Introducing the Wycliffe Discovery Programme

During the Prep years in particular, pupils are primed to learn and adapt, and they respond particularly well to first-hand experiences.

Therefore, after a period of careful review, our Saturday School programme has been re-launched as the Wycliffe Discovery Programme. This newly created programme has been designed to build skills of communication, problem solving, collaboration and leadership, through a series of carefully structured units across the year.

So far this term, Year 8 pupils have completed a three-week Kintsugi Art and Philosophy unit. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with a gold-dusted lacquer, centred around a philosophy that celebrates imperfections. They have also learnt about the principles of flight, with Mrs Cleere arranging for a fully operational glider to be brought onto campus, and have worked alongside MOD engineers who shared their experiences in the field of aviation.

Meanwhile, Mrs Patten led our Year 7 pupils in a simulation of the UN General Assembly – the Model United Nations – where young people work as representatives of a country, debating and solving global problems while learning about diplomacy and international relations.

Year 6 were set an entrepreneurship challenge to ‘make £5 grow’. Each ‘start-up’ was tasked with the goal of making £5 grow to benefit our School charity, learning skills of marketing and budgeting along the way. This five-week series teaches pupils the value of a growth-mindset, where they must learn from failure and develop grit and resilience to achieve their goal.