Academic Enrichment
At Berkhamsted, we recognise that every student is unique, with their own individual strengths and interests.
We encourage every one of our students to pursue their talents and interests through the many enrichment opportunities on offer throughout their time with us.
For our more academically adventurous students, there are a number of avenues through which to fulfil their potential.
Our Berkhamsted Sixth Enrichment Programme is followed by students in Year 12 and Year 13 and ensures a broad, comprehensive Sixth Form education.
The student guide to ‘what’s on’ at Berkhamsted is available through the students’ Online Personal Potfolio, an app which has been specially designed to assist students in documenting, reviewing and reflecting upon all of the activities participated in, outside of the classroom. The app will enable students to monitor their progress within the Berkhamsted Award and Diploma, a programme which rewards students for their co-curricular involvement, captures evidence to support university and workplace applications, and develops students’ character through the five components of Academic Stretch, Charity, Community, Cultural and Physical.
Various components create our Enrichment Programme including:
A weekly tutorial in Tutor groups enables students to discuss topics related to current affairs and various other issues. Students are encouraged to deliver their own presentations in these sessions. Tutor groups also spend time working on metacognition to enable students to learn to study more effectively; time is dedicated to goal setting, planning, and reflecting on progress and study habits.
All Sixth Formers attend a programme of lectures provided by visiting speakers. These talks aim to broaden the students’ education, develop their critical-thinking skills and empower them to make sensible and healthy choices in life. The programme seeks to encourage all students to develop a better understanding of developments in the world and thus equip them, on leaving school, to be interesting characters because they are interested in world events and have their own views and opinions.
This is a Sixth Form society available to students interested in intellectual discussion and academic debate. Weekly meetings are usually based around an initial talk given by a student on a topic of their choice. Meetings take place over a shared lunch and recent papers have included subjects as diverse as oceanography, the history of surgery, Thatcherite economic policy, internet security and the Wars of the Roses.
All Sixth Formers have opportunities to involve themselves in the extraordinary range of extra-curricular activities available in the school and often take a leading role in their operation. The many options include: CCF (Army, Navy and Air Force sections are all available), the Young Enterprise Scheme (and Business of the Year competition), the Duke of Edinburgh Award (silver and gold), Musical Choirs and Orchestras, various drama productions (including a biennial play at the Edinburgh Fringe), a range of sporting opportunities, the Student Consultancy (a management consultancy programme), the Debating Society and the Berkhamsted Union, the student-run INK magazine, the Politics Cross Bencher Club, Blog and Podcast. It is hoped that all Sixth Formers will take the initiative and make full use of the opportunities on offer and thus broaden their horizons. The school also makes available a Bursary fund for students to participate in extra-curricular enrichment activities.
The Berkhamsted Sports programme is built on the principles of participation, enjoyment and performance and all of our pupils are encouraged to lead an active lifestyle, strive to make improvements and take pride in representing the school. We also like to foster a spirit of competition and enjoy winning, but at the same time realise that it is important to be able to lose graciously. Games afternoons on Tuesdays and Thursdays are compulsory for all students. There are approximately 30 games options on offer through the course of the year including those one would expect, such as Rugby, Football, Cricket, Lacrosse and Netball as well as others such as yoga, rowing, cycling and dance. Students are also encouraged to get involved in team sports and fixtures are held against other schools in a number of sports and at a number of levels. There are additional sports practices for some students before and/or after school on certain days of the week. There are two gyms and the school employs strength and conditioning coaches to guide students in their conditioning and to help with injury prevention and rehabilitation.
Many students commit to some form of community service once a week, be it helping out in a local primary school, working in a charity shop or visiting local hospices/residential homes. Students find this a very rewarding and enjoyable part of their time in the Sixth Form. We are enormously proud of this aspect of the Sixth Form, not only because it enables students to enjoy the sense of fulfilment that comes from serving others, but also because of the skills students develop beyond the school gates. We believe that helping others enhances the students’ own wellbeing and self-esteem as we aim to prepare them to enter the wider world not just to do well, but also to do good.
