Bridgstock has become an integral part of school life at The West Bridgford School and illustrates the huge musical talent our students have. This music show, organised entirely by 6th form students, includes students from year 7 through to year 13 playing and singing songs from popular music.

The skills do not just stop at the musical talent, but also backstage organisation, photography, filming and AV management. The three Bridgstock performance nights are always sell-outs and are regarded as a central part of the school’s calendar.

As part of our enrichment programme we will be offering the opportunity for students to apply for the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) in 2025-2026.

This qualification is a recognition of independent learning skills and as such is increasingly sought after by universities. The project is managed and assessed by the school but the bulk of the work is done by the student.

It involves an extended piece of writing in the form of a 5000 word essay or the production of an “artefact”. It gives a student the chance to study a topic area of interest beyond their A level specifications in their subjects. It is credited as half an A Level.

Young Enterprise is an extra-curricular activity that students voluntarily partake in after school. It is a national scheme that allows the students to set up and run a real business enterprise. The students raise external finance through selling shares and use this capital to source raw materials which are then processed into a finished product.

Throughout the programme, students will encounter challenges; these often include meeting deadlines, managing their cash-flow, arranging delivery from suppliers and dealing with unforeseen circumstances. The key aspect is that it is the students’ responsibility to meet the customers’ demands and ensure that the business stays solvent.

As the academic year progresses, a competitive environment occurs as the students start to compete against other companies from the local area. The companies are judged on their innovation, team work and financial management amongst other criteria.

There are stages in the competition with the ultimate aim of making it through to the national final held annually in London.

This is a great experience for those interested in a business related career or for those who are willing to take risks and work with others.

At the beginning of Year 12 students will sign up to become a Post-16 Learning Mentor. Currently, this means that they support younger pupils in one of the following four ways:

• As a Reading Mentor, working with Year 7 and 8 pupils
• As a Subject Mentor, assisting teachers in their lessons with younger pupils
• As a Club Mentor, supporting staff and students in a particular club that they are interested in
• As an Academic Mentor, working with Year 11 pupils to improve their skills in English, Maths and Science

This programme enables students to experience a professional role and gives them a valuable chance to give back to the wider school community. They will develop their communication and academic skills and it will be an excellent addition to their CV and Personal Statement.

In Year 13, students have the opportunity to become part of the Student Committee, who organise social events, charity events and various other fund-raising activities. In the past, our Student Committees have organised Year 12-13 parties, charity dress-up days and cake sales.

Each year the committee organise the Yearbook, leavers’ hoodies and last day celebrations which usually include a bouncy castle, inflatable slide, games and obstacle course.

The committee also organise the Year 13 Prom, which have been held at locations such as Blotts Country Club, Colwick Hall and The Walled Garden in Beeston.

Other student benefits include the opportunity for all 6th formers to purchase an NUS Extra card which entitles students to exclusive discounts, offers and savings at their favourite high street and on-line shops!

There are always various competitions with a wide variety of different sports. On a couple of occasions over 100 boys in Years 12 & 13 played six a side football after school in their selected teams which brought both years together. The girls had a netball tournament with various teams and both genders have competitive matches against the staff.

Students have also helped in the community running a Multi Skills Club in the evening for our Year 2 pupils from our family of schools. Their knowledge and skills were passed on to the younger pupils through careful coaching in a safe environment.

West Bridgford School Sports Leaders have achieved and recorded over 5,000 volunteer hours through the Step Into Sport programme with two students being awarded with a Double Gold Award for volunteering for over 400 hours each!

Many enrichment days are held with a multitude of different themes where students join in a variety of sporting events on offer. Other pupils use their expertise to support staff in coaching sport in the school. The opportunity is there for the Sixth Form to organise and run competitions and events after school using the extensive facilities the school has.

There are so many extracurricular opportunities for students in Post-16.

The Post-16 Debating Society, run by Mr Whitehead and Miss Cartwright, is a great opportunity to learn about the principles of how to form an effective argument and develop fluent, confident presentational skills. The group enters the Oxford Schools’ Debating Competition every year but attendance at the Society does not mean that a student has to be part of the competitive team.

The school also offers the Grade 6 LAMDA Public Speaking qualification as another opportunity to develop the kind of fluent public speaking skills that are so useful in all walks of life. Students learn about the techniques required to develop and write a speech and about effective speech structure before deliver-ing two speeches to Ms Carter, the member of staff who runs the qualification, about two different subjects of their choice as well as an impromptu speech.