The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), a qualification highly valued by top universities, is offered as an additional qualification.

The EPQ requires students to carry out research on a topic that they have chosen and is not covered by their other qualifications. It may be inspired by their studies, their future plans or a completely different area of interest. They then use this research to produce either a 5000 written report or, in the case of practical projects, an artefact or a production (with a shorter accompanying report).

The EPQ provides an opportunity for students to extend their abilities beyond the A-level syllabus; to learn about a subject of their choice, about which they are passionate; and to prepare for university or their future career. As it is assessed to A Level standard, students completing an EPQ can earn slightly more UCAS points than an AS level qualification.

The EPQ runs between January in Year 12 and December in Year 13. Students apply for a place on the EPQ once they have enrolled in Year 12.

Please see below for a few examples of topics previously completed:

• The ethics of time travel
• Designing and developing a new Formula 1 front wing
• The impact of the human genome project on psychiatry
• Designing and producing a range of moisturising beauty products
• Tracing Eve: female heroines in western literature
• The consistent style of ancient Chinese pagodas
• How the shift to monotheism affected Roman attitudes to sexuality
• The consequences of the 2008 global financial crash