What is Super Curriculum?

• Super-curricular activities are those that take the subjects you study further, beyond that which your teacher has taught you or what you’ve done for homework.
• You may go into more depth on something you picked up in the classroom or learn about a new topic altogether.
• You can explore your subject in many ways; for example, by reading, as well as watching videos online, downloading lectures, visiting museums or entering academic competitions.

Why is this important?

We want to ensure that our students stand the very best chance of gaining places in the University/ Higher Education establishment of their choice.

We know that

• Deepening and enriching your subject knowledge is a key issue particularly for competitive universities (Oxbridge/ Russell Group)
• Universities want applicants to engage in super-curricular rather extracurricular activities.

• Admissions teams will look for evidence of this in the UCAS Personal Statement and at interview.

“As our admissions decisions are based on academic criteria, we expect to see evidence of students’ super-curricular activities and wider engagement with their area(s) of academic interest, such as READING and other exploration relevant to the course applied for.”                                                       Admissions at University of Cambridge

We want to recognise and reward those students who

• Go beyond the basic demands of subject specification and demonstrates passion and enthusiasm for the subject
• Seek out texts and read around the subject
• Take the initiative and sign up to on-line courses (MOOCs)
• Follow up ideas and leads suggested by school learning
• Develop particular areas of interest within the subject which are explored with genuine enthusiasm
• Have developed new areas of interest outside the specification as an extension of their understanding
• Keep a log of all super-curricular participation