LAMDA

LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) is one of the UK’s oldest and most respected awarding bodies. LAMDA has been offering practical examinations in communication and performance subjects for over 130 years. In this time, LAMDA’s qualifications have helped hundreds of thousands of candidates of all ages and abilities to develop lifelong skills.

LAMDA lessons and examinations at SLC

LAMDA lessons help our students to build self-esteem and further reward them with the skills that filter into all aspects of school and home life. They are particularly useful for those who want to improve their spoken English, presentation skills and general levels of self-confidence.

LAMDA’s qualifications in communication and performance inspire the next generation of confident communicators.

At SLC we offer our students the opportunity to follow the LAMDA syllabus, and prepare for examinations, from Introductory level through to Grades 6,7 and 8.

Grades 6/7 &8 carry UCAS points which are recognised by Ofqual and highly regarded in schools, Colleges and Universities

We offer lessons in:

PERFORMANCE:

  • Acting
  • Devising Drama
  • Mime
  • Shakespeare

“LAMDA’S Performance Examinations use drama to develop self-confidence, physical presence and a strong speaking voice.”

COMMUNICATION:

  • Speaking Verse and Prose
  • Speaking in Public
  • Reading for Performance

“LAMDA’S Communication Examinations provide the opportunity to develop a clear speaking voice, positive body language and self-confidence by exploring different uses of spoken English.”

LAMDA lessons are held weekly, term time, on a rotational timetable, similar to music lessons.

ABOUT THE TEACHER

Junior & Senior School lessons

Kim Bourne – P Cert LAM, L.S.D.E

Kim is an experienced Speech and Drama teacher who has taught, prepared and entered hundreds of young people for LAMDA Examinations and Festival classes. Results have remained outstanding, not only in terms of exceptional standards, but through continued growth in levels of self-esteem and personal ability.

To find out more about LAMDA at St Lawrence College Junior School – please contact Kim Bourne via email – bourne2perform@btinternet.com

Saturday Clubs and Activities

There are many extra-curricular opportunities available to pupils.

In Years 3 to 6, most activities are incorporated into the popular Saturday morning programme, which most children opt to take advantage of.

The list varies from term to term, depending on the time of year, but activities include: scuba diving, cricket, golf, taekwondo, fencing, swimming, tennis, rounders, rugby, football, netball, mixed games, chess, street dance, art and craft, computing, gardening, drama, cooking, forest school, fun maths and climbing.

“Pupils’ attitudes and approach to learning are outstanding.”

Junior School 'Excellent in all areas' ISI Report - 2023