Discover Programme

Many pupils dream of writing a song or book or directing a movie or play, and lots enjoy solving puzzles. Making games is like doing all of those things at once: writing a story, designing a world, making lots of art, and using logic and maths to create interesting challenges and puzzles. Pupils identify what makes a good (and not-so-good) game. They go on to design the player character, sketch a storymap and make their background and assets before putting everything together and making their game, which others then playtest and evaluate.

In this unit, pupils will explore the fascinating art of advertising, where creativity and communication meet, uncovering the power of language and how a brand’s message is crafted and communicated to its target audience.  Pupils will read adverts critically, analysing and evaluating how language, imagery, colour and organisational features work together to create meaning, as well as gaining insight into how advertising reflects and influences societal attitudes. Unleashing their imaginations, pupils will collaborate in groups to design their own advertising campaigns, engaging in active discussion to shape their campaigns, which will culminate in the creation and presentation of a persuasive pitch to their peers. 

In this unit, pupils are asked to create a theme park, from concept to layout. They need to be creative in order to identify the needs of a specific target market and offer a unique selling point. They also need to work within a budget and decide how their theme park will make a profit. Working as a team is as much a challenge of negotiation and compromise as it is creative and mathematical - key skills that are crucial to the world beyond the classroom. Finally, pupils need to work collaboratively to present their findings to the class. They need to be prepared to deal with challenging questions about their decision-making.

In Years 7 and 8, pupils will explore the ancient Greek and Roman civilisations through mythology, literature, art and architecture. They will be encouraged to approach the material critically, and draw their own conclusions, while linking some prior learning with a deeper and richer understanding of the cultures and languages we still draw upon today. The connection with modern narratives which reference these traditions will hopefully spark a fascination with our past  - a past which still shapes us in so many ways.

High-quality oracy teaching is widely recognised as a crucial twenty-first century skill whose value transcends the classroom in a number of ways. It helps to improve academic outcomes by underpinning literacy and language acquisition skills. It also supports wellbeing and confidence, enabling pupils to thrive beyond the classroom. Challenging moral, social and political topics also help develop citizenship and agency. Pupils will learn the format for a structured debate as well as gaining an insight into the function of the United Nations and the importance of debating on an international scale. Pupils then prepare and host a formal debate and develop a powerful argument to support their cause.

PechaKucha is a Japanese word for ‘chit-chat’. It is a fast-paced presentation style that has expanded since it started in 2003. The format is simple: the presenters show 20 slides, each containing an image with no text, and have 20 seconds to talk about each slide. The format has become so popular that there are now PechaKucha nights in hundreds of cities worldwide where audiences gather to watch presentations. PechaKucha teaches pupils to summarise effectively, create succinct presentations and promote collective learning through creative development. The format forces pupils to think about the message each slide portrays. It’s cerebrally engaging for the presenter, as well as for the other pupils listening. Pupils prepare and record a PechaKucha on their own chosen subject. Many pupils choose to use this format for future presentations.

These lessons will be primarily discussion-based, looking at challenges that draw upon philosophy, theology, history and science. Pupils will be encouraged to challenge conventional thought and explore topics that transcend specific subject areas. The class will look at significant philosophers, the arguments from science and religion about existence and how we use our broadened insights to tackle contemporary issues. Listening to one another, and responding sensitively and insightfully to the ideas of others, is as essential as the agreed-upon outcomes of the discussions.

In Years 7 and 8, pupils will explore the ancient Greek and Roman civilisations through mythology, literature, art and architecture. They will be encouraged to approach the material critically, and draw their own conclusions, while linking some prior learning with a deeper and richer understanding of the cultures and languages we still draw upon today. The connection with modern narratives which reference these traditions will hopefully spark a fascination with our past  - a past which still shapes us in so many ways.