Academic Life: Playful Scholarship
At WHS we don’t believe play is something you leave behind as you grow up. Too often, the older we get, the more play is dismissed — replaced by pressure to perform, to conform, to tread familiar paths. Here we challenge that idea, and invite you to do the same. Playful Scholarship is about keeping alive that spirit of curiosity and daring: a way of learning that is rigorous but imaginative, ambitious yet joyful. It is the freedom to test ideas, to take risks, and to be recognised for the difference you make.
No two journeys are the same
With your tutor and teachers beside you — questioning, stretching, encouraging — you curate a pathway that reflects who you are now and who you want to become. For some, this might mean research, essay prizes and academic leadership. For others, it may be founding a society, publishing creative work, mentoring younger pupils, or launching a project that shapes the school community. Many will weave these threads together. What matters is that the journey is purposeful, demanding, and distinctly yours.
Challenge and support
Challenge and support are intertwined throughout. The relationship you build with your tutor is central: someone who knows you well, who will ask authentic questions, who will believe in your capacity to do hard things, and who will ask the right questions when things don’t go to plan. Your tutor is there not with ready-made answers, but with curiosity, encouragement, and belief — helping you reflect, reframe, and move forward.
Futures
Higher Education Support
Our Sixth Form team will guide you through the university application process. Our programme includes:
- Bespoke programmes for Oxbridge and specialist courses such as Medicine, Veterinary Science and Dentistry and support with overseas applications.
- Activities and speaker sessions, access to tools such as Unifrog
- Guidance interviews and 1:1 personal mentoring
- Support with additional application requirements such as Mock interviews with other schools, portfolios and admissions tests.
Academic Stretch
Novel Scientific Research
A stand-out feature of our academic sixth form offer is the opportunity to dive into a novel research project – working with professional scientists across Europe to analyse big data, investigate a thesis and eventually publish your research.
Novel research is something that we most often associate with postgraduate studies – work that is contributing towards a DPhil, perhaps. The aim is to foster independent research skills and encourage inter-disciplinary thinking. You can see examples via the link below.
The initiative is just one option in our Open Minds programme of enriching academic study mentioned above. Others include a Space Technology Diploma, the Extended Project Qualification, Film Studies and Beginners Mandarin – details in our academic guide.