This week saw the launch of Floreat, the school’s brand-new academia enrichment programme aimed at providing academic extension opportunities for a selected group of boys in the Fifth Form and Lower Sixth Form.
The programme is designed to foster intellectual curiosity, critical thinking and a love for learning beyond the standard curriculum.
Aims and Objectives
The Floreat Programme is rooted in the classical ideal of education, which emphasises the development of both the mind and character. It has been designed to enhance and consolidate the many co-curricular activities on offer in school, bringing together a fellowship of pupils to encourage their natural curiosities to flourish.
Boys will be coached by subject specialists in key skills such as public speaking, academic writing and critical thinking, whilst navigating time pressures parallel to competitive university courses.
The launch comprised of an intensive two-day programme aimed at developing boys’ confidence, resilience and critical thinking skills in preparation for competitive applications beyond Bedford School.
It started with a keynote speech from Professor Jason Lotay, an Old Bedfordian (87-98) and Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University, followed by a ‘taster’ of the programme, which will commence in September 2024.
Lower Sixth Former Saif Ajaj said afterwards, “It was wonderful to meet with Professor Jason Lotay and gain insights into studying in the USA and mathematics at Oxford. Learning about his work in geometry and work on string theory was particularly fascinating. He was wonderful and answered pressing questions about admissions and personal statements.”
Day one also saw the boys enjoy sessions on ‘Competitive University Applications’ and speed reading, and they investigated some ‘big’ philosophical questions such as “Would you want to live forever?” and “Would it be better if we all spoke the same language?”.
On day two of the launch, boys were put into smaller groups to work on tasks to help their critical thinking and presentation skills. The Fifth Form spent some time at the end of the day working on their personal statements.
Lower Sixth Form pupil Matthew Au was both thrilled and honoured to be selected for the programme, saying, “It feels great to be recognised for my academic potential and I will definitely make good use of this opportunity to challenge myself and grow. I am most looking forward to talking and learning from experienced educators in my interested field, biochemistry. I would like to engage in in-depth conversations with them on how they feel about this field, hoping to gain ideas and even get inspired by them. I am also excited about the research projects and collaborative learning opportunities with fellow students who share a similar academic interest.”
Head of Academic Extension and Enrichment, Dr Shetal Arjan commented, “It has been a pleasure to launch Floreat and spend two days offering pupils opportunities to develop their public speaking, resilience, and critical thinking skills. During the Mock Vivas, pupils presented their research to an expert panel, where they were challenged and required to defend their ideas. Although they were initially nervous, they performed exceptionally well and received constructive feedback from the panel to further improve their skills.
The programme itself will start properly in the autumn term and will include partnerships with external mentors and other educational institutions, as well as the introduction of new courses and activities.
