Monday 28th June to Friday 2nd July 2021 and Sunday 1st August to Tuesday 3rd August 2021.
Monday 28th June to Friday 2nd July 2021 and Tuesday 3rd August to Thursday 5th August 2021. Downing College is offering a fantastic opportunity to Year 11 students interested in languages and culture. Successful students will take part in online activities, be invited to spend three days in Cambridge and have the opportunity to engage with our student mentor scheme during their Year 12 studies.
Puzzle of the Week
Published 24/05/21
Challenge News
Here you can find news of all the latest activities which have taken place as part of the Challenge provision at Walthamstow School for Girls and also opportunities available to our students.
Year 11 Residentials at Cambridge University
If you are in Year 11 and interested in Science or Languages, there are some exciting opportunities below, organised by the University of Cambridge:
Year 11 Science Residential at Downing College
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Year 11 Science Residential | Downing College Cambridge
This event is for students interested in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Sciences, Material Sciences and who are interested in pursuing science subjects after their GCSEs. Online ActivitiesThe online event will take place over five days from Monday 28th June to Friday 2nd July and will include:
Students will not be expected to be online all day. Live sessions will be spread throughout the week and pre-recorded material will be available to watch in your own time. After the online event students will be tasked with writing up an essay based on a range of topics around science and what they have learnt during the week. The students will then bring their essays to Cambridge and discuss them with other students and academics. ResidentialYou will be invited to spend three days at Downing to experience student life. Whilst in Cambridge you will take part in:
There is no cost to attend this event all travel, accommodation and meals are paid for by the College. MentorsIf you are successful in obtaining a place at this event you will also be allocated a current undergraduate student as a mentor who will guide you throughout your A levels. You can ask your mentor about any concerns you have about Cambridge, ask for tips & advice for studying and useful tips & help in preparing your UCAS application. How to applyThere are only 40 spaces available on this programme and students must meet the following criteria to apply:
Students must also meet at least one of the following criteria:
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Year 11 Languages and Culture Residential - REGISTER by 6th JUNE
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Year 11 Languages & Culture Residential | Downing College Cambridge
This event is for students interested in English, Modern & Medieval Languages, Linguistics, Classics, Asian & Middle Eastern Studies and who are interested in pursuing language & culture based subjects after their GCSEs. You do not need to have studied a foreign language at GCSE to apply for this event. Online ActivitiesThe online event will take place over five days from Monday 28th June to Friday 2nd July and will include:
Students will not be expected to be online all day. Live sessions will be spread throughout the week and pre-recorded material will be available to watch in your own time. After the online event students will be tasked with writing up an essay based on a range of topics around language & culture and what they have learnt during the week. The students will then bring their essays to Cambridge and discuss them with other students and academics. ResidentialYou will be invited to spend three days at Downing to experience student life. Whilst in Cambridge you will take part in:
There is no cost to attend this event all travel, accommodation and meals are paid for by the College. MentorsIf you are successful in obtaining a place at this event you will also be allocated a current undergraduate student as a mentor who will guide you throughout your A levels. You can ask your mentor about any concerns you have about Cambridge, ask for tips & advice for studying and useful tips & help in preparing your UCAS application. How to applyThere are only 40 spaces available on this programme and students must meet the following criteria to apply:
Students must also meet at least one of the following criteria:
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If you have any questions, please see me.
Ms Robinson
Challenge Coordinator
Year 7 Philosophy Day
Year 7 Philosophy Day will take place on Friday 11th June
Interested students need to do the following:
Year 7 Philosophy Day - How to apply
- Put Philosophy Day in the header
- Include name and form
- Write a short paragraph about why you want to participate in the day
- OR do this by hand and give to your tutor to give to me
The deadline by which to apply is Wednesday 26th May at 3.30pm
There are 4 places per form
The actual workshop is on Friday 11th June.
Any questions, do ask.
Ms Robinson
Challenge Co-ordinator
The Magic of Numbers
Recommended TED Talk
The Magic of Numbers : Why everyone should love Maths by Bobby Seagull
In Bobby’s truly inspiring Ted Talk, he comments on the subject that most people don’t like maths and that they just say they don’t have a ‘maths brain’. However, he explains that maths so much more intriguing and exciting than it might look at first glance. He talks about how when he was little he first got hooked into maths by comparing football cards to create an approximate analysis of who is more skilled and how it inspired him to learn more about maths. He goes on to further explain how confidence is a big part in maths too as he showed us that 50% of adults don’t know how to work out a 5% increase of £9, even with a calculator and how they just need to persevere and challenge themselves to achieve great things in the maths field. He concludes the Ted Talk by saying that there is maths in everything, we just have to look for it and he ends with the motivational line: ‘We are all mathematicians’.
Kacey Loki 8S
Oxbridge Interviews
Watch the interviews below to give you an idea of what to expect at an Oxbridge interview:
Demonstration Interview Videos
Want to know what an online interview might look like?
Watch two Caius History lecturers and interviewers demonstrate an online admissions interview with the help of a current student.
Watch two Caius Maths lecturers and interviewers demonstrate an online admissions interview with the help of a current student.
We’ll be uploading further interview preparation videos to our Youtube channel (Caius Schools) over the coming weeks so we do encourage you and your students to subscribe.
Ms Robinson
Challenge Coordinator
Advice from the University of Oxford
Advice from Dan Pugh-Bevan, our schools liaison officer from the University of Oxford, is for students to have a little black book. Whenever students do anything connected with their learning, above and beyond what is learnt in the classroom, the idea is to write it down. Then, after leaving Walthamstow School for Girls, when going for interviews for colleges and universities, the book can be referred to, and the activities remembered and talked about.
The type of things to write about, could be books read, films seen, museums or galleries visited, TV programmes watched etc
Watching Hannah Fry’s TV series about the magic and mystery of maths could be a good start:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bn9dth
Ms Robinson
Challenge Coordinator
Black History Month Maths
Year 7 have been learning how to play the African game, Oware, in their maths lessons for Black History Month.
The game has a few simple rules, but takes a lifetime to master!
Students can carry on at home, playing against a computer, by downloading it from:
https://www.myriad-online.com/resources/docs/awale/english/index.htm
Ms Robinson
Challenge Coordinator
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