Bright Sparks

Latymer’s Bright Sparks programme has offered a direct link to our generous bursary programme since 2017. Each year, up to 40 children with high academic ability in Year 5 are hand-selected by the Head Teachers of local maintained schools to attend exciting English, Maths, and Science workshops; eligible students would be able to apply for a means-tested bursary, and the majority of these students are on Free School Meals. The programme is developed and run by Latymer staff, supported by our student volunteers, and is designed to provide an immersive and inspiring experience of secondary education.

Aims

Primarily, the Bright Sparks programme aims to increase the confidence, aspirations, and skills of engaged and curious-minded Year 5 students, who would benefit from the additional enrichment capacity of these sessions outside of school. 

In doing so, our goal is also to increase students' and parents' awareness of independent school options, and the bursary schemes available. We want students who could be eligible for a life-altering bursary at an academically selective school, to have an experience of what that is like and to be more likely to apply.

Resources

Bright Sparks sessions run for 6 weeks on Saturdays, from 9.30am-1pm in the Summer Term. Teaching staff from Maths, Humanities and Sciences run  fun and lively sessions where the  emphasis is on mini-projects, creativity and hands-on practical  challenges. These sessions are run on-site at Latymer Upper School, to give students an immersive experience and allow them to make use of our facilities.

Staffing and catering costs are kindly funded by a donor. The programme is free to the students.

Impact

Students are assessed at the end of the programme in an anonymous feedback survey. 93% of participating students completed it, of whom:

 

- 100% said they'd had fun and enjoyed themselves

- 100% agreed that they'd learned new things

- 96% said they were more confident now with the subjects they had taken

- 96% said they were more happy and confident about what secondary school is like

- 100% had made new friends on the programme

- 93% of parents said they were now more likely to apply for a bursary at an independent school

 

"I love how supportive and nice the teachers are"

"I like experimenting and using equipment I have never used before"

"I was losing hope about my daughter going to a private school because of the fees and you gave me my hope back, so thank you very much!"