Students with an average GCSE score of around 7 are automatically enrolled onto the Aspire Programme, and all other students can ask to have it added to their programme of study, regardless of their GCSE score.
Weekly Aspire tutorials run throughout the Lower Sixth and are offered in addition to regular weekly tutorials.
There are usually a maximum of 12 students in each Aspire group and each group is allocated its own dedicated Aspire Tutor.
How can the Aspire Programme help students?
The Aspire tutorials in the Lower Sixth are geared up to help students:
- Identify the things they’re passionate about – so their hobbies and interests and things they love doing.
- Research different career possibilities using Careers quizzes and a variety of Careers tools the College subscribes to.
- Explore the huge range of course options accessible via the UCAS (universities) website
- Spend time looking into which universities offer the courses they’re most interested in.
- Pin down the best combination of courses and universities to apply for, based around their predicted grades, and other personal criteria (such as distance from home)
- Begin writing their personal statements for their UCAS application
- Develop oracy skills by planning and delivering presentations and taking part in group debates
- Further their academic, “super-curricular” interests – often via an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
What’s an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)?
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An EPQ is an additional qualification, equivalent to half an A Level, that students complete in either their Lower or Upper Sixth, depending on their average GCSE score and career ambitions.
Most EPQs focus on independent research, resulting in an extended essay, but they can also take the form of an artefact or field study. The range of things students do for EPQs is endless – the priority is for students to focus on an area they are genuinely interested in.
Areas chosen are incredibly diverse from – Media literacy in schools, to increasing the power output of solar panels. Some top universities award a lower offer if students achieve an A or A* in their EPQ.
