Is nuclear fusion commercially viable? Did Attlee succeed in providing economic stability? Is reconstructive surgery or stem cell therapy more effective for treating an ACL injury? As July reached its peak, our current Year 13s were to be found in venues throughout the school, adeptly discussing and dissecting these, and other, diverse areas of scholarly debate with subject experts. This was the culmination of the Templeton Scholarship Project—an initiative aiming to foster a love of academic scholarship in our sixth formers.

From designing lines of inquiry, to learning how to read high level academic sources effectively, the students had the opportunity to hone many of the academic skills that they will need in their university career and they relished it—many students produced work of undergraduate standard. Crucially, the project enabled the students to further their passion for the subject they are going on to study, and offered them an opportunity to discuss this with experts who are equally fascinated by the topic.

Supervising staff were very impressed by both the quality and fantastic array of the projects from all the students. Earlier this week, we were thrilled to announce the eleven subject winners and our overall best project prize, which went to Nelson. We are really excited about seeing what our Year Twelve students produce later this year.

We asked Nelson a few questions about his experience of the Templeton Scholarship Project:

What did you enjoy most about the project?
I enjoyed the intellectual challenge of delving deep into mathematics, a subject that can leave me with great satisfaction and joy, but can also be a potential source of anguish when I don't quite get it right.

What has the experience of completing the project taught you?
Throughout this project, I have learned to be able to put my ideas into a clean format, by learning LaTeX, which is a document creation software. I also developed a more profound understanding into a more niche area of maths. Additionally, it gave me a sense of accomplishment and boosted my confidence in tackling more complex projects.

What would be your advice for the Year 12s?
Honestly, I don’t give the best advice, but I’ll just say that you obviously need to pick a subject you’re passionate about—and I don’t mean the overall subject (like maths), but a specific part that you wouldn’t mind spending time on—both writing and researching. When you're passionate, the work doesn't feel like a chore and you will enjoy it!