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

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.

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, located in our purpose built dance studio. 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 and 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 and Junior School, and opportunities for our Senior pupils to use our fantastic art studios outside of lessons throughout the week.

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.

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

Business and Economics students are all part of the annual schedule of competitions the school participates in with student from Year 7 upwards also getting involved. Our pupils have the chance to participate in external competitions like the ICAEW BASE accounting and business challenge. And the Sheffield-based BiG Challenge enterprise competition. 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.

We encourage our pupils to become active and thoughtful citizens. Clubs and societies which focus on social awareness and justice provide our pupils with the opportunity to learn more about their local community, wider society and global challenges and the impact they can have on all three.

SHINE – our Year 12 students can also participate in SHINE, a community project with a focus on social mobility through education. SHINE’s mission is to support additional educational initiatives which encourage children and young people to raise their achievement levels. Our pupils can support sessions as volunteers, working with younger students at schools across Sheffield.

Debating Club – pupils engage with social issues and current affairs and learn how to formulate and articulate a well-researched opinion.

Forum Society – reviews articles and academic publications and provides a space to discuss and dissect the content.

Social Justice Society – pupils introduce causes or campaigns they are passionate about for discussion and action.

Gardening & Crafts Club – infant and junior pupils develop an appreciation for our environment and learn about sustainability from an early age.

There are a wide variety of school trips organised each year. 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 pupils to bond, to experience 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 as early as possible through regular communications via email and a specific trips page on our intranet Firefly.

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:

1. Service (helping people in the community)

2. Skills (covering almost any hobby, skill or interest)

3. Physical Recreation (sport, dance and fitness)

4. Expeditions (training for, planning and completing a journey on foot or horseback, by boat or cycle)

Residential Project (Gold Award only) – a purposeful enterprise with people not previously known to the participant