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Thursday, 14 January 2010
The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) results have brought a
bumper crop of A*s for Sixth Form students at Bolton School Boys'
Division. This is the first year Bolton School boys have been
entered for the qualification, and out of thirteen boys, eight
gained A*s, three gained an A, one gained a B and one a
C.
The EPQ is an extended project designed to develop independent
learning and self-management. The boys were asked to identify,
design, plan and complete a project, which could be a written
report, performance, piece of art, community project, or CD, DVD or
even computer software. They were encouraged to be creative with
their choice of topic which could be either directly related to, or
completely independent of, their main study programme, and this
resulted in a wide range of choices from Ant farms to Architecture!
The boys had to prepare and deliver a presentation when the project
was complete, and were assessed on their ability to manage, develop
and realise their projects. As the process was just as important as
the end product, students were asked to produce a production log of
all stages of the project to review and evaluate their progress,
which was also assessed.
Sixth Form pupil Elliot Yates, a Nuffield Scholar, chose to
research Osteoarthritis for his project and gained an A*. He said:
"Whilst being hard work, this was a real opportunity to get into
Manchester University's laboratories and for us to stretch
ourselves beyond the confines of the curriculum."
Ryan Sarsfield also got an A*. He commented: "The extended
project offered a real chance to pursue our own interests and
I focused on Oscar Wilde; I am finding it has provided me with
a valuable talking point at university interviews."
Increasingly, universities and employers place a higher value on
a student's ability to research and analyse material independently,
and the EPQ promotes this type of independent learning and provides
evidence of a student's ability to use a range of skills that are
vital for successful study in higher education, including
management, research, organisation, decision making, problem
solving and evaluation skills. It makes students responsible for
their own learning and allows them to study a subject they enjoy,
even if it is not available at A-level.
Deputy Head of Boys' Division Sixth Form, Heather Tunstall,
said: "I am incredibly proud of their achievements. This has been
an extremely exciting project that celebrates the value of
education and independent learning. The enthusiasm shown by the
boys has been absolutely fantastic, and their projects show real
originality, flair and diversity. We've been invited to view the
intimate workings of an ant colony; journeyed through the life and
works of Eric Clapton and been introduced to cutting edge research
on Osteoarthritis."
The EPQ is a stand alone qualification, but it also forms part
of the AQA Baccalaureate, a new baccalaureate-style qualification
adopted by over 100 schools across the country, which gives a
broader picture of student's achievements by recognising all the
valuable out-of-classroom activity already done by sixth formers,
alongside academic achievement. A students' EPQ grade contributes
to the level of AQA Bacc awarded, along with their three
A-levels in any subjects, an AS in either General Studies, Critical
Thinking or Citizenship, and "Enrichment Activities" which could be
work-related learning, community participation or personal
development such as sport or music.
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