Clubs, societies and teams
Clubs are run as a voluntary activity by teachers during the lunch breaks and after school, mainly on Wednesday afternoons. The list on offer depends on the season and on staff interests. Information is issued to students each year. Sports teams have matches after school, or on Saturdays, for most major team sports.
The school enjoys a high profile in several sports within the area, regularly figuring prominently in County finals and championships.

Clubs and societies

[Art] [Badminton] [Basketball] [Chamber choir] [Choir] [Christian fellowship] [Concert orchestra] [Cricket] [Dance] [Design & technology] [Drama] [Dry skiing] [Fitness] [Gymnastics] [Hockey] [Mixed hockey] [Netball] [Outdoor pursuits] [Print making] [Rugby (girls & boys)] [Soccer] [Sports club] [Squash] [Symphony orchestra] [Tennis] [Textiles] [Trampolining] [Volleyball] [Wind band]

Community involvement
All students are encouraged to take an active part in the community and to raise money for charity. As well as many activities run by tutor groups, each section of the school nominates charities for which it will make special fund raising efforts. These include fun events such as mufti days, when students pay for the privilege of not wearing uniform (or wearing it if they are in the Sixth Form!). As part of their child development course, GCSE students visit playgroups, nursery and infant schools, meeting parents, grandparents and children. Each sixth former is expected to take on an Active Citizenship project either in school, in our partner primary schools or in the wider community. At present, we are operating pilot schemes with some of our partners as a Local Learning Centre and on a nationally recognised project funded by Barclays.

Dance and drama
Every year very many students take part in plays, musicals, evenings of dance, and combined arts and workshop productions. Ranging from the large scale to the small and informal, these performances involve work done by students in lessons and during club time. The school has specialist areas for all the performing arts, with a drama studio on each site, a performing arts centre with dance floor at Oxford Road and a dance studio in the Sports and Arts Centre, as well as three main halls with stages. Our close relationship with the Thame Youth Theatre benefits all our students.

“The extra-curricular programme provides opportunities for gifted students to advance their skills in school, regional and national level teams. Others take part in non-competitive activities and inter-form contests where they enjoy the fellowship which such occasions bring. There is good provision of extra-curricular activities, including talks and outside visits.”
Ofsted Inspectors

Public speaking
All students in Years 7 to 11 enter the annual Syson Competition. Sixth formers can join a Toastmaster's International Youth Leadership Speaking Course. Teams from Year 10 and from the Sixth Form are entered in the annual Rotary Club 'Youth Speaks' competition.

Music
Choirs, orchestras and more specialist groups and ensembles are run for students of all ages within the school. There are regular concerts and other informal opportunities to perform in front of an audience. Other local activities include Thame Music School on Saturday mornings at Oxford Road, and the Lord Williams’s Festival Chorus.

Art
There is a thriving art club at Lower School which is open to all years. Sometimes there are special clubs that run termly for drawing and pottery. At Upper School, the Art Department encourages students to come in and work on individual projects, or extend their class work.

Foreign exchanges and visits
We make every effort to ensure the opportunities we offer are open to all students.
They currently include:
annual exchanges with schools in Lisieux in France and Bonn in Germany
Sixth Form students undertaking work experience abroad
weekend visits to Bayeux in France
A level Art study visits to the galleries of Paris and Barcelona
GCSE visits to galleries and museums

Outdoor pursuits and field courses
The school enjoys the use of Oxfordshire outdoor pursuits centres at Kilvrough on the Gower Peninsula and at Glasbury on the River Wye. Each year we send Year 9 groups who take part in activities such as abseiling, canoeing, caving and camp-craft. Many faculties also offer activities designed to complement school studies. These include:
field courses in geography, humanities and biology
theatre and art gallery outings for drama, English and art and design students
visits to industry for students of technology, science and business studies.

School Councils
Projects such as the Millennium Group allow pupils to become involved in the running of the school.

“There are many opportunities for students to become involved in community activities.”
Ofsted Inspectors

ACE Week
In late June the timetable is suspended for a week of Active Curriculum Experiences.

For Year 7 students this has included: · the "BBC Experience" · Natural History Museum trips · field trips · a mediaeval village experience · languages days · problem-solving activities Year 8 students take part in a residential activity camp at Marlow Year 9 students undertake a range of activities including: · field work in science · a sports programme · a theatre workshop
Year 10 students are on Work Experience placements Year 12 take part in conferences on multicultural, industrial and political themes, and in workshops, field trips or visits organised by faculties.

“The school provides a wide and broad range of extra-curricular activities.”
Ofsted Inspectors