A number of pupils have recently taken part in The Brilliant Club. This programme gives students the opportunity to take part in lectures run by real university lecturers on topics outside of the normal school curriculum. The topic studied this time was “What Makes a Good Prime Minister?”
It was an interesting series of lectures where students explored the policies and leadership styles of figures such as Winston Churchill, Clement Attlee and Margaret Thatcher, to name just a few.
Students found Margaret Thatcher’s time in power to be particularly divisive, and learned about her relationship with trade unions, as well as some of the controversial decisions made during her time as Secretary of State for Education, including the removal of free school milk for children over the age of seven.
Students were expected to complete independent research outside of lessons, helping them to develop a wide range of valuable skills such as independent study, referencing, understanding bias, time management and critical thinking.
As part of the programme, students were required to complete a 1,500-word essay exploring what makes a great Prime Minister. This was especially challenging, as we later learned that many first-year university essays also have a maximum word count of 1,500 words.
Students then submitted their essays, which were marked by their university lecturer. After successfully passing the course, students visited the University of Bristol, where they took part in a campus tour and graduation ceremony to celebrate their achievements.
The programme was a fantastic opportunity for pupils to experience university-style learning, challenge themselves academically and gain a valuable insight into higher education. We are incredibly proud of all students who took part and represented the school so positively throughout the programme.
