Beyond the Curriculum

Our extra-curricular provision is exciting and varied, giving each girl the opportunity to experience new activities and find their niche.

Our co-curricular provision is instrumental in providing a rounded education that develops the whole student, contributing to their physical and mental wellbeing and helping develop critical thinking, creativity, time management, confidence, leadership and resilience.

Participation in co-curricular activities allows the student to flourish personally and prepares them for life beyond Tormead.

Sixth Form students have the opportunity to explore different locations, to learn outside the classroom and to enhance their understanding of subjects and places.

Trips to museums, galleries and the theatre are offered throughout the year. Biologists and geographers will participate in residential fieldtrips within the UK. Those studying Geography will have the opportunity to discover the wonders of Iceland. Students of Government and Politics have the opportunity to visit Washington.

Sixth Form students are also encouraged to take on the challenge of the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, which involves expeditions to the Welsh Black Mountains and Dartmoor. There is also a comprehensive Sports Tour Programme. Past tours have included Malaysia and South Africa.

Tormead has established links with the town of Besishahar in Nepal and the Mai Chau region of Vietnam. These links are nurtured with Sixth Form expeditions to both locations. Past expeditions have also included Ecuador, Zambia and Botswana.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme

All Tormead students are encouraged to take part in The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme (DofE). DofE is a non-competitive international award for young people with three levels which, when successfully completed, lead to a bronze, silver or gold award.

The bronze award is offered in Year 9 and the silver award is undertaken in Year 10, giving students ample time to achieve their gold award before completing their Sixth Form studies. For the bronze and silver awards participants embark on four sections; volunteering, physical, skill and expeditions. Gold award participants are required to complete an additional section which is a 4 night/5 day residential activity shared with people that the participants have not met before.

The scheme helps students develop new skills, gain confidence and gives them an edge over others when applying for apprenticeships, university places or jobs. The DofE Award is a good opportunity to demonstrate and evidence skills such as communication, commitment, leadership and teamwork.

Tormead has a dedicated in-house team of pastoral and technical staff who receive ongoing training to ensure the delivery of safe and rewarding expeditions for our students.

More information about the scheme can be found here https://www.dofe.org.

Tormead is committed to developing meaningful relationships with other local, national and international organisations.

To help our students and those in our partnership schools become global citizens we have developed, in collaboration with the Royal Grammar School, meaningful links with two schools in Besisahar in the Lamjung District of Nepal.

Our students fundraise to improve facilities in the Besisahar schools and to support Nepali pupils visiting Guildford. A joint team of Tormead and RGS students participate in a biennial expedition to Nepal which involves project work in Besisahar alongside their Nepali peers. These reciprocal visits promote a growth in cultural understanding and learning for all the students involved.

Tormead was instrumental in the formation of the West Surrey Partnership, a cross-sector organisation of schools established in 2022. This alliance works for the mutual benefit of all students and staff in the area, fostering respect, collaboration and citizenship. Last year young people benefitted from three partnership days: a Literacy Day for Key Stage 3, a Wellbeing Day for Key Stage 2 and a Sustainability Day for Key Stage 5.

We strive to share events, resource and knowledge with local independent and state schools.

Tormead is an active member of the Guildford 11 – 19 Partnership, an organisation of independent and state schools plus Guildford College and the University of Surrey. The group endeavours to ensure that vulnerable pupils in the area receive appropriate education. The partnership also provides networking opportunities for staff and an enrichment programme, IMAG, for students.

The IMAG (Interested, Motivated and Able) programme provides opportunities for young people in the area to enrich their education through a variety of workshops and lectures. Tormead hosts a series of IMAG events each academic year.

Volunteering

Regular volunteering in the community forms part of the timetable in the Sixth Form. Our students volunteer at a number of local organisations including Sayers Croft, St. Joseph Trust, Albury Care Home, St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Boxgrove Primary School, Holy Trinity Junior School, and Shooting Star Children’s Hospices charity.

Students also volunteer within the Prep and Senior School, helping with co-curricular activities, literacy, numeracy, and other subjects. This initiative has been very successful as partnering older and younger pupils helps develop the confidence and communication ski.

Tormead offers a tremendous depth and diversity of clubs and activities. Students are encouraged to be involved in a variety of activities, to broaden their interests and to develop new skills. New clubs introduced this year include Circus Skills, Lego Club, Special Effects Club and Advanced Problem Solving.

A full list of our current clubs can be found here:

  • Full list of Sixth Form clubs
    • Creative Writing Club
    • Book Club
    • TorNews
    • Knit & Stitch Club
    • Mosaic Club
    • Painting & Drawing Club
    • Art Scholars Club
    • Christian Union
    • Muslim Prayer
    • Drama Club
    • Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme
    • 3D Printing Club
    • Countdown Club
    • Languages Club
    • Les Francophiles
    • Senior German Club
    • Feminism Society
    • Biology Enrichment
    • MED:SEM
    • Conservation Club
    • Dissection Club
    • Forensics Club
    • Genetics Society
    • Senior Engineering Clubs
    • Science in the News
    • Astronomy Clubs
    • Digital Leaders
    • Programming Club
    • Past Times Club
    • History Film
    • Puzzle Club
    • Chess Club
    • Mock Trial / Debating Club
    • Yoga
    • Cooking for University Club

Where next?

Sixth Form

Sport