School Life > Extra-Curricular Activities Extra-Curricular Activities As a predominantly Full Boarding school, that successfully integrates Day Pupils into our busy school week, we are able to offer an extensive and varied range of extra-curricular and recreational activities covering sports, the arts, culture and community. Our pupils even get the chance to let their hair down at weekends and have fun with their friends, whether on a restaurant or cinema visit, social night or shopping trip! Sporting Afternoons Sport forms an integral part of extra-curricular life at Milton Abbey. Pupils take part in timetabled sport three afternoons per week, with competitive fixtures usually on Thursdays and Saturdays. A varied programme of sport is compulsory for those in the Lower School. For the Sixth Form it remains a staple of the timetable, but students have the opportunity to select the team or individual sports that they particularly enjoy. In addition, pupils can enjoy different sports recreationally as part of the evening and weekend activity programme. This means that while they may be playing football, hockey, cricket or golf during timetabled sports, they can practice another team sport, work out in the gym, go swimming or even mountain biking in the evening. Extensive information about our full spot offering - timetabled, competitive and recreational - is available on the dedicated Sport section of this website. Round Square Afternoons Each Wednesday, every pupil is involved in our Round Square Activities afternoons. This varied programme of service, voluntary and community-based activities complements our membership of the Round Square network of schools. The Third Form (Year 9) take part in a carousel of activities and events that focus on life skills; covering charity work, study skills, woodland activities, beach and countryside clean-ups, and team-building exercises. Pupils can choose to join the Combined Cadet Force (CCF), which is partly funded by the Ministry of Defence and is aimed at developing leadership and military skills. Everyone joining the School tries the CCF for their first few weeks, with many continuing as a Cadet into the Sixth Form, where they have the opportunity to become junior instructors and gain professionally-recognised leadership qualifications. Those not choosing to join the CCF have the opportunity to follow the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme (see below) or to take part in a range of other service and voluntary projects, allowing them to give something back to the school’s local community. Projects undertaken in recent times have included maintaining the School Farm and local green spaces, visiting and befriending older local residents, helping pupils at local primary schools with their literature, and working in charity shops. You can see a full list of the Wednesday afternoon activites available by viewing the document in the Downloads box. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme also takes place on Wednesday afternoons, with longer expeditions some weekends for those taking part. The scheme enables pupils to discover new skills, make new friends, and improve their problem-solving skills, while at the same time enhancing their self-esteem and giving them a sense of achievement. Pupils will be given the opportunity to take on the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme from the Fourth Form (Year 10) when they can start to progress through Bronze, Silver and even Gold Awards. The majority of the training is done in school, but we run expeditions during the summer in the UK and abroad. Music There are a wealth of extra-curricular musical opportunities available for musicians to enjoy at Milton Abbey. Individual instrumental and singing tuition is available upon request. Pupils are also encouraged to join the school's various singing clubs and choirs, or to form their own bands and groups that can practice in recreational time. Concerts, recitals and musical performances take place regularly throughout the year, showcasing the talents of the school's musicians and visiting performers. During the summer holiday, the school hosts an annual International Music Festival and Summer School, which regularly attracts a number of world-class artists. Our most talented musicians have the opportunity to join this event. Evening and Weekend Activity Programme Organised recreational activities and clubs for both Lower School and Sixth Form pupils take place every night from Monday to Friday, after the evening meal. You can see the wide range of activities available each evening by viewing the document in the Downloads box. We cater for a wide range of interests. From cookery courses and photography, to textiles and the Farm Club, there is something for everyone to enjoy. In addition, there is a termly programme of fun, inter-House activities for pupils to take part in; such as sports matches, music and drama competitions, quiz nights, and pizza-making. Pupils also have time for homework, to socialise with their friends in Houses or to make use of our stunning grounds and facilities. As part of our full boarding experience, Milton Abbey pupils are kept busy throughout the weekend. Our comprehensive weekend activity programme provides something for all our pupils to enjoy. We host regular inter-House sporting and non-sporting competitions, along with on and off-site social events with other schools. Popular weekend excursions include meals out, cinema and shopping trips, and visits to waterparks, sports matches or country shows. We also arrange visits to galleries, exhibitions, music performances and theatre shows each half-term. For our more adventurous young people, their weekends can be spent training and taking part in the annual Ten Tors Challenge, caving, climbing, kayaking, sailing or cycling! We encourage you to keep an eye on our Facebook page for more examples of activities that have taken place.