In June, students from Year 9 and 10 who have taken part in The Scholars Programme this year were invited to London for their graduation ceremony.

Prior to this, they had been involved in a programme over a number of weeks where they were working with current doctoral students from different universities, researching and exploring areas of subjects beyond the normal curriculum. Year 10 students focused on genetically modified crops and their implications, while Year 9 students examined the impact of maternal obesity on the unborn child. Each student wrote and submitted a 2000 word essay to complete the programme, and the essay was then marked at the level above the students' age, so Year 10s were marked using A level criteria, and Year 9s were marked with GCSE criteria. The whole programme aims to give students an understanding of the nature of student life and academic study at university, as well as skills such as essay writing and referencing. 

Our graduation ceremony took place at SOAS, the School of Oriental and African Studies, which is part of the University of London, and is an internationally renowned institution currently celebrating its centenary. Students had the opportunity to reflect on their learning, to tour the campus, meet student ambassadors and find out about university life in general, as well as the graduation itself. The library, which is a national research centre and holds over 1.5 million books, was truly impressive, and it was interesting to meet students and hear about the different courses and their career paths, and the varied ways they had come into higher education. Congratulations to all students involved in the programme - there is no doubt that hard work and effort were needed to succeed with this, and you can be very proud of yourselves.