Challenge 9: Academic Ambition

At Co-op Academy Belle Vue, we are committed to ensuring our Key Stage 3 students are not only supported in their core curriculum but are also inspired to explore the vast world of knowledge beyond it. Challenge 9 is our academic enrichment programme, specifically designed to stretch our students' thinking, build their resilience, and prepare them for the rigours of higher-level study.

The programme offers a diverse range of opportunities that go above and beyond standard classroom expectations:

• Advanced academic stretch: Students engage with challenging texts such as Animal Farm in Y7, complex maths problem-solving activities resources through the University of Cambridge and dedicated, higher-level content through Seneca to ensure their thinking is being challenged beyond the curriculum whilst ensuring that there are advantageous links between their core curriculum and the challenge 9 offer.

• University-style independent study: To develop the skills required for future success, students are tasked with wider reading from sources such as The British Library and National Archives and academic essay writing, allowing them to dive deep into topics related to their reading. 

• Oxford University critical thinking workshops: A central pillar of Challenge 9 is our weekly critical thinking sessions. These workshops are planned and resourced by the University of Oxford, providing students with high-quality materials designed to sharpen their analytical skills, improve their ability to construct arguments, and widen their global perspective

• Students visit the UK's top universities such as The University of Cambridge, The University of Oxford and The University of Manchester as part of the Challenge 9 programme, as well as being rewarded with a trip to London to visit a range of attractions such as the Tate Modern and the Natural History Museum.

Through Challenge 9, we aim to foster a culture of intellectual curiosity where students aren't just learning for exams, but are learning to think for themselves, study independently and broadening their knowledge. 

Examples of Challenge 9 essay titles students complete as part of the programme:

Year 9 Essay Title:

Thomas Coram believed that a child’s start in life should not be determined by their parents' mistakes. In our modern world, we still have 'private' schools and 'state' schools, and some children have more resources than others. Do you think it is ever possible to have a truly 'just' society where every child starts at the exact same finish line, or will 'social injustice' always exist as long as families have different levels of wealth? Explain your view.

Year 8 Essay Title:

If the law says that women do not exist in public, do those women lose their identity, or does society lose it's future?

Year 7 Essay Title:

Is a 'perfect' society actually possible, or is human (or animal) nature inherently selfish?

You may find some further examples of the work students complete as part of the Challenge 9 Programme through the links below. You may also find some photographs of our students taking part in the programme here.