Challenged to research and design their ‘dream university’, pupils in Years 7 and 8 took part in our academic extension day which saw pupils swap their usual timetabled lessons for the opportunity to build and develop key transferable skills.
With a strong focus on teamwork and collaboration, the girls worked in small House teams to respond to a brief set by teaching staff which aimed to extend their thinking beyond usual classroom learning.
This year’s brief generated an excellent reaction from our pupils who were excited by the opportunity to develop their dream university, considering everything from courses and curriculum to branding, marketing, finance, campus design and student experience. The added challenge of time management meant that the girls were encouraged to organise themselves effectively, ensuring everyone had a part to play.
Split into two halves, the morning was spent researching, planning and preparing before the girls had the chance to present their ideas to a panel of guest judges, both from Loughborough High School and from across the Foundation. During the pupils’ pitches, judges were keeping a close eye on the effectiveness of the girls’ collaboration, the overall university design and their presentation skills which all fed into the identification of the winning teams.
Part of a team whose university design focused on the co-curricular activities of sport, drama and dance, Year 7 pupils Eliza and Peggy said “it’s been nice to take a break from timetabled lessons and work on a bigger project task. We’ve been enjoying working together as a team and sharing ideas; one of our favourite parts has been the logo and branding task.”
Each team produced some fantastic work, including designing their own merchandise on t-shirts and hats, creating advertisements and videos, developing digital displays to support their presentations and designing leaflets and flyers.
The academic extension day also provided Year 7 and 8 pupils with the chance to think about their future pathways. Whilst designing their dream university, the girls were encouraged to research current UK and international university offerings and gain insight into the higher education space.
Overall, it was fantastic to see our pupils work together, develop great ideas and build confidence in their presenting skills.
