We were delighted to see Lilly P, Katie W, and Scarlett D (10K) represent the school so impressively at this year’s SWAT Challenge Cup, a competition between grammar schools across the South West of England.  This year, teams were asked to present on the theme:

Lilly, Katie and Scarlett gave a thoughtful, confident, and ambitious presentation, exploring how schools might develop over the next 10 and 20 years.  Their vision included environmentally conscious buildings, stronger financial education, study spaces designed for independent learning, improved media literacy and importantly, a continued focus on genuine human connection between teachers and students, cautioning against the allure of AI alternatives.

 

The students faced questions from other schools and from an expert judging panel.  This year’s panel included Sandhya Dave, Anti-Racism Consultant and Cultural Champions Coordinator at Devon Development Education; Fiona Collier, Governance Consultancy Team Lead at Devon Education Services; and Amy Bickford, who oversees the SEND Participation Team for Devon County Council.  Their areas of expertise brought together equality, diversity and inclusion, school governance, pupil voice and co-production.

 

Having won the competition last year, we were thrilled that the team again made the podium for a second year in a row.  The judges were highly complimentary about the quality of the students’ presentation, praising the professionalism, confidence and articulacy shown by such young public speakers.

 

We also warmly congratulate our fellow grammar schools on the quality of their presentations and the insight they brought to this important question about the future of education.

 

The event is part of the wider work of the South West Academic Trust (SWAT), a collaborative alliance of grammar schools from Plymouth to Bournemouth.  SWAT provides valuable opportunities for students and staff across the South West to share ideas, celebrate excellence and learn from one another.

 

Finally, our sincere thanks go to our colleague, Miss Lizzie Sturdy, from Parkstone Grammar School, who has organised the competition over the last seven years and helped to create such a valuable opportunity for students across the region.

 

Article provided by: 

Mr Britz-Colwill, Assistant Headteacher