A large part of the NCW offer is to provide students with opportunities to be involved in many activities outside the classroom. These help enrich their learning experience, help with integration into the community and develop crucial life skills for adulthood.
A long-running and much loved club by students is Rifle Shooting!
Acoustic rifle shooting uses sound and light to focus on the target, replacing the function of vision. This allows students who are vision impaired to aim and shoot a rifle as the pitch changes the closer the person is to the centre of the target!
The NCW Rifle Shooting Club started in the early 90s and has been running for around 30 years, and is ran currently by volunteers Derek, Chris and Paul. It is brilliant that the sport is highly adaptable and can accommodate all disabilities – for example the stand in which the rifle is placed on can be mounted on a table to allow for a wheelchair user.
In the past, the club has gone to competitions. There are 2 held each year and students have gone to national championships which are held in Wolverhampton. Former student Harrison has been the reigning champion since 2018 scoring 592 out of 600! Current students are very keen to beat him.
Year 8 student Len is a regular rifle club attendee, as is Jake in Year 10. Jake said: “I love the club, especially as it can be adapted. I also love the competition in brings!”.
Sixth Form student Jack who is a wheelchair user “loves how rifle shooting is so adaptable for different disabilities, meaning that it is an inclusive club for everyone”.

