Extra-Curricular Activities

Activities and Clubs

At BSCA we off a variety of before school, lunch time and after school clubs, as well as sports team, choir and music clubs. Students can also start their own groups with support from a member of staff.

Here is a list of all the activities and clubs we currently provide with new groups being added every half term:

extra curricular activities and clubs autumn ht2 2022.pdf

Sport

BSCA has sports teams for every year group that train after school and participate in matches at home and away at other local high schools. 

Boys and Girls Football

Both our boys and girls football teams enjoy playing football, and show great determination and teamwork to do well in competitions.

Boys and Girls Rugby 

We have boys and girls rugby teams who work so hard in training to learn how to play, and enjoy working together when playing matches. 

Boys Basketball

We are also very proud of our basketball teams and who never stop running! Last year our Year 8's were Bolton School Basketball Champions.

Girls Netball

Our girls netball teams believe in themselves and strive to play their best in every match so they can achieve excellence. Some of our players are so good they have gone on to train and play for local teams to improve their skills further.

 

Music

 At Bolton St Catherine’s Academy we offer a range of opportunities for those who want to extend their musical learning. These include school concerts, joint performances with other schools, performing at open evenings and awards evenings.

Our main ensemble is BSCA Voices which is a singing group that perform at a range of events throughout the year.

We also offer instrumental lessons to students at a cost. If you would like more information on these, please email musiclessons@boltonstcatherinesacademy.org.uk

The instruments we offer are:

• Piano
• Woodwind (Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone)
• Drum kit
• Guitar
• Singing

Students of all year groups are able to use the music equipment at lunchtime and are encouraged to form their own bands and ensembles to perform music that they love.

 

Love Books and Reading

Do you know we are a Reading School?

Reading is the foundation of improving literacy skills so that students can broaden their vocabulary and their ability to access the curriculum leading to greater progress. In turn this helps them to have the confidence to apply for further and higher education which leads them to have successful jobs and futures.

All our KS3 students and their Form Tutors enjoy catching up on the whole-year class read each week. Students in Years 7 and 8 also have regular library lessons where, in addition to developing their reading fluency, they are able to select books they will enjoy reading in their leisure time.

Battle Book Club 

The library is open before and after school and at break and lunch. Once a week, students can join our ‘Battle Book Club’ – a book club with a twist – and explore a diverse range of stories.

World Book Day

What an imaginative and creative group of students and staff we have promoting books across the academy!

 Studies show that students who read for just 20 minutes a day for enjoyment do better than those who don’t - it’s been proven by scientists. Reading builds brains!

Some of this year’s brilliant entries:

Now Meet the Author…

BSCA loves to welcome authors and poets to our school. Here are some of the writers that have visited recently are: 

Alex Wheatle, award-winning writer of Liccle Bit and Kemosha of the Caribbean	Dan Worsley, author of the ‘Eric Appleby’ series

 

Award-winning author of the Vampirates series, Justin Somper	Award-winning poet, Spoz – former Birmingham Poet Laureate and performer at the opening ceremony of this year’s Commonwealth Games.

Geography Club

Geography Club is an extra-curricular club which takes place every Wednesday lunchtime in school and is open to all year 8 students.

The purpose of the club is to develop a passion for Geography and give students the opportunity to experience Geography in the real world.

Over the past few years the students have been able to take part in some excellent projects such as recycling and Wild ED. This involved working with a local charity to learn all about the importance of protecting the environment and ways in which we can help protect our local area. The students had the opportunity to create their own projects and try them out in the local community.

Throughout the year the students work really hard and are rewarded with a residential to North Wales to visit Conwy and Llandudno. On this trip the students take part in a number of activities including a hike up Frodsham Hill, a visit to Chester Cathedral, Conwy Castle, Smallest house in the UK, The Great Orme and Greenacres Animal Park.

Geography Club is a great way for students to learn more about the world they live in and become more environmentally friendly members of the local community.

Trips 

Throughout the year our students can be invited onto a variety of trips and visits as part of their curriculum learning and as a reward for excellent behaviour and attendance. Here are a few examples for you:

History Trip to Northern France

The trip was with a history focus on both world wars. They visited war graves in Normandy and Ypres.

We were extremely pleased and proud with how our students showed their upmost respect to those that sacrificed everything for their country.

Student’s also visited the quaint town of Bayeux and saw the famous Bayeux tapestry. After that, we visited William the Conquerers Castle at Falaise.

This was a fabulous experience for both staff and students and we look forward to visiting again next year.

Curriculum Learning Trips

Trips are organised across the year groups for those subjects that benefit from visiting places which will not only enhances their learning, but also helps to inspire their exploration of the subject and possibly their ambition  - Technology, Science, Drama, Music and Art, are just a few trips below you can see.

The Cultural Appreciation Society

In January 2022, some of our students expressed a desire to start a new group at BSCA, with the aim of sharing and celebrating culture and diversity across the Academy. The Cultural Appreciation Society was born!

Since then, they have shared both Primary and Secondary assemblies, welcomed visitors to the Academy, held whole Academy events sharing faith, traditions, food and dress, and even held a cultural fashion show. They have also created their own display board and displayed posters around the Academy linked to their area of focus each term.

The students play a large part in both UK Race Equality Week and Black History Month, leading both the educational and celebratory aspects across the Academy.

The CA Society have been on trips to visit the Mayor of Bolton, cultural art exhibitions, eaten in restaurants, and to watch a show at HOME Theatre in Manchester. The students enjoy the celebration of their own cultures, and bringing this to BSCA.

All students are welcome to attend the CA Society, which meets weekly to discuss issues faced, what they would like to achieve, and plan for activities across the Academy.

The CA Society gives students a voice, a place to speak openly with each other, and also express the difference they would like to make. The students are provided with a safe-space, where they are valued, and importance is placed on their feelings, experiences and opinions. The students have the opportunity to present to SLT at both BSCA, and across the Trust, sharing with them how our environment can continue to encourage to be inclusive, and celebrate diversity.

It is important that the students work across both Primary and Secondary, as we feel it is important that our younger students have role models they can look up to, and know they are part of a community where they belong. We would love you to take two minutes to watch our video, made by the CA Society, demonstrating the richness of cultural diversity within our Academy: 

The students are very passionate about the CA Society, and we can’t wait to see the difference they continue to make across the Academy!