Widening Participation: University of Sussex

Last week, the English department had the opportunity to provide a number of our Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 students with the fantastic experience of visiting the University of Sussex to acquire  a taste of university life!

Accompanied by Miss Garrett, Miss Younger and Miss Sweeney, a selection of Year 7 and 8 students were invited to participate in the much-anticipated inaugural Harry Potter Conference hosted by the university. From engaging in philosophical debates to analysing bugs and insects, to concocting their own magical potions, the experience was straight out of Hogwarts! The day also provided students with a vast amount of insight in regards to what university life is like. In participating in a wide variety of subject taster sessions, all students were given some new possibilities to consider when thinking about their further education pathways!

Earlier in the week, Year 10  students had been highly focused on enhancing their creative writing skills in a master class delivered by a university professor. Through their participation in a series of workshops, they were encouraged to broaden their horizons and think critically with respect to the topics they were writing about. They engaged readily, and quickly became experts with the new strategies they were given! By the end of the day, they were able to produce some highly impressive pieces of writing.

Our department looks forward to attending these conferences and providing future students with a similar experience again in the coming years!