The School takes a proactive approach towards helping students to develop leadership and teamwork skills. We believe that no young person should be labelled either as having an obligation to lead, nor as having no/low ability to lead. We believe that the requirements of leadership will draw on a range of skills and abilities which may be practised and reflected upon during a time of rapid development and growth. We aim to provide a wide variety of opportunities to practise and to gain experience in leading others and, of course, being led within a team. Some of the opportunities include:
Leadership roles in sport, music, drama, outdoor education, CCF – our leaders in these areas receive leadership training in shaping the school’s culture and understanding the impact that their behaviours as role models can have on younger students. The leaders give up their time to coach younger students in a mutually beneficial relationship. They learn not only about the importance of leadership within their specific area of interest, but also about their influence as role models and the impact of their informal interactions around the School.
Allies and Advocates Leadership Scheme – this scheme was set up further to student voice after the Everyone’s Invited movement and provides an opportunity for Sixth Form boys and girls to work alongside each other to promote positive, respectful relationships in lower year groups. After safeguarding training and guidance on how to run group discussions, the leaders work with various tutor groups to help students learn about the importance of equality and mutual respect in relationships.
The Student Consultancy – students gain first-hand management consultancy experience by working with local charities to give them advice on how to overcome problems they may be facing in the real world. Students work in small teams, research the stated problem, and come up with a range of solutions before writing a report and delivering a presentation to the charity. The scheme is backed by Oxford University’s Careers Department and provides the students with excellent experience to add to a curriculum vitae.
The Young Enterprise Company Programme – students work in teams to set up and run a small business with roles such as Managing Director, Finance Director, Operations Director, Marketing Director, and Sales Director. The scheme runs across the country and offers the students not only the chance to develop entrepreneurial skills, but also to compete with companies in other schools.
The Wellbeing Ambassadors Scheme – Students receive training in how to run wellbeing sessions for pupils in Year 7. As the Sixth Formers teach younger pupils about how to be responsible for their own wellbeing, they often internalise what they are teaching and see their own wellbeing benefit.
Mentoring Younger Students – We believe that our students can be a great source of advice, support and challenge for younger students in Year 7–11 and that they can develop their coaching skills by mentoring younger pupils. This can take the form of one-to-one support or of becoming a teaching assistant during an independent study period.
The Learning Leaders – After an assessment day which is modelled on a graduate scheme selection day, these leaders receive specialist training on metacognition, the science of learning, and on the skills and strengths that employers are seeking. They visit city firms to gain a greater insight into the professional world and are expected to share their learning with other pupils by delivering assemblies on themes such as effective revision and skills for the future workplace.
The Academic Ambassadors – These students promote the value of intellectual curiosity beyond the curriculum and set up initiatives to encourage wider research and reading beyond the curriculum. The scheme led to the students taking the initiative and organising an Academic Gala evening with visiting speakers to celebrate intellectual curiosity and academic endeavour.
Prefects and positions on the Prefect Committees – We challenge our Prefects to leave a positive legacy and to work to make the school an even better place for younger pupils; in turn we expect them not only to represent younger pupils’ views but also to challenge the staff to make improvements. We want the students to work on the areas about which they are most passionate so that they are likely to have the biggest positive impact possible. The Prefects can invite other students to join their committees so that more students are engaged in the positive developments. Each Prefect also has an appraisal to help them learn more about their leadership strengths and areas for development.
The School Council – A representative from each House sits on the school council to give feedback to the School and to provide another forum for student voice. This has led to many positive developments, including the removal of plastic cups in the student café and students gaining the right to leave school early on certain days if their attitude-to-learning grades are very good.
Extended Project Qualification
The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) provides our students at Berkhamsted Sixth the opportunity to follow one of three routes towards completing a dissertation or investigation of their own choice.
EPQ students can choose between:
- Humanities – a topic from anything historical, literary, theological, political or sociological
- Economics – a topic from the world of business, finance or global economics
- Scientific/philosophical – a topic from any of the sciences, medicine, engineering, philosophy or mathematic
Students study a taught course in Year 12, after which they are introduced to their supervisors. From this point they work independently with guidance, to complete a review of relevant literature or other resources on their topic.
The EPQ at Berkhamsted is led by our Head of Data and Research and a team of supervisors – many of whom have higher degrees and/or publications, ensuring they are highly experienced in research methodology.
Our library staff run courses in the use of JStor, EasyBib, EBSCO, Google Scholar and other research providers which are fundamental to the completion of the EPQ.
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Why Berkhamsted?
Clearly an academically driven department […] the students get the support and encouragement to find and follow their own path whatever that may be – from setting up their own business or doing an apprenticeship.
