Enrichment at Ruswarp
At Ruswarp, we recognise that high-quality education goes beyond classroom teaching. Our enrichment programme is deliberately designed to broaden pupils’ horizons, deepen their understanding, ignite curiosity, and foster a lifelong love of learning. This carefully planned enrichment provision complements and enhances the National Curriculum, supporting academic progress and personal development.
Raising Aspirations
A fundamental aim of our curriculum is to raise pupils’ aspirations and embed a clear sense of relevance and purpose in their learning. We routinely connect enrichment opportunities to real-world contexts and career pathways, helping children understand the value and application of their knowledge and skills beyond school.
Engaging, Experiential Learning
Our broad enrichment offer includes a varied programme of trips, workshops, visitors, and events that bring learning to life through first-hand experiences. These include visits to museums, theatres, and local cultural sites, alongside sessions led by subject specialists. Regular author visits and Collective Worship guests actively promote reading for pleasure and engagement with high-quality literature, which are key drivers of academic success. We have mapped out some of the opportunities provided:
2024 2025 Enrichment at Ruswarp
2025 2026 Enrichment at Ruswarp
Creative Arts
We offer extensive opportunities for pupils to participate in creative arts festivals and competitions, such as the Whitby Literary Festival, and Eskdale Music Festival. We also enjoy sharing our musical talents through visits to care homes in the locality, where we sing Christmas carols to the residents.
Our art and design curriculum is enriched through working with local artists, who deliver workshops to our children and co-create stunning works of art. We often invite families and the local community to join our art projects, for example, through joining in with our poppy-making clay workshop for Remembrance Day.
As a school, we appreciate and understand the importance of oracy. Embedded throughout the curriculum, our teaching of oracy skills culiminate with our participation in the local debating competition, Speak Out, which provides children with an opportunity to showcase their oracy skills to a live audience.
Our English curriculum is similarly enriched through participation in local writing competitions and expert writing workshops.
Cultural Capital
We place cultural capital at the heart of our enrichment strategy, providing pupils with rich, diverse experiences that build essential knowledge and skills for future success as informed, responsible citizens. This includes opportunities to explore a wide range of cultures, ideas, and perspectives, helping pupils to develop empathy, respect, and a global outlook.
A programme of first-hand experiences, such as our Islamic Cultural Workshop, is central to our approach.
Whole School Theme Days/Weeks
Throughout the year, themed days/weeks are woven into the curriculum to extend the breadth and balance of opportunities we offer our pupils. These include, Anti-bullying Week, World Book Day, NSPCC Numbers Day, Young Leaders Days, Mental Health Week, as well as many others. These are regularly linked with charity fundraising events.
Forest School & Outdoor Learning
Forest Schools is a Scandinavian initiative designed to encourage and inspire individuals through an innovative, long-term, educational approach to outdoor play and learning in a natural woodland environment. As a school, we have embraced the initiative and proudly deliver fortnighly Forest School sessions to all of our pupils. We are very fortunate in having our own extensive grounds, which include forested areas, a wildlife garden and more. We also have the beautiful North Yorkshire National Park on our doorstep. Many areas of the National Curriculum are intrinsically covered through the sessions. Teamwork skills are developed through games and activities. We emphasise sustainability and environmental stewardship through a wide variety of activities, which link closely to our Climate Action Plan.
Educational Visits and Residentials
Educational visits and residentials form an integral part of our curriculum, offering first-hand, immersive learning experiences that deepen understanding and broaden pupils’ perspectives. We capitalise on local and national resources, including York visits, to provide rich cultural and historical contexts. These trips support curriculum coherence and pupil engagement.
Visitors into School
Visitors enrich our curriculum by delivering specialist workshops and talks, providing pupils with access to expert knowledge and real-world insights. Recent examples include a visit from an engineer who shared an insight on deep mining exploration and an Islamic Dance specialist. Future visits include a published author who will deliver a creative writing project. These events strengthen our links with the wider community and enhance pupils’ communication skills, confidence, and cultural awareness.
Extra-Curriclular Clubs
Our varied extra-curricular club programme offers pupils opportunities to develop interests and talents beyond the classroom. The programme is reviewed termly to ensure it meets pupils’ evolving needs and interests, promoting inclusion and well-being. Most recently, our children have chosen to establish and deliver their own Tech Decks Club and Sparks Circuit Club. Some of our clubs are offered in partnership with Seton School, such as Cookery Club, which further extends the children's confidence in developing links beyond our own school.
PE & Sport
All pupils, including Nursery children, benefit from regular swimming lessons and participate in a range of competitive sports through our local sports partnership, e.g cross country, athletics, hockey, gymnastics and more. We provide specialist coaching in cricket and engage pupils in events such as the Yorkshire Coast Education Partnership’s Jubilee Cup. This provision promotes physical health, teamwork, and resilience.
Creative Arts
We offer extensive opportunities for pupils to participate in creative arts festivals and competitions, such as the Whitby Literary Festival, and Eskdale Music Festival.
Ruswarp provides opportunities for children to take part in a wide range of musical activities and performances where they are encouraged to sing, compose and work creatively with sound. We are lucky to have an experienced specialist music teacher to deliver the music curriculum. Through active listening, pupils’ awareness, understanding and appreciation of a wide variety of music are developed. A range of opportunities are provided within and beyond the curriculum for children to showcase their musical skills and talents. Across Key Stage 2 every child learns how to play a musical instrument.
As a school, we appreciate and understand the importance of oracy. Embedded throughout the curriculum, our teaching of oracy skills culiminate with our participation in the local debating competition, Speak Out, which provides children with an opportunity to showcase their oracy skills to a live audience.
Opportunities to Volunteer
We actively promote pupil voice, leadership, and citizenship through volunteering opportunities and elected roles on the Leading Lights Committee. Pupils gain valuable experience in responsibility and teamwork, embodying our church school vision to “Think for Yourself and Act for Others.” Participation in the Young Leaders Programme further develops character education, leadership skills, and social action, culminating in community projects.
Within classes, children can volunteer to take on various responsibilities ranging from library duties, to collecting and distributing registers, leading our Collective Worship and helping with the organisation of lunchtime clubs.
Pupils tell us that they enjoy the opportunity to volunteer to help make their school an even better place to be and rising to the challenge that additional responsibility brings.
In the summer term, the children will take part in a social action project within the local community, e.g. Random Acts of Kindness.
Collective Worship
A rounded programme of Collective Worship supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Linked to the extensive Picture News resources, our children our have frequent opportunities to explore British Values and to understand protected characteristics, fostering inclusivity and respect.
Homework
Homework is designed to support learning and build confidence. reinforcing parental engagement and community involvement. We include special Family Learning Projects which culminate in showcase events in school, where the children proudly share their learning with a live audience and develop great confidence with their oracy skills. This reinforces parental engagement and community involvement.