The Enrichment Programme at Cockermouth School is designed to give students the opportunity to develop a whole range of skills beyond the academic subjects.

All students will be required to show that they have had experience of each of the following alongside their studies during their time in the Sixth Form:

  • Work related learning
  • Community participation/volunteering
  • Personal development

This might be through activities offered at school or through extra-curricular activities you are involved in outside school. Your tutor will work with you to ensure that you have sufficient opportunities and are an active participant in all three areas.

You will be expected to record what you are doing on Unifrog which will enable us to accredit what you are doing. This log will also help you later when writing personal statements or job applications and will enable your tutor to write a full, detailed reference reflecting your achievements across the board.

Enrichment – Wednesday Afternoon

You will have a block of time on a Wednesday afternoon (or another time during the week) and you will have some choice as to how you use it. You will have to commit to an activity or activities for the academic year and if you are in school, will be registered as in any other lesson. If you are off site, you will need to provide school with a named representative at the organisation you are with. School will contact the provider at least once during the term to validate your activity.
External Speakers will sometimes be invited in to talk on a wide range of topics. These will vary from week to week. Through the course of the two years, we will offer a variety of careers talks with outside speakers and personal safety sessions which will run alongside the other activities.

We also encourage you to use the time to run/join student led groups such as international links, Amnesty and Charity work. See the list of suggested activities. These opportunities are there for you to take up and lead yourselves. We can provide a room, time and any advice you need.

Leadership opportunities

Being in Sixth Form provides you with the opportunity to take on a variety of leadership roles which will help you to develop your skills and confidence as a young leader.
Many opportunities exist already, such as form attachment, Sixth Form Management Group, School Council participation, Young Enterprise and sports coaching. Some of you will have become sports leaders lower down the school and may wish to continue coaching school teams.

Leadership is also about taking initiative; what school groups could you set up and lead? Could you run a homework club or subject specific club to support younger students; a lunchtime club? Could you set up a school debating society or lead a youth group outside school? Let your tutor know if you have any ideas and advertise for team members to help you.

Academic enrichment

There will be opportunities for you to extend your learning beyond the classroom in your A Level subjects. Examples of opportunities include React Engineering, trips with an academic focus, invited speakers, writing and debating competitions. There is also an expectation that you will extend your reading beyond work set, and if you are interested in applying for one of the most competitive academic courses/universities such as Oxford or Cambridge, there will be academic enrichment support provided by many departments. Let your subject teachers know that you are keen to take up these opportunities.

Work Experience

Students are encouraged to participate in work experience opportunities. It is important that you gain experience of other careers and jobs so that you can make informed decisions about post-18 choices.

You are responsible for organising your own work experience and in doing so will be showing your planning and organisation skills along with independent motivation. There are many local opportunities but students also look further afield and have for example secured work experience in the Houses of Parliament. Some students have also been fortunate to gain internships during the summer break.

Work experience usually takes place at the end of the summer term however, you can do work experience during any holiday period if this is more convenient.