Extra-Curricular Activities
At Abbey College Cambridge we run more than 50 exciting staff and student led clubs. It’s all part of our amazing Enrichment and Clubs Programme. Designed to provide you with amazing opportunities to achieve outside the classroom, Enrichment is divided into six categories: Active, Community, Thinking, Science & Technology, Music and Creative Arts. Each Enrichment activity has outcomes which are specifically tailored to give you experiences you will treasure for the rest of your life, but also, very importantly, experiences you can talk about at university or job interviews in the future.
Wednesday afternoon enrichment is compulsory for all students.
We also offer clubs and sports outside of Enrichment. These include competitive football and badminton. There is truly a club to suit everyone and if we don’t offer a club we will help you find one locally.
Details of our Enrichment Programme for the current academic year can be found below.
DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S AWARD
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (commonly known as DofE) is internationally recognised and considered valuable by employers.
Known as the ‘Golden A Level’, students completing the Silver or Gold awards develop considerable skills in teamwork, communication and problem solving. 93% of participants believe that having a DofE Award has helped them secure employment or a place at university.
Participation in selected clubs will contribute to your final Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
The aim is to inspire, guide and support young people in their self-development and to recognise their achievements. Students gaining the Gold award will be presented with it at one of the Royal Palaces in London.
Sections of activity
The award is achieved by completing a personal programme of activities in each section:
- Physical
- Volunteering
- Skill
- Expedition
- Residential (Gold award only)
FIRST AID QUALIFICATIONS
We offer two first aid qualifications for students:
ITC Indoor and Outdoor First Aid
This qualification is designed for students who would like to be able to administer first aid in both urban and rural environments. The course is accredited by ITC and Ofqual. Successful students will be awarded a first aid certificate that is valid for 3 years.
Pediatric First Aid
This course covers essential first aid techniques for treatment of children from birth to puberty. Students will leave with a full set of pediatric first aid skills and the confidence to put them into practice should the need ever arise. Successful students will be awarded a first aid certificate that is valid for 3 years.
No previous first aid experience is required to attend these courses. They are ideal for students looking to study medicine or any of the biological sciences; they are also a great way to build confidence, and provide a practical and useful skill to put on your personal statement.
FITNESS CLASSES
Alongside our sporting and active clubs we run a range of professionally supervised fitness classes on campus for students of all fitness levels.
The schedule changes with demand; here are some examples of classes which we are currently offering or have offered in the past:
- Cardio
- Cross Fit
- Gym
- HIIT Circuits
- Multisports
- Strength and Conditioning
- Yoga
- Zumba
Trips
As well as many other opportunities offered by the college, we really want to give you the chance to travel and see more of Europe and even further afield. These trips will be great fun but are also amazing experiences/achievements to add to your university applications and to talk about at interview. For example, one student who went to Barcelona used the art work she saw to inspire pieces for her portfolio. Another student who travelled to Iceland two years ago was able to research climate change and weather systems as part of an Environmental Science and Engineering application. The great thing is that the college sorts out everything!
Planned overseas trips in the forthcoming year are:
October 2024 half term – 5 days to Rome
What we will do: Visit the Colosseum where gladiators fought each other, The Forum – the heart of Ancient Rome, The Vatican, The Spanish steps, Eat out Italian style and much more.
What university applications it will be useful for: Architecture, History, Archaeology, Classics, Business, Economics, and Art.
February 2025 – 5 days to Iceland
What we will do: Visit Reykjavik (the capital), see the volcano which erupted in 2010, swim in the famous Blue Lagoon, see the Gulfoss waterfall, walk behind an 80m tall waterfall, taste Minky Whale, experience the hot springs and geysers as well as much more!
What university applications it will be useful for: Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Engineering, Geology, Architecture, Economics, Business and Physics.
June / July 2025 – Costa Rica trip – 14 days
- Details tbc
What are the benefits:
- Earn the ASDAN Universities Award.
- Enhance your subject knowledge in areas of Biology, Geography, Economics, Politics and more.
- Gain practical skills in observational data collection.
- Develop teamwork and critical thinking as a Global Citizen, ready to make a positive difference in the world!
To compliment the excellent sports provision available at Abbey College Cambridge, branded Sports Kit is available to purchase via Playerlayer and can be viewed by clicking here.
