Students’ extra research helps boost their university choices
EUROPEAN Union diplomacy, a symphony with four minutes of silence and a study of male and female criminals were among areas King’s School students researched as part of their Extended Studies.
All sixth form students have to work beyond the curriculum to develop skills normal classroom education does not cover.
The Extended Studies programme is a stand alone qualification which forms part of the AQA Baccalaureate, with the student spending 120 hours working independently on a project of their choice.
Kira Noad, 17, from Macclesfield, studied why men were more likely to commit crime than women.
Kira, who wants to read psychology at university, said: “What I found is that it comes down to both nature and nurture.
“Men have more testosterone, which makes them act more aggressively but they are also trained from an early age to be the hunter gathers, while women are seen as carers.
“That is probably why women appear to be treated more leniently in court as well.”
Meanwhile, Brendan Jacot, 18, from Sutton chose to examine ‘The effectiveness of EU diplomacy in influencing global politics’, while musician Will Fox, 18, from Rainow, looked at John Cage’s 4 minutes 33 seconds, where the orchestra enters the room but doesn’t play a single note.
Zoe Richmond, 17, from Tytherington, asked whether German Nobel winning chemist Fritz Haber was a saint or a sinner.
Ben White, King’s Business and Economics teacher who runs the Extended Studies programme, praised the hard work of the students.
He said: “The Extended Project Qualification allows students to learn about working independently and gain the skills and knowledge that will help them greatly with university life and beyond.
“The project is completed at A2 standard and as such there is a significant level of detail involved in each project.
“This is especially helpful if the student is going on to study a related course at university.”
The students presented their findings at special evening in front of teachers and family.