YEAR 12 EPQ STUDENTS GAIN VALUABLE RESEARCH SKILLS AT DURHAM UNIVERSITY 

Miss Bainbridge, Teacher of MFL and EPQ Centre Coordinator at Richmond, recently took a group of sixth form students to Durham University to focus on their research skills. She provides the following report:  

“As part of the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), a group of 19 Year 12 students visited the Bill Bryson Library at Durham University.  

The students engaged very well in a seminar style session with a member of the university’s Academic Skills team in one of the university lecture theatres. The talk focused on research, how to formulate a good title, analysis, referencing and bibliographies, tailored specifically to the EPQ.  

They then had a tour and were given guidance about how to use the university library catalogue. The students were shown how to locate resources and use the impressive library, which is spread over a number of floors.  

The students were confident, independent and proactive, not daunted by the expansive library and sourced resources that would help with their individual EPQ titles. They made notes from key resources to enable them to continue working at home. 

They enjoyed the visit, gaining many new skills and are now able to return to the library to continue their research over the summer, using the library cards that they were given by the university.  

The students were an absolute credit to Richmond Sixth Form College and a pleasure to accompany.”