insideKENT Magazine Issue 32 - November 2014 | Page 148

EDUCATION The EPQ for Sixth Formers The Sixth Form at St Edmund’s School, Canterbury, provides opportunities for pupils to excel in and to enjoy the academic, sporting, musical, artistic and dramatic aspects of life. In addition, it encourages its students to take part in expeditions and enrichment activities, and to explore the potential for leadership and responsibility. Back to school on a high note for Kent students who can enjoy fully staged opera in Canterbury this autumn As Kent schools return for the new academic year, up to 1,200 of their pupils could soon experience the exhilaration of watching fully staged opera in Canterbury, thanks to Performances for Schools on the Glyndebourne Tour. Glyndebourne Performances for Schools offers both priority booking and reduced price tickets to schools that wish to take their students to see an opera, often for the first time. Since the initiative began in 2006, over 30,000 children have been able to experience top quality, live opera in their hometowns. Following a successful pilot in the town last year, Glyndebourne Performances for Schools will return to The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury on 5th and 6th November 2014. On 5th November, primary school pupils can see brand new musical production, Five Deaths and a Happy Ending, which introduces opera to 7-10 year olds. In addition, on 6th November, secondary school pupils can enjoy a new production of Mozart’s lesser-known gem, La finta giardiniera, written when the precocious composer was just 18. Katherine Stacey Academic study towards A-levels is paramount for higher education, but it is worth knowing that the AQA Extended Project Qualification is also highly regarded by universities in their admissions process, and carries a UCAS tariff equivalent to an AS-level. Tickets are still available. To book, schools should contact The Marlowe Theatre Box Office on 01227 787787 or email [email protected]. Candidates will complete a research project on a subject of their own choosing. This provides an opportunity for pupils to follow their own interests, and to demonstrate their ability to work independently and autonomously. At St Edmund’s, the EPQ programme is well established as part of the Sixth Form curriculum. Creativity and curiosity is encouraged and topics chosen are diverse; examples of past projects include factors affecting protein production, producing a blues-rock EP, and media influence on body image. To find out more about Performances for Schools, visit www.glyndebourne.com/schools. Ofsted early years statistics – South East Each pupil receives individual guidance from their EPQ supervisor and all candidates attend a two-day seminar on research skills, project management, and referencing at the University of Kent. Learning these key skills sets them on their way to producing a high-quality EPQ, and the school is particularly proud that to date over 75% of pupils who have successfully completed their project have achieved an A*-A grade. Upper Sixth pupil, Katherine Stacey, is currently working on her project about marketing and said: “It is really satisfying to immerse myself in a subject of my choice, and to be able to discuss my ideas with a supervisor who is genuinely interested in what I am researching.” This autumn, Ofsted published new statistics regarding its inspections of nurseries and other early year's providers. In the South East, 678 early year's providers were judged between 1st April 2014 and 30th June 2014. Of these, • 64 (nine per cent) were judged to be outstanding • 460 (68 per cent) were judged to be good • 106 (16 per cent) were judged to require improvement • 48 (seven per cent) were judged to be inadequate To find out more about what St Edmund’s can offer at Sixth Form, please contact Amanda Selmon on 01227 475601 or come along to the open evening on 19th November. The statistics have a more detailed breakdown by local authority area. These can be located online at www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/officialstatistics-early-years-and-childcare-registeredproviders-inspections-and-outcomes. www.stedmunds.org.uk 148