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At the Third Form Academic Scholars’ Presentation Evening, pupils had the chance to show what happens when young people are given the space to explore big ideas across a wide range of disciplines.
Last night students, staff and parents gathered for the culmination of the Third Form Academic Scholarship Programme. Throughout the year, pupils have attended weekly sessions designed to spark curiosity and introduce them to new ways of thinking, from linguistic puzzles, philosophy and psychology to debating, music and ecology. From there, each scholar chose a question of their own, reflected on it independently, and pursued it in greater depth through the creation of a research poster. The posters were the visible outcome, but the real energy of the evening came when pupils explained their thinking to peers, staff and parents, responding to challenging questions with confidence and maturity.
The range of topics was striking. Pupils explored questions connected to public health, economic growth, human behaviour, ethics, sport, mental health and contemporary culture. Different questions, different disciplines, but the same instinct: curiosity.
The runners-up were Violet and Annabel. Violet considered whether governments should have the right to enforce mandatory vaccination during public health emergencies, drawing on detailed historical research to explore the tension between collective responsibility and individual liberty. Annabel examined whether the bombing of Hiroshima was ethically justified, handling a complex moral question with sensitivity and reaching an unexpected conclusion that challenged the audience and made people think.
The Matt Oakman Prize for Academic Extension was awarded to Muli for her presentation on the causes of recent book banning in the United States. Her research stood out for its depth, sophistication and command of a highly contested contemporary issue. She went beyond a surface-level discussion of censorship, examining the role of culture wars, education policy, race, identity and debates surrounding critical race theory. Her use of compelling data gave real weight to her argument, while the eloquence with which she explained a complex and sensitive topic was outstanding.
The evening was a wonderful celebration of our Academic Scholars: curious, thoughtful and ambitious pupils who embraced the chance to encounter new ideas, ask their own questions, and pursue them with real independence and imagination.
