Sixth Form pupils at Badminton School have obtained outstanding results for their Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), with 16 out of 19 pupils achieving an A* or A.
Mrs Tear, Headmistress at Badminton, said: “We are proud of this achievement which flags the readiness of the students for the next step of their educational journey. We value these largely self-directed projects and students enjoy having the agency in their own learning to choose and direct their particular topic of interest. They really relish planning, researching and developing their idea into a finished product, be it a report, an event, or a piece of artwork. The qualification takes pupils well beyond the realms of their A-level courses, inspiring creativity and curiosity and providing them with the freedom and time to pursue an area of interest.”
The EPQ is valued by universities because it provides students with excellent preparation and experience for advanced study. The University of Oxford “recognises that the EPQ will provide an applicant with the opportunity to develop research and academic skills relevant for study at Oxford”. Similarly, University College London states that an EPQ “can provide useful preparation for undergraduate study in terms of undertaking research, writing up a project and making a presentation”.
Mr Dalley, Deputy Head (Academic) at Badminton School, commented: “The topics chosen by the girls ranged from the effect of dark matter on the universe and Hawaiian hotspots and their effect on marine life, to surrealist art and antibiotics. The wide variety of subjects chosen demonstrates the girls’ intellectual curiosity and we are thrilled that their desire to really get under the skin of what they are learning has resulted in such a fantastic set of results.”