b'Students from Shropshire impress at international conferenceThe Spring High Performance Learning (HPL) Conference held at Warwick University saw five Ellesmere College students invited to speak to discuss their experiences and what the HPL framework means to them.Ellesmere College is one of only 39 schools worldwide to have been awarded HPL World Class School Accreditation which demonstrates the commitment the school has to the framework - building students cognitive competences and achieving academic and lifetime success through a flexible learning framework. Daniel Bottom, Head of English and one of the HPL mentors at the school, said: We were delighted to be invited to talk at the conference and the students were superb.We spoke about how HPL aligns with Ellesmere Colleges philosophy that the purpose of education is to make students Life Ready so they can leave us fully prepared as they move on to their bright futures. Then the students stole the show - they showcased mardi gras flags made in response to A Streetcar Named Desire, drawings to convey understanding of An Inspector Calls and Macbeth, a piece of flash-fiction written by students, bookmarks, CD covers, artwork and a big picture drawing tracking the plot of a studied piece.As part of the conference, Year nine student Bella Spencer-Blow, Ethan Oliver of Year 10, and Year 12 students Dylan Cunningham, Iris Grigoras and Davit Chankseliani took part in a roundtable discussion with the HPL founder Dr Deborah Eyre. Iris Grigoras said: I came from a Romanian school that did not implement such a system and I have noticed a large difference in how I approach my studies; HPL has allowed me to be far more creative during my lessons and work together with my classmates to better understand the material we are studying.Davit Chankseliani, from Tbilisi, added: Being able to provide my input was a rewarding experience. I felt that as a student, my voice and opinion truly mattered. In addition, I think that the discussion that followed our speeches was productive.I realised that HPL gives me and other students the opportunity to aim high, improve and be creative, without having negative side effects on our knowledge.Bella Spencer-Blow, from Ellesmere, said: I really enjoyed the conference, I was surprised by how interested and supportive the academic leaders, from many different countries, were.For more information visit: HPL at Ellesmere CollegeEllesmere College Newsletter Spring/Summer 20227'