EVERY school child wants to choose what they do in school.

Under New Marston’s new ‘creative curriculum’, that wish has become a reality.

Each term, pupils discuss their interests and hobbies, and together come up with a class topic they want to learn about.

Depending on their age, they even help plan activities for the term.

Headteacher Zara d’Archambaud said: “Pupils need to make sure they cover the required skills at a level suitable, but we have found they come up with some fantastic ideas we would never have thought of.

“They are also very keen to learn outside the classroom and visit places to help their understanding.

“We find that if pupils have chosen the topics, they are engaged straight away and have fun. As a result they learn more.”

She added: “It is a bit more of a challenge for teachers, but if they get the engagement of the children, it makes everything so much better for the teacher.”

Since introducing the new curriculum, children have chosen to study sport, circuses, oceans, castles and chocolate.

As much as possible, all their lessons are linked to the term’s topic.

Pupils are also involved in deciding how the school is run through a series of school councils.

An eco-council works to raise environmental awareness; a sports council encourages healthy living and promotes extra-curricular activities including football, karate and dance, and at lunchtime pupils can borrow equipment for playground games organised by prefects.

A school council has helped drawn up an anti-bullying policy and is now examining how pupils learn. Pupil members join Ms d’Archambaud to watch lessons taking place around the school to find good examples of how people learn.

Three times a year, the school holds Family Week to invite parents into classes to learn about learning.

To capture the pupils’ and parents’ imagination, it was ‘superheroes week’ when the Oxford Mail visited.

Staff and parents dressed as superheroes spent the week delivering surprise secret writing missions to classes, children created their own superheroes to compete against each other and the school celebrated real life heroes within the school and wider community.

Other aspects of school life are more traditional.

Pupils are allocated houses when they start at New Marston, each led by two house captains in Year Six.

The houses compete against each other to earn house points, winning themselves house treats and competing for a cup each year.

House captains also organise games, team-building exercises and art activities.

And final year pupils also have the opportunity to become prefects, working as lunchtime assistants, librarians, games organisers, or assembly monitors.

DRESSED in a bright blue superhero costume, Russell Wood does not look like a traditional school teacher. But his approach to teaching reflects New Marston’s new ‘creative curriculum’, where pupils help choose the topics they study and teachers adapt lessons to match the termly themes. When the Oxford Mail visited, it was superhero week, with a programme of lessons and activities all themed around superheroes in fiction and in the community. Mr Wood said: “Last term, my Year Five class chose to learn about aliens. Everything is geared towards them, and this term they have chosen rollercoasters. “In literacy, they are learning about persuasion, so have had to write to the headteacher trying to persuade her to let them go to a theme park. “All their maths problems are linked into theme parks – working out the change they would get for paying for a ride, for example.” He added: “It gives the children a sense of ownership over their learning, which is really reflected in their interest levels. It is a great way of learning, but it means as teachers we cannot use anything from before.” Mr Wood added: “It is a brilliant atmosphere to work in, and really satisfying.” Headteacher Zara d’Archambaud added: “Russell thinks out the most imaginative things to do with the children that they will really enjoy, and builds the lessons around them. “He is passionate about teaching, and brings the very best out of the children.”