This webinar will consider practical ideas for academic enrichment activities that develop key skills and prepare students for higher education.

Hosted by SecEd in partnership with our friends at The Brilliant Club, our expert panel will identify the skills that are most important for further and higher education and the modern workplace before discussing how enrichment activities and learning beyond the curriculum can teach and enhance these skills.

We will consider skills including critical-thinking, independent learning, self-efficacy, oracy, and other so-called “soft skills” that are vital to student progression and outcomes. The webinar will consider how enrichment activities can target disadvantaged students, including Pupil Premium, and open opportunities.

We will draw on the experience and lessons learned from The Brilliant Club’s work with schools (the education charity works with almost 900 schools and 20,000 students a year).

The webinar will also consider the forthcoming curriculum reforms. The Department for Education, in its response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, has confirmed it will be working “on the development of a new set of benchmarks, to set out the steps every school and college can take to provide every child with access to a strategically planned and ambitious enrichment offer”. Ofsted will also be taking account of these benchmarks once they have been developed.

As such, we will discuss what we might expect from these benchmarks, the tenets of an effective enrichment programme, and what schools need to consider to ensure their offer to students is broad, balanced and ultimately effective.

ABOUT SECED
Launched in 2003, SecEd has developed a loyal readership in the 23 years it has been publishing. Whether it be articles, podcasts, webinars, or face-to-face events, we deliver best practice, practical, advice-driven, research-led and case study content aimed at the amazing school leaders, teaching and support staff working in secondary education.

SecEd offers an open access website, weekly ebulletins, an award-winning & in-depth podcast, half-termly webinars, and regular best practice events. SecEd prides itself on being a positive and constructive voice for teachers and school leaders working in secondary education across the UK.

ABOUT OUR PARTNER, THE BRILLIANT CLUB
The Brilliant Club supports young people to access and thrive at leading universities by working with schools, parents and the broader education sector.

Through its flagship Scholars Programme, young people get prepared for university by working with a PhD researcher to explore cutting edge research, build key skills and boost attainment.

Year 10 Scholars Programme graduates achieved a strong pass at GCSE maths and English at a 63% higher rate than students within their schools who had similar attainment at key stage 2. Year 12 scholars progressed to a leading university at a 34% higher rate than students from similar backgrounds. Visit https://thebrilliantclub.org/

THE LINE-UP
The webinar will be hosted by Pete Henshaw, the editor of SecEd. Our panel of experts will include:

Sara-Jayne Martin is national lead for professional learning at Oasis Community Learning where she works to embed evidence-informed approaches to teacher and leadership development across the trust. She has held school leadership roles across a wide range of contexts and settings and believes that education is one of the most powerful levers for changing pupils' lives. 

Nosheen Alam is a Brilliant Club ambassador. She took part in the Scholars Programme in 2022 when she was in year 12. Nosheen has just completed her final year at SOAS University of London studying history, and will be starting teacher training with Teach First in September as a history teacher. 

Karen Hand has served as headteacher of Stopsley High School for the past five years, following more than a decade as a senior Leader at the Compton School where she led significant improvements in standards, teaching and learning, and student outcomes. Throughout her career, Karen has driven complex school improvement across areas including behaviour, attendance, curriculum quality, safeguarding, assessment, and leadership accountability in challenging contexts. She is committed to improving outcomes for disadvantaged students and has worked with The Brilliant Club for more than 10 years to widen access and opportunity.

Sabrina Luisi is chief engagement officer at the Brilliant Club. Sabrina grew up in a household where no-one could read or write and saw from a very early age the power of education and its transformative effect on individuals and society. She was the first in her family to go to university and benefitted significantly from the support of excellent teachers and school support staff throughout her education.


THIS WEBINAR WILL ANSWER KEY QUESTIONS

Key skills & effective academic enrichment:
· Which skills matter most for progression to higher study and employment?
· How can enrichment activities explicitly develop skills such as critical thinking, oracy/communication, independent learning, self-efficacy?
· What are the essential features of high-quality enrichment that genuinely develops skills?
· What common pitfalls should schools avoid when establishing new enrichment programmes?

Engaging students & raising aspiration:
· What approaches work best for securing student buy-in to academic enrichment?
· Why is targeted enrichment particularly important for disadvantaged students and those eligible for Pupil Premium?
· June 11 is Social Mobility Day: How can schools design enrichment that raises aspirations and opens doors?

The Brilliant Club:
· What lessons can we learn from the work of The Brilliant Club in terms of teaching key skills, raising aspirations, and supporting disadvantaged students?
· What advice can we offer for ensuring enrichment has an impact on students’ confidence, motivation, academic outcomes?

Enrichment benchmarks:
· How should school leaders interpret the DfE’s intention to introduce new enrichment benchmarks within the new curriculum?
· What does “strategically planned enrichment” look like in practice?
· How might schools begin preparing now, despite the benchmarks still being in development?

Question & answer:
· We will leave time for audience questions at the end of the webinar.