High school students join exclusive masterclass

A literacy journey from Taylor Swift to Shakespeare and beyond was embarked on by AGT (able, gifted and talented) students from Whitworth Community High School. 

Along with seven other schools, the students embarked on the first of a series of exclusive masterclasses.

At Rochdale Town Hall, they met Dr Scott Annett, senior tutor of studies in the faculty of English at Robinson College, Cambridge University.

The six Year 8 students also explored Chaucer and Dante in the two-hour session which whetted their appetite for the subject.

Alice Kowal, 12, said: “When he started, he was reading out lines from Taylor Swift’s Romeo and Juliet and that made everyone start laughing and from there he went all the way down to Shakespeare.

“It was good and interactive as he asked us questions and we had to move about the room whether we agreed, disagreed with a question or stay in the middle if we didn’t know.”

Samuel Brewis, 12, said: “I quite like writing and I think attending this will help me. I like coming up with a story and working out the chain of events, different perspectives, settings and mood.”

Alice said: “I like books and we are reading one in school A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and our English teacher Mr Williams is a very good storyteller.

“I also really like The Gilded Ones and murder mysteries by Robin Stevens.”

Careers co-ordinator at Whitworth Community High School, Mrs Grenaghan said: “The event, designed to challenge and inspire young learners, left the students buzzing with enthusiasm and newfound confidence in their literary abilities.

“Whitworth Community High School is proud of its pupils and their ambition, as opportunities like this highlight the exciting possibilities that lie ahead for these dedicated students.”

The event was organised by Chris Dobbs, strategic director of Oxbridge Progression at The Atom Valley Education Challenge Consortium and is part of a wider scheme within the Rochdale area to broaden the horizons of talented young people in the Rochdale area.

The programme is designed to expose students to a variety of fields and subjects through themed lectures, workshops, and question and answer sessions, all led by respected academic speakers and industry representatives

The students will continue to take part in further workshops every month throughout the academic year and the next is on cyber security in December.

The programme is one of 10 key initiatives with the school’s AGT programme, specifically tailored for the best and brightest students.