Ambitious learners from Solihull Sixth Form College have been getting a head start on their post-college plans by attending the Stretch and Challenge Summer School, which aims to extending young peoples’ learning and prepare them for the challenge of Higher Education applications.
The highest achieving learners in Year 12 at the College signed up to additional subject sessions and guest lectures to stretch their learning and challenge their critical thinking. With many of these learners aiming to apply to prestigious Russell Group universities, requiring early applications, interviews and admissions tests, these sessions challenged them to think critically and explore topics outside the curriculum.
The two-day Summer School began with a visiting speaker from a Russell Group university. Dr Thomas Ellis from the University of Birmingham, whose research focuses on the Cold War and the Space Race, delivered a lecture that explored the history and importance of space technology and how it connects to science, literature, politics and more.
Other visiting speakers at the Summer School included Kaustuv Bose from Cadbury UK, who delivered a Chemistry lecture all about chocolate, Matt Phillips and Nawaz Hanif from Birmingham City University who talked to Social Science learners about cybercrime, and Dr Mathieu di Miceli from Worcester University, whose Biology workshop investigated the effects of drugs on the heart rate of small crustaceans. In addition, Maxwell Marlow from the Adam Smith Institute delivered a webinar about Free Market Economic ideas and representatives from Mansfield College at the University of Oxford guided students on making a Russell Group university application.
College teachers were also part of the Summer School and delivered workshops on Business, Computer Science, Drama, English, Film, Humanities, Law, Mathematics, Modern Languages, Music, Physics, Social Sciences and Sport & Health.
Event organiser and Curriculum Leader for English and Modern Languages Jane McCard commented:
“The College is committed to supporting all our learners onto positive destinations after they finish their studies with us. For those students who are aiming for the most competitive university destinations, early applications and many challenge obstacles stand in their way. The Stretch & Challenge Summer School is just one of the ways we support those learners to achieve offers from Russell Group universities. Getting our learners to think critically and start preparing to make the best applications they can for these competitive courses is the main purpose of this two-day event. We are grateful to those academics who have given up their time to support this process. Our young people got a lot out of their involvement and they enjoyed the sessions.”
24 June 2024