Enrichment Curriculum
Our Third Curriculum - The Gracewood GROW
Our third curriculum is our enrichment offer: the opportunities that help students to branch out beyond the classroom. These experiences broaden horizons, build confidence, and strengthen character.
Helping students to ‘branch out’
The Gracewood GROW is organised into Five Branches of Enrichment, carefully designed to reflect both Gracewood’s values and the Trust’s four enrichment pillars:
- Connecting students to the world of work
- Enriching the curriculum
- Providing exposure to culture, the arts and sport
- Building character, integrity, resilience and judgement
Across the key stages, students will complete at least five meaningful experiences in each branch.
The Five Branches
Branch 1: Character
Experiences that build resilience, leadership, teamwork, and self-discipline.
This includes:
- Residential trips: One residential during Key Stage 3 and a longer time away from home as a residential by the end of school
- Adventurous experiences
- Student leadership
- Charitable work
- Volunteering and service
Branch 2: Curriculum
Clubs, competitions, masterclasses, and academic enrichment that deepen learning.
This includes:
- Subject clubs and competitions
- Masterclasses and academic lectures
- University visits
- Fieldwork and workshops
- Curriculum-linked trips
Branch 3: Culture
Trips, arts, performance, literature, sports, and encounters with the wider world.
This includes:
- Theatre visits, galleries and museums
- Music and performance opportunities
- Specialist sports coaching
- Cultural visits and experiences
- Creative arts provision
Branch 4: Careers
Employer encounters, workplace visits, talks, mentoring, and skills development.
This includes:
- Employer encounters
- Workplace visits
- Careers talks and mentoring
- Skills workshops
- Work experience placements
Branch 5: Community
Service projects, volunteering, student leadership and contributions to Gracewood and beyond.
This includes:
- Service projects
- Student leadership roles
- Community volunteering
- Contributions to school culture and event
Our Club Schedule 25-26
The Future Academies Promise
At Gracewood, we are proud to be part of Future Academies, where equity of opportunity sits at the heart of our enrichment offer.
The Future Academies Charity subsidises a range of enrichment provision to ensure that financial circumstance is never a barrier to participation. This includes targeted support for students in receipt of Pupil Premium, enabling access to high-quality peripatetic music lessons and specialist sports coaching.
By investing directly in cultural, creative and sporting opportunities, Future Academies ensures that every student, regardless of background, can develop their talents, build confidence and fully participate in the wider life of the school.