Independent schools are introducing many extra activities writes Karen Wilson. **********
 Whether it's traditional sports like hockey and rugby, or more unconventional activities like trips overseas, extra-curricular activities are high on the agenda at independent schools. Students' time is well structured between academic and extra-curricular subjects, including sport, music and the arts, in order for them to experience a balanced education and broaden their horizons. Many schools also provide the opportunity for students to travel abroad - to develop their language skills and cultural understanding. Others will have specific scholarships for music and sport, usually from the age of 11, while dance scholarships tend to be confined to specialist dance schools. Don Hutton, regional director of The Independent Schools Information Service, ISIS North, said: "Most independent schools offer an incredible range of extra curricular activities - including all major sports, both individual and team, but also including a strong emphasis on the performing arts. "They often employ full-time members of staff, whose only task is to deliver high-quality support and coaching in these activities. "As a result, the difference in the standard obtained is quite remarkable - it is not unusual for the standard of a school's orchestra to exceed that of regional semi-professional groups." Each school has strengths in different areas and visiting the school is the best way to find out if your child's non-academic interests will be catered for. Dame Allan School in Newcastle has a excellent reputation for dance. Its DAS male dance company has performed at the Gala Theatre in Durham, Newcastle Playhouse and Dance City in Newcastle, as well as being selected from 94 dance groups across the country to perform at the National Youth Dance Festival in Leeds this summer. Pupils are also encouraged to learn an instrument, with orchestral and choral concerts and competitions commonplace. It's not always just a case of joining the school orchestra - many pupils form their own rock and pop groups, which perform at school events, and maybe even make it big. Other activities encourage pupils to give something back to the community. Last year children from Westfield, Ascham House and Newlands schools, in Newcastle, joined others from all over the country to create a sensory garden for children with special needs at the Percy Hedley Foundation in Forest Hall, North Tyneside. Other activities are linked to the curriculum. King's School in Tynemouth has its own outdoor pursuits centre in the Cheviots, known as The Alnham Centre. It provides a base for the school's Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme activities and field study opportunities. Many independent schools also participate in the Young Enterprise Scheme, which fosters entrepreneurship, as students set up and run a company for a year. Trips, both in the UK and abroad, are common at independent schools - many of which have an educational or charitable focus. For instance, 30 sixth form students from King's School, in Tynemouth, trekked through the highlands and rainforests of Equador this summer. Their five-and-a-half week trip involved climbing active volcanoes, building a playground and teaching English in an Amer-Indian school. Don Hutton said: "Some schools have special links with international organisations that enable students to travel and carry out work programmes in a variety of overseas locations." | 
Northumberland
