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Hobbies and Activities

Hobbies and Clubs

Extra-curricular hobbies are offered, which cover a range of areas, and are mostly after school from 4.30 until 5.30pm.  They are all run by qualified coaches or teachers.   Listed below are the hobbies that we offer, when they take place and who takes them.  Please click on the name for a more detailed description.

Art Hobby

The Art hobby gives pupils the opportunity to explore their own imagination and to plan their ideas.  They are encouraged to experiment with a variety of media and techniques.  It is a busy and productive session where pupils can develop their practical skills and think and problem solve independently.  Opportunities are available for work to be entered into outside competitions; these recently resulted in the success in the National Sightsavers Art Competition where a Year 6 pupil gained first prize.

Astronomy Hobby

Astronomy hobby is open to Years 5 to 8 and runs from November to February each year from 4.30 until 6.00pm.  Children learn to find their way around the constellations.  We have three telescopes which we use to observe the planets, stars and deep sky objects.  Recently we have observed the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, binary stars, the Andromeda Galaxy and the Ring Nebula.  In wet and cloudy weather we have videos and computer simulations and various other related activities.

Boys’ Sport

Boys’ after school sessions include Years 5 and 6 football for all boys wishing to improve their skills and work towards playing for the school's U11 teams.  The U11 hockey and Colts cricket practices are team practices and are for boys selected for the squads in these particular sports.  There are lunchtime practices for cross-country to which all children are invited to run throughout the Winter and Spring Terms.  Athletics and swimming practices for prospective school team performers take place during the Summer Term.   In addition, the Year 8 boys and girls have the opportunity to attend a tennis hobby in the Summer Term and possibly gain selection to the school team.

Brass Rubbing

Small groups of children visit churches to make rubbings of memorial brasses in black wax on white paper, or gold on black. Churches visited have included Hitchin, Clothall, Cockayne Hatley, Radwell and Cople.  Occasionally they have the opportunity at school to rub facsimiles of brasses from churches further afield.

Chess Club

There are so many children in Years 3 to 8 on the chess ladder that it stretches from ceiling to floor and now has a large extension next to it to fit everyone on!  That is how popular Chess Club is, with over seventy children on the ladder.  We meet every Friday lunchtime and, given the huge demand, on as many other breaks or lunchtimes as we can be available to run it. When children spot the chess piece sign in the classroom window, there is an instant rush to play with friends, challenge someone on the ladder, or even challenge Mr Allen.  Everyone is welcome, from total beginners wanting to learn how to play, to more experienced players.  Children attend as little or as often as they like.  Each year there is the chance to be Middle or Senior School Chess Ladder Champion, the overall Chess Ladder Champion with the most title defences, and Middle or Senior Chess Cup Champion. 

Choirs

There are four choirs at Kingshott and two thirds of the children from Years 3 to 8 participate.  Each is directed by Miss Eales.

Junior Choir

The Junior Choir rehearses on Wednesday lunchtimes and includes children from Years 3 and 4.  Techniques are taught through a variety of songs, some with choreography.  Performances are given in the Autumn and Spring Terms.  The Junior Choir performs for parents and friends in December and June as well as taking part in our annual Carol Service at St. Mary’s Church in Hitchin.  For more than twenty years the Junior Choir has visited Lime Tree House in Whitwell in early December to entertain the residents with carols and Christmas songs, some of which have been specially composed for the event by the school’s Director of Music.  It is customary for the Junior Choir to perform in costume for their June concert, and a series of songs from a show or film are rehearsed with choreography.  Recent performances include selections from ‘The Jungle Book’, ‘The Sound of Music’ and ‘Mary Poppins’.

Senior Boys' Choir

The Senior Boys’ Choir rehearses on Thursdays after school in the Rowan Hall (4.30 to 5.15pm).  It is the largest singing group in the school, including approximately sixty boys from Years 5 to 8.  The aim is to have fun and nurture a lifelong love of singing.  Entry is by audition, but every encouragement is given to those who are enthusiastic to join.  A wide variety of repertoire and styles is studied.  The boys learn the art of part singing and are also given the opportunity to perform at least twice a year.  The annual Choral Day in June allows a whole day of workshops, concluding with a well attended public concert.
Semi-staged short productions are often a feature; recent performances have included ‘The Stone Wall’ and a Music Hall featuring songs from World War One, in costume.

Senior Girls' Choir

The Senior Girls’ Choir rehearses on Fridays after school in the Rowan Hall (4.30 to 5.15pm).  Most of the girls from Years 5 to 8 enjoy this end of week activity in which a wide variety of repertoire is studied.  The emphasis is on enjoyment of singing, while techniques for improvement are practised.  Concerts are given at least twice a year and the girls often enjoy incorporating dance into their summer performance.  Frequently, the Senior Girls’ and Senior Boys’ Choirs join forces to give larger scale performances, culminating in the annual Choral Day in June.  The Girls’ Choir is currently working on songs from ‘Cats’ and ‘Mamma Mia’.

