This term, all of Year 7 have been taking part in our annual Island Project Competition, the exciting culmination of an experiential learning unit that explores how religions begin, evolve, and sometimes fade over time. The project is built around an imaginative scenario: humanity has been stranded on a deserted island and must rebuild life from scratch.

Throughout the unit, students have investigated how early communities form beliefs, develop rituals, create places of worship, and establish shared values. They then explored how, over hundreds of years, these practices might change - splitting into different denominations, giving rise to new traditions, or even disappearing altogether. Using this framework, students were challenged to think 1,000 years into the future and imagine how their island society would grow, what might remain important to its people, and which customs could be lost or forgotten with time.

The creativity shown this year has been outstanding. Students have produced imaginative designs, detailed maps, symbolic artefacts, and thoughtful accounts of their island communities’ histories and belief systems. Every entry demonstrates impressive critical thinking and creativity, making it incredibly difficult to choose an overall winner.

The winning project will earn points for the student’s House - though with such strong work across the year group, the judges certainly have a tough decision ahead!