Students extend their knowledge

More than 30 students are rising to the challenge of producing extended essays and presentations on a range of topics, from space travel engineering to design for dementia, protest music, the study of historic buttons and the effects of globalisation on architecture.

One student is organising a charity paint run event in Ripon on Sunday March 15 for her project.

The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is often compared to an end-of-year undergraduate paper, allowing students to explore and develop a deeper understanding about something they are interested in which is not covered by the school curriculum.

They mastermind their own course, choosing their own research question to explore in a 5,000-word essay, scientific study, performance event or product which they present to examiners.

Araminta Praud, 18, from Boroughbridge, is organising a charity paint race event to raise money for The Prince’s Trust.

She explained: “I wanted to be able to help others and give back to the community and The Prince’s Trust supports young people who haven’t had the same opportunities I’ve had.

“I decided on a Ripon Colour Dash paint race as it is a fun sport and encourages families to enjoy time together outdoors - rather than spending all day on screens.”

Araminta has set up Ripon Colour Dash Facebook and Instagram pages along with a website to promote her event and has secured a £1,000 contribution from a benevolent fund, as well as pursuing corporate sponsorship.

Abigail Burke, 18, from Ripon, who plans to study enineering, asked the question: “Can the UK be carbon zero by 2050?”

“This, combined with my interest and passion for protecting our planet from the effects of global warming, led me to the question.”

Toby Saynor, 17, from Boroughbridge, was driven by his love of design: “I was glad I could choose my own topic. Interior design is one of those things I am passionate about and I decided to combine this with my own personal experience with dementia. Finding links between the two was interesting.”

He also appreciated the chance to gain extra points for his university application: “I have acquired skills I can apply at university. My research skills have improved as well as learning how to footnote in an acceptable way. The presentation was also a great chance to practise public speaking.”

Imogen Hayden, 17, from Leyburn, curated an exhibition of historic buttons: “One of the main things I learnt was how objects can reflect social pattern and changes. Our social history has changed rapidly over the past three centuries, becoming more industrialised as we have experimented with new technologies and chemicals. As a society, we have also become more wasteful, using plastics and harmful chemicals, instead of natural materials, to meet our durability and product needs, which has a detrimental effect on our environment.”

Head of sixth form Terry Fell said: “As always, it is a real privilege to supervise students as they undertake EPQ studies on topics about which they are so passionate. This is such an outstanding opportunity for students to acquire and hone invaluable technical skills in project management, planning, research and presentation which they will take on to their university studies and into the careers that follow, and we know that universities and employers value this qualification very highly indeed.

“We particularly love the fact that the EPQ allows such a wide and diverse choice of topics that students can focus upon literally anything that interests them, encouraging intellectual curiosity, and allowing the individual to become an absolute expert in a specific facet of their chosen field.”