Academic Enrichment
Going beyond the curriculum
Expanding our pupils’ learning beyond the confines of the classroom and the curriculum affords them the opportunity for a greater depth of understanding, allowing pupils to nurture their curiosity and grow in academic independence across their subjects.
Trips and Excursions
Whilst our extensive parkland and woodland areas allows our learning environment to expand beyond the classroom – something that is particularly encouraged in the Prep School – there are invaluable benefits to making trips and visits, helping to bring subjects to life.
From visits to wildlife parks through to touring sewage treatment plants to better understand environmental impact, via museums and art galleries, Prep School learning is enriched and furthered by the varied tapestry of academic trips.
Pupils in the Senior School similarly benefit from the rich vein of academic and cultural opportunities on our doorstep, thanks to the ready access to centres such as Oxford, Cardiff, Birmingham, Bristol, and London. The Oxford Science Parks provide connections to Harwell, whilst other centres for innovation, such as the Mercedes F1 team, stretch pupils’ thinking and understanding for both their current and future studies.
Guest speakers and events
Trips and excursions are complemented by an extensive range and number of speakers and academic events available to pupils in School. Often organised on a subject or year group specifc basis, topics are intellectually fulfilling and varied.
The Aztec and ancient South American world is brought to life for Year 6 pupils each year by the Mexicolore workshop. Year 2 enjoy a collaborative, engineering-based challenge through the Lego workshop with our Corinthian Partnership Schools, seeking to build the ultimate Lego city.
Authors and visiting artists inspire creativity, from children’s author Jon Lander talking to the Prep School, to poet Dr Christina Thatcher who spoke with Fourth Forrm and conducted a poetry workshop with Sixth Form English Literature students. Whilst the historian and columnist, Dominic Sandbrook, spoke to Senior School pupils about the world of the Vikings earlier this year.
The scope of the speakers and events on offer at Cokethorpe is equalled only by the pupils’ enthusiasm for them.
The Enlightenment Lectures
Enlightenment Lectures are a regular series of lectures delivered by an impressive range of guest speakers to our Sixth Form students.
They are contemporary, thought provoking and engaging, and encourage students to think about the world they are about to enter as adults and the contribution they will make to it.
Unlike General Studies courses elsewhere, it is not taught in a traditional classroom situation, but rather delivered first-hand by those who have achieved significantly in their own lives or have an area of expertise that can be meaningfully shared.
The Lectures themselves can take many forms from formal lectures to a more informal Q&A, but what is consistent is that every Lecture in each year’s series will be thought-provoking and selected to inspire curisoity and expect and accept a challenge to their own thoughts and pre-conceptions.
The first Enlightenment Lecture of this academic year welcomed Dr Chris Fuller from the University of Southampton. Dr Fuller spoke on ‘The rise of social media, the birth of surveillance capitalism, and the theft of our future tense’, higlighting how the use of vast databases and predictive technologies allows Tech companies such as Google, Amazon, Spotify, and Facebook to manipulate and direct our futures.
You can read an interview with the Enlightenment Lectures Coordinator, Mr Elkin-Jones, using the link below.
Lower Sixth Electives
The Lower Sixth Electives programme has acaademic enrichment at its core: its goal is to promote learning for learning’s sake. Teachers are offering ten Electives on topics they have a particular passion for and sharing that interest with our Lower Sixth, who select one Elective per term for their Lower Sixth year. Topics vary from understanding conflict through geography to the technological advances in music.
Cognitive AOBs
One of our five categories of AOBs offered in the Senior School, the AOBs in the Cognitive category give pupils access to options that enhance their learning experience. Some provide a point of access to an alternative academic subject, such as Mandarin or Ancient Greek, others give a means of focusing on skills that will benefit pupils in their studies at university or careers, such as Dissection Club for those interested in studying Veterinary Medicine, or Public Speaking, Student Investor Club or the pupil newspaper Below the Line.
Where next?
Admissions Process
Check the processes and requirements for your child’s entry to Cokethorpe, which varies depending on the year group your child will join, through our Admissions Process calculator.
Welcome from the Headmaster
Mr Ettinger, our Headmaster, often describes Cokethorpe as a restless school, and one that provides a liberal education with exceptional breadth and an individual focus. Discover why.
Upcoming Events
Find out about and book for the upcoming events at the School, from Open Mornings to concerts and drama productions across the Prep and Senior Schools.
Book your tour today
Come and visit Cokethorpe, whether for an Open Morning or a personal Tour, and Discover Your Cokethorpe.
