4th November 2022
HEADLINES
By James Saunders
THE BRILLIANT CLUB Welcome back to the second half of the autumn term. This week in assemblies for C9 and C10 I launched an opportunity to apply to take part in The Brilliant Club. We have been taking part in the Brilliant Club for a number of years and have achieved great success with previous cohorts.
Anyone in C9 or C10 interested in participating in the scholars programme need to get their applications to Mr Saunders (jsaunders@honywoodschool.com) by Monday 14th November. Here is what needs to be included in letter/email to Mr Saunders
So what exactly is The Brilliant Club? Through a successful application process learners will have the opportunity to attend a launch at one of the leading Russell Group universities. The last one was at UEA (University of East Anglia) in Norwich. There learners will meet their tutor, a PhD researcher, who will give them their first university style seminar based on their current field of research. In previous years our learners have worked with tutors with PhDs from Cambridge in subjects such children’s literature, bee pollination, architecture, interior design and feminism.
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Our PhD researcher will then visit the school weekly to work with learners further - training them up as academics. The programme will culminate in the production of an essay on a specific topic related to the researcher’s field - some may even be published in an academic journal. The work will be assessed against university criteria and learners will receive grades that match that of degree classifications. Our previous cohorts have all passed with 2:1s and first’s. The programme ends with a graduation at another leading research university. The last one I attended was at Selywn College, Cambridge. The learners loved being in the grounds of this prestigious university. They even got to experience dining in one of the Harry Potter-esque halls. We feel that this programme will really help to open up our learners’ eyes as to the possibilities for the future. We will only be offering this to a handful of year nine and ten learners through an application process. Learners have been sent the slides from the assembly. The deadline for applications is just over a week.
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Why you would like to be considered for The Scholars Programme. Why you are interested in The Scholars Programme. Why you would be a great candidate. Any in-school and out-of-school achievements. Perhaps you are involved in a sports club; have entered competitions; have completed volunteer work; have a part-time job; have been recognised for a special achievement.
Best of luck to those that apply. OPEN EVENING AND TOURS After a successful open evening and four weeks of fully booked tours I would like to thank the whole community for their support and positivity. It has been an absolute joy to show families around our school and talk about the lovely community. The feedback has been great and we look forward to welcoming our new recruits next September. Looking ahead to next week I am excited about engaging in a series of remembrance activities that will culminate in our staff versus learners football game on Friday. This event was a real success last year and provided an opportunity to bring our community together. I am sure that learners will again embrace this activity and show their support and respect for remembrance. Next week, Mr Williams will be writing our headlines. Have a great weekend and stay safe if you are attending any firework displays. James Saunders