11 Before 11

St. Thomas 11 Before 11

At St. Thomas, our 11 Before 11 programme is a key part of our curriculum. It ensures that every child, from Reception to Year 6, takes part in eleven memorable and meaningful experiences before they leave our school.

These experiences are carefully planned to be engaging, exciting, enjoyable and interesting. We want our children to look back on their primary years filled with experiences that have inspired, challenged and developed them.

How Our 11 Before 11 Works

The programme is delivered progressively from Reception through to Year 6 with each phase having 2–3 key experiences to complete. As children move through the school, they will achieve all 11 badges before the end of Year 6.

The 11 experiences remain the same across the school, but they are carefully woven into:

Curriculum projects
Specific curriculum days
Enrichment opportunities
Leadership roles
Clubs and extra-curricular activities

We aim to make each experience a true WOW moment for our children.

The 11 Before 11 Journey

In Reception children achieve their badges for In the Spotlight and Creatures Great and Small.

In Key Stage 1 children achieve their badges for Seeds to Supper, Connect Create and Heart Smart.

In Lower Key Stage 2 children achieve their badges for Starlit Night, Make a Splash and City Explorer.

In Upper Key Stage 2 children achieve their badges for Learn to Lead, Team Player and Hiking Heroes.

By the time our pupils leave St. Thomas, they will have experienced all eleven. There are additional opportunities to achieve badges at different stages if children do not join St Thomas until later in their school career and depending on the roles children take on at different stages. This ensures that every child, regardless of when they join us, has the opportunity to complete all eleven experiences.

Inspiring Interest and Achievement

Each year begins with a relaunch assembly to build excitement and remind children of the badges they can work towards.

Throughout the year, staff actively promote and celebrate the programme by linking badges to curriculum projects or highlighting opportunities in school displays. Children are actively encouraged to participate in clubs or teams such as representing the school in sporting events and leadership roles are promoted such as Ethos Team, School Council or Computing Leaders.

On some occasions, children may also achieve elements of the 11 Before 11 through out-of-school experiences.

Celebrating Success

Each child receives a St. Thomas 11 Before 11 Award document, featuring eleven spaces for their badges. Achievements are celebrated every half term in our end-of-term assemblies to keep the programme high-profile and exciting across the school. Children are then asked to think about what their net badge might be or what they most want to achieve and why to encourage them to think about their aspirations. Badges achieved are added by the children themselves to them can see their progress.