RGS Masterclasses

Every Saturday morning in November c.120 Y6 pupils from c.35 different primary schools attend the RGS Masterclasses to engage in academic workshops in one of six strands:

- Mathematics

- Design Technology

- MFL (Mandarin, Japanese, Russian, German)

- Science

- Creative (Drama, Music, Art, Creative Writing)

- Humanities (Geography, History, Politics, RS)

The sessions are designed to be challenging and fun workshops to engender curiosity, explore topical issues and provide academic stretch to able pupils.

Aims

To provide extracurricular academic enrichment and stretch-and-challenge to G&T Y6 pupils (boys and girls) in the Guildford area.

(Primary Schools select pupils they believe will benefit from the opportunity or who are deserving of the recognition.)

To aid transition to secondary.

To boost confidence.

Background

The RGS Masterclasses have now been running for over ten years.

The original programme was introduced by the current Headmaster Dr Jon Cox soon after his arrival.

Resources

A dedicated administrator who oversees the project administration and delivery as part of their job.

School classrooms, labs, studios etc.

Teaching staff volunteer planning and delivery time. Over 30 staff are involved each year to deliver the 24 sessions.

Sixth Form pupils are recruited to assist with logistics and also delivery of the sessions.

Sessions run from 10am-12pm on Saturday mornings. Approximately 100h of staff time are dedicated to the Programme

Impact

Pupil and parent questionnaires are used to gather feedback on the programme.

in 2019 100% of pupils said they would recommend the Masterclasses to other pupils.

Each year we receive feedback such as:

"It has been a wonderful opportunity to see how education can be taught it is a breath of fresh air. He has the opportunity to be with like-minded people and see how great an experience it can be. The topics covered have been thought provoking and educational but with a real world practice that is priceless and sadly lacking in most of today's education."

"He doesn't always see being 'clever' or good at school as positive. Sometimes he feels a little embarrassed if he stands out. This has helped him to feel better about himself."

"He hadn't realised he was very good at science - being chosen to attend (when he knew in total this was only in the school) - made him recognise this and feel proud."

"He has been stretched academically, and enjoyed it a lot - which is often not the case at primary school."

"He feels more confident when in an unknown or unfamiliar environment."

"Congratulations to RGS on conducting such events for primary students who would be starting secondary school soon. It has helped her to be in a big school and utilise the various resources which would give her confidence when in secondary school."

"He was delighted to have been chosen. He has a genuine passions for DT and has enjoyed every minute of it. He has loved attending your school"

"He was initially a little nervous but soon overcame his fear as soon as the practical work commenced. I feel these classes have reinforced his interest in science and technology."

"Maths was a bit boring at school before, but now he sees it can be very interesting and challenging."

"She had a 'wobble' on the first day and was brilliantly looked after - thank you. The pupils there the first day were also very impressive, very polite but also took it in their stride that had an 11 year old girl was upset."

"She has always enjoyed school and learning, but I have noticed a broadening of interests - her eyes have been opened to more subjects."

These are only a few snippets of the huge amount of positive feedback we gather each year.

The most common comments are that the pupils have enjoyed themselves due to the challenging academic content. It is a testament to the quality of the programme that they enjoy coming to school on their Saturday morning!

Pupil Involvement

Y6 pupils attend - c.120 boys and girls in equal numbers

c. 30 Y12 RGS pupils assist with delivery

Frequency

This is an annual event which has been running for over ten years. It is a permanent feature in the RGS calendar.