The PULSE (Personal Understanding, Learning Skills and Enrichment) programme will be integrated into the Year 12 academic timetable from September 2017. This programme has been developed in order to facilitate the academic and personal core skills in Shiplake Sixth Form pupils. Pupils will have the option to follow two potential routes: the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) or Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE). Both of these qualifications lead to UCAS points and can aid university applications.
Both the EPQ and CoPE include a six-week Study Skills programme at the start of the year which will cover topics such as organisation, research and independent work. As well as the Study Skills programme, each pupil will be supported by a personal supervisor throughout the project and will have two lessons a week to work on their project. Both options will also include a weekly lecture programme, to include talks from guest speakers and staff and student-led presentations. The EPQ requires pupils to research a topic of their choice and allows them to display their understanding of that topic in a way that they choose. This can be done in a variety of ways, from writing an essay, to creating a song. The CoPE option is more vocational, where pupils will work on specific skills on a day to day basis. Students will be given the opportunity to complete their CoPE both within the College day and at home. Students working towards a CoPE qualification will complete a portfolio of evidence demonstrating key academic and personal skills, totalling 150 hours of work.
PULSE will give pupils an opportunity to study a topic that they are passionate about and at the same time allow them to learn a range of skills that will help in higher education courses and in the workplace. Whichever qualification pupils choose will allow them to develop a number of key skills such as: time management, problem solving, initiative, research, digital literacy, oral presentation, collaboration, discussion, critical thinking and self-evaluation.