11B411

Life is an adventure – and school should be too!

Check out our REAch2 Academy Trust 11B411 Promises!

Think back – what do you remember about your primary school days? Was it phonics lessons or learning how to do long division? Or was it a brilliant school trip where you camped under the stars? Or built a raft and crossed a lake? Or built and launched rockets from the playground?

These types of great opportunity – the memorable experiences that cement themselves into your psyche – happen in every school. What’s different for us is that we consciously codify it into a set of promises so that it becomes something that EVERY child is entitled to.

And “11 before 11” is the way we do this; it’s a set of promises that help our children to be in the driving seat in their own lives. They are a series of seminal experiences that we want every child in the REAch2 family to have experienced before they leave us to go to secondary school aged 11.

REAch2  have a trust-wide enrichment programme that aims to offer all pupils 11 amazing experiences before they leave primary school. At Heath Hayes Academy, we have been working on incorporating more and more of the 11 promises each year, so that all children attending our school get to experience wonderful, exciting adventures. All the experiences are important in helping children grow academically and personally.

The 11 Promises:

  1. 10 good deeds in 10 days
  2. Make or break a Reach2 record
  3. Flashmob!
  4. Seeds to supper
  5. Create something amazing
  6. Messing about on the water
  7. Sleep under the stars
  8. Shake it up Shakespeare
  9. Hiking heroes
  10. Ride a large animal
  11. Cross a border

10 good deeds in 10 days

This promise supports children in putting citizenship into practise, through engaging directly with their local community and beyond. They discover how they can make a positive impact through thoughtful planning, effective communication and action, they become agents of change through acts of giving and service. They dare to be different with a focus on responsibility and service.

Make or break a REAch2 record

“Do something different, somewhere different.” REAch2 are compiling their own ‘Guinness Book of Records’.  ‘The REAch2 Book of Records’ showcases the amazing individuals, and groups of children who attend our schools. Those who explore mind-blowing feats and record-breaking wonders. It is a fun and engaging opportunity to work with charities and the local community.

Flashmob!

A flashmob develops courage, through performing in front of a crowd in a familiar setting: a flashmob allows children to feel nervous and overcome the nerves together in a fun and memorable community event.

Seeds to supper

This promise enables children to connect with the importance of food in their lives: they grow their own crops from seed, learning how to care for food, and the nutritional value of the food, then they harvest their crops and use the produce to cook meals for their family, so learning how meals can bring people together.

Create something amazing

This promise gives our children the opportunity to design and create a large sculpture; something that will last a long time and possibly identify any budding sculptors among us. This creates an artistic legacy in the school for years to come.

Messing about on the water

This adventure is an introduction to the thrill and enjoyment of water sports, allowing children to test their courage on the water, and to work in teams. We hope it can be a gateway for a lifelong love of water sports, and help to identify talents to nurture.

Sleep under the stars

In this promise children experience the thrill of sleeping away from home, under the night stars with their friends. This adventure can fill children with the wonder of our universe, and who knows – could lead to a lifetime’s passion for astronomy.

Shake it up Shakespeare

This promise allows children to translate the cultural importance, and understanding of Shakespeare, through performing an abridged version on a stage away from school to a large audience. Through a public performance in front of a large audience, children learn the courage of public speaking and facing their fears. It is an opportunity to open a door onto the world of drama, for children to explore a possible strength and love they would wish to develop.

Hiking heroes

In this promise, children experience the exhilaration of hiking as high as possible – up a mountain, the tallest building for miles around, high enough to feel a sense of accomplishment when we just keep on going, and awe at the surrounding view.

Ride a large animal

Sitting up high and riding a horse, is an exhilarating experience for young children. In riding at such a height, and interacting with large animals, they overcome initial trepidation, so learning to conquer fears. The adventure also involves learning about how to care for horses.

Cross a border

For many of our children, leaving home to visit a foreign country is only possible if our school arrange it. It is a completely memorable adventure, where children can explore different cultures, traditions, and languages, learning that there is a wide and rich world waiting to be explored, beyond their local community. Independently using different currencies to interact with others in a different language gives children a sense of adventure and of their growing independence.