College trips are back!

Politics, English, Duke of Edinburgh & more...

After a 2-year hiatus on College trips, we are excited to announce that we have seen the return of student outings this term! If you think we are excited about this… just ask the students how excited they are!

We kicked off with a Politics trip to European Youth Parliament for the South-eastern Regional Debating Forum. The department took 8 Lower Sixth students who took part in teambuilding exercises before putting all their knowledge to the test with a debate. This was an exciting opportunity for our students to develop their skills in debating and public speaking, as well as further their understanding of key issues in British, European and global politics. A range of sixth forms across the Southeast participated in the debate, our students were confident, knowledgeable, and eloquent… we are very proud of how they performed throughout the day.

Our English Department took 40 students to London to the English and Media Centre for their English Language Conference. The students heard from various experts in the industry who talked about further study, and career options and gave invaluable advice regarding certain aspects of the industry. Guest speakers included Lynne Murphy, a professor of linguistics at the University of Sussex, she has written 5 books and recently received a grant from the NEH Public Scholars Programme for her most recent book, The Prodigal Tongue. Gary Younge was another featured guest speaker, an acclaimed journalist, author, broadcaster and academic, who was an ‘editor-at-large’ for the Guardian newspaper. Currently a Professor at the University of Manchester, he has also written 5 books and was able to give invaluable advice on aspects of study, career, self-motivation and ambition. Among an array of other guest speakers, both Lynne Murphy and Gary Younge stood out at the conference, our students came away feeling motivated and inspired… which is all we ask from a College trip.

Other trips this term included a biology trip to Marwell Zoo, Art History students made a long-awaited return to art galleries with a visit to Watts Gallery and our Duke of Edinburgh students headed out for their practice exhibitions. Our Gold D of E Group ventured through Dartmoor National Park, resulting in some beautiful backdrops! With more College trips on the horizon, our students will have more and more opportunities to engage with their subjects through off-campus visits!