Presentation Evenings show independence and confidence

One of the school’s core values is independence and recently both the EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) and Nissen-Bridgeman Project Presentation Evenings enabled our pupils to show this ability in abundance.

For the EPQ, the group of Lower Sixth Formers spent the year researching a topic of their own choice and then writing a 5000 word dissertation-type essay. The topics varied from “The plight of the Bumblebee” to “The Economy of Venezuela”, showing a real breadth of academic curiosity. During the evening the students each made a ten minute presentation on their topics to an invited audience, before fielding questions. All of them spoke with confidence and described their topics with clarity.

In the Nissen-Bridgeman Project Evening the twelve Third Form (Year 9) finalists gave short presentations on their research process before answering questions from the audience; these were answered with accuracy and composure. All of the boys spoke well but it was Zedan Goonetillake who won the Best Speaker prize for his erudite style and confident manner when speaking about the Gypsy population in Slovakia. The quality of all the essays were the best I’ve ever seen which made it very difficult to decide upon the eventual winner - the top prize finally went to Charlie Thomson for his excellent research into how your month of birth affects your academic progress.

All in all, these evenings provided the pupils an excellent opportunity to celebrate their academic progress and skills development.

Tim Silk, Teaching and Learning Leader