Preparation and Extension

LEAP is a programme of extension and enrichment for the Lower Sixth, based firmly around the academic subjects they are studying but allowing them and their treachers the freedom to extend their thinking beyond the confines of the syllabus.

School departments are given a substantial amount of time to deliver thier subjects with a more 'undergrad' vibe, and when not kept academically busy, student experience a series of enrichment days designed to focus their minds on what lies beyond school and how best to prepare for their next steps.

The four core enrichment days include:

Employability Day

Serious Leadership Day

Study Skills Day

UCAS Options Day

Universities are increasingly valuing the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and more of our students are opting to complete an EPQ to enhance their results. Offering the opportunity to study a topic in depth and culminating in a final essay, artefact or research project, the EPQ is a freestanding AS qualification with UCAS points that adds a further dimension to Sixth Form study.

This is a terrific opportunity to complete a project about a subject area of interest - it can be related to subjects being studied but can't be part of the A Level syllabus.

The Duke of Edinburgh scheme offers students the opportunity to develop skills which are central to the school’s vision and mission statement.

Teenagers learn resilience, teamwork, survival skills, but also develop communication skills, independence, versatility, compassion and kindness. They also have fun! We hear stories that come out of their experiences, stories which then become part of the students’ own narratives.  Participants undertake a wide variety of volunteer work, such as assisting in local primary schools, sports training, environmental and wildlife projects and raising significant sums of money for local charities. Students undertake a rigorous and detailed training programme, both in school and in wild country that culminates in a qualifying expedition on Dartmoor.

In younger years, students work towards gaining their Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award, while in the Sixth Form most aim for their Gold Award.

Duke of Edinburgh Award

We have a thriving CCF (Combined Cadet Force) unit in which students participate in campus-based learning as well as experiences outside our bounds such as diving, flying, adventure training, sailing and much more.

The CCF enables students to develop their individual and leadership skills and we are proud of the role that it plays in school life. We have both Army and Royal Air Force sections and the unit is fully voluntary, for pupils from Year 10 upwards. A good number of senior cadets stay on into Year 11 and the Sixth Form, becoming Non Commissioned Officers (NCOs), and they very much enjoy the opportunity this gives to practise their leadership skills and help the younger cadets. All Year 10 cadets will learn about basic field craft, drill, skill at arms, orienteering, first aid, navigation, RAF Part 1 Theory, and get the opportunity to try the confidence area and Close Combat Trainer.

Cadets have the chance to attend Air Experience Flying and an Army Training Area annual camp (usually in the last week of the summer term), and sometimes we also have places on an Easter RAF Camp. The CCF often competes in the Dorset Cadet Challenge and similar competitions, and there is a biennial inspection.