At Tapton, there are so many opportunities to get involved and we offer a wide range of activities to compliment your academic study. 

Extra-Curricular

At the beginning of the year we hold a Sixth Form Freshers’ Fair where you’ll get the chance to sign up to lots of clubs.  We believe that Sixth Form is as much about learning as it is about having fun.  Whatever your interest, we’ve got something for you!

Below is a list of some of the extra-curricular opportunities on offer.  This list is not exhaustive and we are always interested in hearing new ideas.

  • Music Ensembles - Opportunities include Brass Band, Senior Orchestra, Staff Student Choir and Jazz Band.
  • Sports Clubs - It has been proven that taking part in regular physical activity helps with stress, improves your memory and helps your overall mental wellbeing.  Our programme of activities includes football, fitness and badminton.
  • Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award - A two year programme consisting of volunteering, skills challenges, and physical and residential sections.
  • Paired Reading - You will have the chance to work closely with some of our younger students to support and encourage a culture of reading.
  • LGBTQIA+ - A warm and welcoming space for all students, regardless of how you identify.
  • Cultural Newsletter - Work with other likeminded culturally curious students to create a monthly round up of what to read, watch, visit and listen to.
  • Social Sciences Discussion Group - Are you interested in how psychology and sociology relate to and explain real world phenomenon? Contemporary podcasts, literature (fiction and non-fiction) as well as films are used to stimulate and promote interesting debate.
  • Book Club - Read, enjoy, discuss and critique some of the most fascinating books ever written.
  • Bread Making Masterclass - Delve into the complexities of breadmaking and learn how to make everything from a simple white loaf to sourdough and pizza.
  • Sixth Form Theatre Company - Join a great team to explore and interpret some wonderful dramatic texts. Open to anyone who loves theatre, whether that’s behind the scenes, in the director’s chair, or in the limelight.
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Super-Curricular

Attend • Participate • Qualify

Super-curricular activities give you the opportunity to explore subjects beyond the classroom, deepen your learning and discover entirely new areas of interest. Leading universities value curious, enthusiastic students, and taking part is a powerful way to demonstrate these qualities.

As well as strengthening university applications, these activities introduce you to academic disciplines you may not yet have encountered. They can help you make informed choices about future courses, careers and destinations while building the independence and confidence needed for university-style learning.

Tapton offers a rich and varied programme of super-curricular opportunities. We encourage every student to engage with at least one of our three strands: Attend, Participate and Qualify. With so many students involved, intellectual curiosity becomes part of our shared culture, enriching classroom discussion and encouraging learning that goes beyond examinations.

Explore a wide range of talks, activities and research opportunities.

Create an original piece of work and present it at our Sixth Form Conference.

Work towards the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) or complete one of our Super-Curricular Diplomas.

What’s on Offer?

At the heart of our super-curricular programme is a weekly lunchtime seminar series, established for more than ten years. Speakers include university academics at every stage of their careers, from PhD researchers to research group leaders. Students can attend two seminars each week: one focused on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and one on Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS).

A super curricular course that will bring together much of your explorations in Science (mirroring an Extended Project Qualification).

Students will need to submit a 4000 word dissertation on a chosen area of interest and also have a portfolio of experience of the scientific method from either attendance to science seminars, journal club or research projects.

(STEM), and one on Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS).

The Super-Curricular Diploma introduces students to undergraduate-style learning. Students learn how to review academic literature in a specialist area and create an academic poster to present at our Sixth Form Conference. The Diploma is awarded to students who take part in a range of super-curricular activities throughout the year and produce a conference poster; students are also encouraged, though not required, to complete a dissertation. Although the Diploma does not carry UCAS points, it develops valuable research, communication and independent-learning skills that students can evidence in university applications.

Our Year 12 super-curricular programme culminates in the Sixth Form Conference each July. University keynote speakers and former students join us as students share their research, EPQs and Diploma projects through talks and poster presentations. By recreating the atmosphere of an academic conference, the event gives students valuable experience of communicating their findings and ideas to peers and subject experts.

  • Social Sciences Discussion Group – Explore how psychology and sociology can help us understand the world around us. Podcasts, fiction, non-fiction and film provide the starting point for lively, thought-provoking discussion.
  • Life Science Journal Club – We read academic Journals published in the Life Sciences field. Students gain confidence reading academic texts and being able to interpret complicated data. They develop an understanding on how to conduct scientific research, analyse and interpret data.
  • Institute for Research in Schools (IRIS) – Science based research provided by IRIS run within the Science department, students analyse large data sets, draw conclusions and then present their findings at the IRIS national conference.
  • Senior Maths Challenge – A long standing commitment from our Maths Department where Mathematicians are entered into this highly acclaimed Maths competition.
  • Motor Neurone Disease Research- Students conduct research into MND using a range of microbiology and molecular biology techniques, in collaboration with the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience.
  • Debate Club – Debate is a valuable skill in many courses and future careers, hone your skills in our popular debate club.

The aim of the Super-Curricular Challenge is to give students the opportunity to research an area (outside of the curriculum) that interests them. Strong applicants to universities tend to have explored their chosen subject through wider reading / study outside the classroom, as well as doing very well in their GCSEs and A-levels. This sort of exploration is called ‘super-curricular’, as it builds on and enhances what students are studying in school but doesn’t actually contribute to the learning required for the qualification they are studying for.

The best thing about the Super-Curricular Challenge is that students are free to follow their own lines of enquiry into the areas that interest them the most. 

This is an extended research project that runs across a number of months in the second half of Year 12 and culminates in a presentation. 

Want to see more Super-Curricular activities? Talk to your teacher to explore how we can make this happen for you.