Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) is an integral part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma and provides an excellent structure for the co-curricular and community service aspects of the education provided by St Clare’s, as well as our pastoral mission to help develop the whole person.
The students are required to commit to one creativity, one activity, and one service experience each term from a programme which offers over 50 different choices each week. The Activities Department plans, coordinates and publishes the term’s programme which draw on the experience of the teaching and non-teaching staff for leadership. Creativity experiences include the coding club, studio art, economics club and the law society. Activity experiences (which incorporate team sports and individual sports) include students working on their gym programmes at the Oxfordshire Health and Racquets club, the football club at Oxford City FC, the basketball club at the Ferry Sports Centre and the tennis club. Service experiences (which includes advocacy, research or direct work) include the animal rights action group, the human rights action group and visiting the elderly. Students can choose to continue with the same set of experiences throughout the two years of their diploma, however, we do encourage them to try a variety.
All CAS students are expected to maintain and complete a CAS portfolio as evidence of their engagement. The Portfolio is meant to be a collection of evidence that showcases the overall experience and is a source of pride for the student. Through regular CAS sessions the CAS Coordinator coaches the students on how to produce meaningful reflection, which are often spoken or written. We also encourage students to explore visual (photography, painting), kinesthetic, (dance, theatre), and auditory, (lyrics) means of reflection.
Every Diploma student must participate in a sustained collaboration to discover the benefits of teamwork and of achievements realised through an exchange of ideas and abilities. The CAS project challenges students to show initiative, demonstrate perseverance, and develop skills including cooperation, problem-solving, and decision-making.
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Which will you choose?