Enrichment
Our Primary Enrichment programme provides pupils with opportunities to develop confidence, resilience, independence and healthy habits from the beginning of their journey at New Rush Hall School (NRHS).
For pupils with SEMH needs, enrichment provides valuable opportunities to experience success beyond the classroom, develop emotional regulation, strengthen relationships and learn to manage challenge and frustration within safe and supportive environments.
The experiences pupils encounter in Primary also provide the foundations for our wider Enrichment Curriculum. As pupils progress through NRHS, activities become increasingly challenging and independent, allowing them to build upon skills and confidence developed during their Primary years.
Swimming
Swimming is both an important life skill and an opportunity to develop confidence, resilience and physical wellbeing. Pupils learn essential water-safety skills alongside controlled breathing, floating and swimming with forward movement.
For some pupils, entering the water and learning to swim can initially feel challenging. Through carefully supported sessions, pupils learn to manage uncertainty, persevere and recognise their own progress. The skills and confidence developed through swimming also prepare pupils for water-based enrichment opportunities later in their NRHS journey.
Horse Riding
Horse riding provides pupils with a calm and structured environment in which to develop confidence, responsibility and positive relationships.
Pupils learn how to care for and communicate with horses, follow instructions and develop their riding skills. Working with animals encourages patience, empathy and self-control, while the structured nature of the sessions can support emotional regulation. Developing trust with a horse can be particularly powerful for pupils who have previously found relationships or unfamiliar experiences challenging.
Horticulture
Our on-site allotment provides pupils with regular opportunities to learn outdoors and experience the satisfaction of growing and caring for something over time.
Pupils plant, nurture and harvest a range of produce, developing patience, responsibility and an understanding of where food comes from. Horticulture can also provide a calming and grounding sensory experience, supporting pupils with emotional regulation.
Where appropriate, pupils can use produce they have grown within Food Technology, allowing them to experience the complete journey from planting and caring for a crop to preparing and enjoying food they have helped to produce.
Bikeability
Learning to cycle safely gives pupils a practical life skill and a greater sense of independence. Through Bikeability, pupils develop balance and control alongside an understanding of road safety and how to cycle confidently and responsibly.
The programme provides pupils with a recognised achievement while also preparing them for later enrichment opportunities. As pupils progress through NRHS, these foundations can lead into Bike Maintenance and Safety and eventually more challenging cycling experiences such as BMX at the Olympic Velodrome.
Fishing
Fishing provides pupils with an opportunity to spend time in a calm outdoor environment while developing patience, concentration and perseverance.
Through learning practical fishing skills, pupils are encouraged to slow down, sustain their attention and manage the emotions associated with waiting and uncertainty. The experience also provides opportunities to develop positive relationships with adults and peers in a setting very different from the traditional classroom.
Building the Foundations
Our Primary Enrichment programme is about much more than individual activities. Each experience has been chosen to provide pupils with opportunities to practise emotional regulation, develop confidence, build positive relationships and experience success.
These early experiences provide important foundations for the increasingly broad and challenging enrichment opportunities pupils encounter as they move into Key Stage 3 and beyond.