A group of Year 7 students spent the day last week at Balliol College, Oxford, impressing staff at the college with their critical thinking and thought-provoking questions.

The day was designed to introduce younger learners to the Oxplore website, which encourages students to debate some of our ‘Big Questions’ with the aim of developing thinking and discussion skills. Topics included ‘Does Truth exist’.

Students also took part in an academic taster session run by the Maths Department. Enjoyed a college tour and a three-course lunch in the grand dining hall.

As part of the Big Questions debate, students were invited to come up with their own topical questions. A group of SNS students came up with the theme ‘Children are the products of their parents’ which was voted best of all the suggestions from the four visiting schools. That theme will now appear on the Balliol College Website. The students were accompanied by head of Careers, Ms Alexander who organised the trip and head of Year 7 Mr Burn who also kindly drove the group to Oxford in the school mini bus.