Life Skills Options
Clickable list of activities on this page:
- Basic Economics
- Culture cooking
- Debating
- Duke of Edinburgh: Bronze
- Environment Leaders Programme
- Everyday cookery
- First aid
- Reclaimed timber
- The Spud Club
Culture Cooking
Learning to cook recipes from diverse cultures and countries from around the world and why they may be linked to religion, economy and beliefs.
This activity will improve:
Mental Wellbeing, Confidence, Social Skills, Motor Skills, Literacy, Numeracy, Oracy
Available to Y8 and Y9
Reclaimed Timber
During this activity, you will be using new and existing woodworking skills to make a small item of your choice. The challenge during this activity is about how to use reclaimed timber, such as wooden pallets, to make your creation. Alongside learning and developing your practical skills, we will explore the reasons behind using reclaimed timber and how it can be salvaged before repurposing it to make high-quality and sustainable products/gifts.
This activity will improve:
Mental Wellbeing, Physical Wellbeing, Confidence, Motor Skills, Numeracy
Available to all year groups
Debating
Polls show that many people list public speaking as their number one fear, ahead even of our fear of death! However, with a little know-how and, crucially, some practice, speaking in public can become something that anyone can actively enjoy and look forward to. The Swanmore Debating Society offers pupils an opportunity to learn how to structure compelling arguments, think on their feet and get to grips with a wide range of issues. Debating is a valuable skill for both education and beyond. Previous experience in either debating or public speaking is not a requirement.
This activity will improve:
Confidence, Social Skills, Literacy, Oracy
Available to all year groups
Everyday Cookery
Anyone can appreciate fresh, fine food and in this enrichment activity you will have the opportunity to develop your home cooking skills. You will build your confidence in using ingredients to make good quality meals which you can reproduce at home.
This enrichment will be a mixture of demonstrations and practical tasks. Pupils are expected to bring ingredients to each of the sessions and will be issued with an ingredient list with plenty of notice/time to purchase these. Dishes will include bread and pastry-based products as well as curry and poultry dishes.
By the end of the term, you will have a wider repertoire of ‘go-to’ dishes and confidence to cook outside of Swanmore College.
This activity will improve:
Mental Wellbeing, Physical Wellbeing, Confidence, Social Skills, Motor Skills
Available to Y9 and Y10
The Spud Club
This enrichment activity will be for a small group of enthusiastic students to get involved with cultivating vegetables, flowers, and fruits and will last for the whole year. They will experience all 4 seasons in the garden and learn about the different work that is involved during each season.
We will aim to get winter crops in, as well as spring and summer harvests, most of which the students will be permitted to take home as a reward for their efforts, subject to the usual Health and Safety checks.
We will be out in all weathers, so wellington boots and warm coats will be required in the winter months, and maybe a hat and sunscreen in the summer. This will be a physical enrichment activity with potentially fabulous rewards as we work our way through the seasons, so full participation will be required at all times.
It will take place in the fenced-off garden area between the big canopy and the tennis courts and all tools will be provided. On really rainy days we will be classroom-based and planning our next crops with a bit of research and design involved.
This activity will improve:
Mental and physical wellbeing, social skills, confidence, and motor skills.
Available to all Y9, Y10 and Y11
This is a 3-term activity.
First Aid
This is a paediatric (accredited) Level 1 qualification for students aged 14+ and is run across a term.
This qualification is the MUST-HAVE for anyone looking to enter the sports coaching and education sectors. In this qualification, you will learn how to respond to emergencies, both non and life-threatening. Through theoretical and practical course content you will gain the knowledge and skills to deal with such things as managing emergency situations, CPR, Burns, allergic reactions and more.
As you continue on your journey as an educator/ coach this qualification will become part of your continued personal development plan throughout the years and in all sports, is a coaching license requirement. This is also an accredited course.
The registration fee per pupil is £25. This covers registration to the awarding body, use of resources and certification.
This activity will improve:
Mental Wellbeing, Physical Wellbeing, Confidence, Social Skills, Motor Skills
Available to Y10 and Y11
Duke of Edinburgh: Bronze
This enrichment is for young people who in the Autumn Term, wish to sign up for the full Bronze Award*. The sessions will explain the requirements of the award and cover the training elements to prepare pupils for the expedition section. This includes navigation and map reading, camp craft, first aid, camp cooking, countryside code, suitable clothing and equipment, teamwork, and planning walking routes in the outdoors.
Pupils who signed up for the full award will be given support to complete each required section or skill, and they will participate in a practice and an assessed expedition. These will be in the New Forest over 2 different weekends with 1 night camping on each. Pupils have already signed up for this activity and will be allocated either the Autumn or Spring Term to complete it. Those taking part only need to select an Enrichment option for the term they are not involved in DofE.
*To register for the Bronze Award and complete the practice and assessed expedition, a sign-up fee of approximately £130 is required to be paid to cover the cost of delivering these elements.
Unavailable - Applications completed June 2025
Basic Economics
This enrichment will provide pupils with key foundational knowledge for the subject, Economics. This would include subject matter such as 'Buying a House', 'Could Cryptocurrency be the future of money?' and 'What is the cost of pollution?'
Pupils will develop academic knowledge and skills around the subjects taught. They will also develop their wider skills such as their ability to carry out independent research or their ability to work within a team. Getting pupils to work together and present a project on such an academic subject will also boost their confidence in oracy. For pupils aspiring to achieve aspirational apprenticeships or graduate schemes, they may have to take part in a group interview. As such, this Enrichment activity will provide pupils with the opportunity to practice presenting and working within a team or group.
This activity will improve:
Confidence, Social Skills, Literacy, Oracy
Available to Y9 Y10 and Y11
Environment Leaders Programme
We know young people are curious and passionate about the world they live in. They are well-versed in the language of sustainability and are vocal about the importance they place on the need for positive action. We want to take their optimism and determination and teach them the leadership skills needed to generate the impact they want to have.
This leadership course will require a two-term commitment from pupils to enable them to successfully achieve the award.
There is a fee for this Level 2 qualification, which is currently £48.
This activity will improve:
Key leadership skills by learning the vital steps needed to plan, organise and lead activities and feel empowered in the process.
Available to Y9, Y10 and Y11