Chamber Choir

The Chamber Choir is a selected group, consisting of the school’s most accomplished singers from the top of the age range.  Rehearsals take place before school and at some break / lunchtimes, and include a weekly sectional rehearsal.
The Chamber Choir performs at all the major functions and has also undertaken tours to Germany, Belgium, Holland and the South West of England, giving concerts at many destinations.  The Chamber Choir has joined forces twice with Stevenage Choral Society, including a performance of ‘Carmina Burana’ and it also shares a concert annually with Hitchin Concert Band, based at Benslow.  The Chamber Choir tackles some challenging repertoire in order to cater for the singing talent in the school at this level.

Cycling

Each year the school arranges for Hertfordshire County Council Road Safety Unit to visit to teach their national Bikeability course to pupils in Year 6.  This usually takes place during one of the weeks of the Easter holiday.  The course is run by fully qualified instructors and it is designed for pupils who can already control a bicycle but who wish to develop their skills and knowledge in order to have the confidence to cycle on roads.  The course consists of one day of off–road skills practice and four days of on–road practice. 

Kingshott Club Español

This after school activity, led by Mr Comerford (Year 4 teacher) is available to Years 3 to 6.  The sessions are of one hour and contain a mix of language learning and exposure to elements of culture, ranging from the Spanish music and TV scene to sport and personalities.  Language used is not intended to develop towards any academic target; rather, the focus is on fun, equipping the children through a mix of games, songs and the occasional more formal few minutes with language, which is progressive and enables them to join in.  Sessions are fully differentiated, taking into account differing abilities and levels of ‘exuberance’.  As a spin-off, it is amazing to see how the children’s self-confidence is boosted when they realise that they are communicating effectively in yet another foreign language.  Projects have included ICT based research and presentations, craft activities and even the making of a film!

Dance

Ballet lessons are offered from Reception to Year 6, Tap lessons are offered from Year 1 to Year 6, and Modern Jazz from Year 3 to Year 6, all as optional extras.  All classes take place before school, at lunchtime or after the school day, with the exception of Key Stage 1 children, whose ballet classes take place during the school afternoon.  Pupils are prepared for RAD and Cecchetti Examinations in Ballet, and ISTD Examinations in Tap and Modern Jazz Dance.  The majority of girls consistently achieve Distinction and Merit grades at all levels from Primary up to Grades 4 and 5.

Drama

All pupils from Year 3 to 8 participate in weekly drama lessons with a specialist teacher.  Drama enhances many areas of child development: increased confidence and self-esteem, increased social and moral awareness, often enabling greater self-expression and understanding of real life issues.  It aids the development of imagination and artistic awareness, while instilling self-discipline and cooperation with others.  As well as curriculum sessions, all pupils will participate in class assemblies and school productions during the academic year.
In addition to curriculum activities there is also the opportunity to participate in an after school club working towards LAMDA speech and drama examinations.

Girls' Football

The school runs a thriving girls’ football hobby.  This is for Years 3 to 5 and takes place after school early in the Autumn Term and later in the Summer Term.  We work on developing individual skills in small game scenarios, but the emphasis is very much on fun.  Although this is a non-curriculum hobby, we do play friendly matches against other local schools.

Girls’ Sport

Girls' after school sessions are team practices.  In the Autumn and Spring Terms they are hockey, netball and indoor hockey. These are coached sessions with the occasional match.  In the Summer Term there is an Athletics Club, rounders team practice and squad swimming sessions.  An outside coach comes in to take the girls' and boys' tennis teams.  The aim is to try and improve the teams and to give them a chance to train together.  The girls’ football hobby resumed in September and ran until the Autumn half term; this will resume in the Summer Term.  It is open to Year 3 to 6 and an amazing turnout of nineteen girls have enjoyed honing their skills and being part of the fun activities and practice games that have also gone on.  Again, we have had targets, and, for the older girls, one of these has been to prepare for another friendly match against Whitehill Primary School, and for the Years 3 and 4 girls it has been to have fun and start to think about their Sports Festival in the Spring Term.

Golf

Golf is for beginners and improvers and the children work towards Golf Proficiency awards run by M. Wolfson, who is a golf professional in Watford.

Gymnastics

Mrs Jennings runs Gym hobby for beginners and improvers, and they work through the BAGA Scheme of Awards.  Mrs Jennings has worked in schools for over twenty years delivering top quality sessions to pupils of all ages.

Speed Stacks

Speed Stacking (also known as cup stacking or sport stacking) is an individual and team sport that involves stacking specialised plastic cups in specific sequences in as little time as possible.  Participants stack cups in pre-determined sequences, competing against the clock or another player.  Sequences are usually pyramids of three, six, or ten cups. Participants learn cooperation, ambidexterity and hand-eye coordination.  Speed Stacking is a fitness based sport that children from all backgrounds and abilities can do.  This activity is led by Mrs Brown and is available to Years 3, 4 and 5 on a Thursday lunchtime.

Table Tennis

The children develop the main shots and serves required to be a successful table tennis player.  The aim of the hobby is to encourage people to play table tennis with a high skill level and to enjoy themselves.

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