Academic Enhancement and Aspiration
Academic Enhancement and Aspiration (AE&A)
Across all Laurus Trust schools we want all our students to develop enquiring minds, academic confidence and a love of learning. Students are very well supported in the classroom but we also want students to go beyond this, at every stage in their education, securing an academic spirit. We also want our students to be aspirational, to look to the best universities and greatest opportunities, and we believe that our Academic Enhancement and Aspiration programme will allow them to get there.
The following provides a flavour of some of the projects and programmes we offer:
Apertura (Year 10-12)
Apertura is the Laurus Trust’s flagship programme for academic enhancement.
Apertura takes its name from Latin, meaning “opportunities about to open”, and is designed to expose high achieving students to academic dialogue and independent research in preparation for applications to competitive universities.
Apertura students meet every two weeks with their supervisors. They will also have the opportunity to attend lectures given by guest speakers and attend voice workshops.
Apertura students will also engage in a research project in an area of personal interest and, supported by their supervisor, will present their research findings at the end of the year. Further opportunities are offered through the Apertura summer school at the end of Year 11, and trips and visits to museums, art galleries, places of historical/scientific interest and the great outdoors as well.
Thinking Matters & Thinking Works (Year 8-9)
Thinking Matters and Thinking Works are super curricular programmes that run in the summer term.
Both develop our students’ ability to think critically, develop arguments and discuss ideas verbally. Over the course of several sessions, students will consider answers to big philosophical questions.
University Experience (Year 7-13)
From Year 7 all the way through to Year 13, students are given opportunities to engage with university academics and research, visit and experience different types of universities both in the UK and overseas.
Our links with the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Manchester, Sheffield and Newcastle, among others, enable us to inform and educate all our students about the opportunities and possibilities that are open to them when they go on to their Life After Laurus.
Super Curricular Activities (Year 7-13)
Super-curricular activities are those that take the subjects you study further, beyond the teaching in class and the work you do for PP&R.
In our Sixth Forms, super curricular activities form the backbone of applications to university and degree apprenticeships.
We support our students to be independent learners, and at all key stages, departments guide students to books, videos, games, articles and podcasts that will allow them to build on and enhance their learning in the classroom.