Curriculum Beyond the Classroom

Despite our urban setting, we have a large outdoor space and are busy building opportunities for our students to connect with nature. Students and staff have worked together to develop our forest school and kitchen garden area, where we will begin growing and cultivating in the Spring term. This is alongside the redevelopment of our school pond, which promises opportunities to learn about biodiversity and ecosystem development.

We are conveniently located for trips to London and surrounding areas. In our first year, we visited the Science Museum in London, the Brighton Marine Life Center, the Brighton Center, the Royal Festival Hall, Fairfield Halls, Thorpe Park, the Oxygen Trampoline Park, and the Twist Museum of optical illusions. We firmly believe in the value of extracurricular activities for developing transferable skills and knowledge, and for bringing the curriculum to life through interactive, real-world experiences.

Life skills are dedicated lessons within our curriculum. We follow a structured programme which supports students in areas such as travel, money management, time management, personal care and meal preparation. This helps to build students’ independence and prepare them for a successful transition to adulthood. Our life skills lessons include external visits to cafes, restaurants, shops, and local attractions.

AHS Purley students enjoy a range of opportunities to participate in team sports, both with their peers and against other schools. In our first year, we proudly participated in our first interschool football tournament. This provided students with valuable bonding experiences and engaged crucial life and social skills. We have a number of additional events and sports lined up over the coming months, and look forward to further broadening our sporting experiences and opportunities.