Academic Enrichment

It can be of great benefit for those considering or preparing to apply for Russell Group universities or Oxbridge, to have participated in academic enrichment opportunities beyond the classroom and the confines of the individual subject curriculums.  Such options at Bede’s include the Economics Society, the PPE Society, Literature Masterclass, Debating, Politics, History Film Club, Question Time

A number of subjects participate in the “Masterclass Programme”.  These sessions which run between 5-7pm are designed to stretch the more able pupils and expose them to the themes beyond the curriculum.

There are also a variety of trips and visits offered to students which are designed to embed learning and provide real depth to aspects of the curriculum covered in class. An outline of the visits offered are as follows:

English: Visit to Charleston House (including writing workshop), Macbeth at the Chichester Festival Theatre, Translations at the National and Measure for Measure at the Barbican

History and Politics: Visit to the Churchill War Rooms, Holocaust Memorial Lecture at Sussex University and Michelham Priory and its role in WWII

Geography: Visit to the Future Geographers’ Conference at the National Geographical Association

Media: Visit to the Royal Television Society Careers Fair, British Film Institute, Southbank, BBC South East studios in Tunbridge Wells

STEM: Astronomy trip to Herstmonceux Science Centre, MathsFest, STEM Sisters, Houston, Texas (an international event devoted to girls STEM study)

Computing and IT: Trip to the conference on Graphics, Date Structures and Algorithms in Animations, Emmanuel Centre, London and BETT Show, London’s Excel Arena and a visit to the museum at Bletchley Park.

Art: Trip to the National Gallery, to Farley House Farmhouse and Charleston Farmhouse

DT: Visit to Metaltech Precision Engineers, Design Museum, the Mini production line, Cowley and South of England Show, Ardingly

Drama: Trip to Hedda Tesman at Chichester Festival Theatre, One Man, Two Guvnors at Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch and Macbeth at Chichester Festival Theatre

Music: Visit to Glyndebourne for performance of Donizette’s L’eliser d’amor and to the USA for the Symphonic Concert with Sussex County Youth Orchestra, New Jersey

Through participation in externally run competitions students have the opportunity to engage with like-minded young people across Bede’s, the country and in some cases, the world. 

Some examples of the competitions which pupils are encouraged to enter are as follows:

English: English Speaking Union Debates, Cambridge and Oxford Union Debates, Bede's Writers' Competition (for creative prose and poetry)

Computing and IT: Cyber Discovery Competition, Alan Turing Cryptography Competition, Cyber Centurion Competition, Perse Coding Challenge and Bebra Coding Challenge

STEM: UK Space Design Challenge, Physics and Biology Olympiads and UK Mathematics Trust Challenge

All subjects: The Rudnik Prize (annual essay writing competition developing critical thinking and discursive writing)