BACA Scholars Year 10 Trip to Royal Holloway University - Jan 2020

Year 10 Trip to Royal Holloway University

On a cold January morning, twelve Year 10 students embarked on a trip to Royal Holloway University in Egham, West London for the launch of the Brilliant Club Scholars Programme, which the students are taking part in this term.

The BACA Scholars joined pupils from schools across the south to learn more about what the Brilliant
Club programme entails. They enjoyed the experience of sitting in a lecture theatre and learnt about techniques for note-taking, condensing and summarising lengthy research texts. They enjoyed an informative session about ‘university life’ and were able to interview real students about their time in higher education. Royal Holloway students candidly spoke about what they loved about university life (‘being across the hall from your friends!’) and what can be more challenging (prioritising different modules and studying). The session also provided a range of insightful tips and guidance about universities and about how to choose the right course of study for you.

The highlight of the trip was the campus tour. Students were particularly impressed by the university’s chapel, which dates back to the 19th Century. The chapel holds services for all faiths as well as other activities, such as choirs and even yoga! Visiting the Davison library was another high point. The students commented on the sheer volume of books on display and took note of how the library was named after the suffragette, Emily Davison, who had studied there.

The students who attended the trip are participating in the Scholars Programme this term, run by the nationally recognised educational charity, Brilliant Club. They will be taught and mentored by a PhD tutor from the University of Sussex, who is a world expert in their field, on a weekly basis and will complete a university-style assignment on this topic. The aim of the whole programme is to increase aspirations and confidence for our BACA scholars. By the end of the project, we hope they will have been inspired to say ‘I know where I want to go!’ and the knowledge to say ‘I know how to get there!’

Author: Miss. Howfield (Teacher of English)