Academic Studies 

 

 

I think that, at this point, most students at Prior Park could tell you our College values of Curiosity, Generosity and Courage; values which have permeated so much of the wonderful work happening here at school over the last year. In the academic sphere, though, I would venture to add one more laudable trait for this year – commitment. Commitment lies at the heart of academic success; it is the driving force behind achievement. Achievement, of course, is the end goal, the ‘showpiece’, but it’s the long-term, consistent commitment behind it that often impresses me more – Robert Collier’s “sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out” – and is what has most astonished me this year in our young people.

Our Visual Arts, for instance – Photography, Fine Art & Textiles – together produced a particularly resplendent gallery of work this year, most of which could be viewed at our wonderful Leavers’ Day in July. In one of our most visually spectacular ‘A-star’ grades from this year’s considerable clutch at A Level, Evie Rayner-Bent man produced as her final piece a transcendent display of the weaver’s craft – an expansive woven circle, instantly and visually enthralling in its symmetry and pattern. (It was also chosen as this magazine’s front cover). Charlie Nicholas, equally, created an unnerving (in a good way) photographic installation one could literally ‘install’ one’s head into, so feeling as if in a different space. They were both stunning achievements. What was still more impressive, though, was the commitment behind them. 

Evie spent long months of dedicated research into cell photography – the initial inspiration – and gradual perfection of the eighteen odd different stitches that were eventually used in the final article. Charlie’s work, similarly, rose gradually from a lengthy written ‘Investigation into Photographic Representations of State of Mind’. 

Their final achievements were both supported by exceptional commitment. Such commitment also showed in spades at the other end of the Prior Park campus in our Science Faculty, where our L6 Biologists this year partnered with the University of Bath, Department of Life Sciences, to undertake scientific research, based in the teaching laboratories both at Prior Park and the University. The students exposed a special type of yeast to increasing concentrations of acid, aiming to find the ‘Goldilocks’ level of achievable tolerance to promote growth. Seeing students’ experimental decision making and independence develop week-by-week was a real highlight for our Head of Biology, Grant Price. For me, equally impressive was their commitment to six weeks of consistent, to six weeks of consistent, determined work for the hoped for eventual achievement. As is often the case in ‘real’ scientific work, this was fairly remote from the daily grind of culturing, plating and analysing.

Commitment also led to exceptional performance in academic competitions this year. The Physics and Chemistry Olympiads, both prestigious national competitions among the ‘best and brightest’ Sixth Formers studying those subjects in the UK, saw nearly half their cohorts come away with prize awards at various levels – a notable feat. Nathaniel Ngai was awarded the coveted ‘Best in School’ in the Senior Maths Challenge, which saw a remarkable 28 students this year pick up prize awards at Gold, Silver or Bronze. And the next generation are looking very strong, too, with 36 prize awards in the Intermediate Maths Challenge – the equivalent competition for U5 students – including an astonishing nine at the highest ‘Gold’ level. Isaac Kuan took the honour of ‘Best in School’ at that level.

The year also saw exceptional participation in other academic activities, too – the Philosothon, the Model UN, and near-re cord participation on the EPQ, with 25 students completing that high-lev el independent research qualification over the course of the year. As always, EPQ topics were broad, ranging from ‘Is solar energy a sustainable option for UK homes and infrastructures?’ to ‘What were the most significant factors that influenced Elvis' success between 1954 and 1973?’ All of these spectacular achievements were underpinned by long-term commitment.

 

One of the biggest pieces of commitment we ask of our students is that required to prepare for their GCSE and A Level exams; consistent hard work over thousands of lessons leading to that eventual achievement. And, as we would expect, our students did themselves proud this year.

Evie’s ‘spectacular A-star’ grade, mentioned earlier, was indeed one of a considerable number at A Level, with around 40% of all grades at Prior awarded at the highest possible A or A* levels – a remarkable achievement for the students, doing justice to their remarkable commitment over the last two years.

At GCSE, too, our students’ commitment was rewarded, with more than half of all grades at the top 9-7 levels, and more than a third of students achieving a whole grade or more above their predicted ability across all subjects – an outstanding achievement.

Reflecting on the year, then, from the arts to scientific exploration to the intellectual challenges of the Olympiads and of course GCSE and A Level, sustained effort and dedication is the common thread that has woven these individual accomplishments together. As we now start another year, it is this commitment that continues to drive our students to new heights, bringing that curiosity, generosity, and courage to life in all they do. This year’s tremendous results, while impressive, are merely the by-product of the deep, enduring commitment that underpins our students' academic journeys at Prior.

Mr Chis Gamble, Deputy Head (Academic).