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Earlier this month, The Sixth Form Bolton was buzzing as first year students took part in a dedicated ‘live brief’ week off timetable, working on real projects set by industry partners.

Live briefs give students the opportunity to apply their subject knowledge in professional contexts, building confidence, teamwork and communication skills while gaining valuable experience for CVs, applications and future pathways.

The live briefs offered to students included:

Art, Craft and Design: Students worked with Bolton Museum to design gift products inspired by its zoology collections. Selected designs were chosen for production and sale in the museum shop.

Fine Art, Design and Comms (UAL) (TV): Students explored the creation of a large-scale light event with the Put Big Light On festival. Their artwork informed a final design used as the festival’s official thank you card.

Photography: Students completed a professional brief with Lancashire Sinfonia, producing images for use across its website and promotional materials. They worked in studio and on location, developing skills in shooting, editing and postproduction.

Politics and Religious Studies: Students took part in the Build a Better Bolton challenge with ASDA and Bolton Council, creating campaigns to improve community cohesion. They presented research-led proposals considering stakeholders and real-world impact.

Computer Science and IT: Students worked with Lazrus Web Design to create fully functioning websites for a real client. In teams, they planned, built and presented their designs, justifying creative and technical decisions.

Maths and Further Maths: Students responded to a live MBDA brief focused on drone interception and national security. They developed team-based solutions balancing design, cost and sustainability.

Drama, Theatre Studies and Performing Arts: Students worked with The Octagon Theatre to design set concepts for a fictional production. They created scale models and pitched their ideas to the theatre’s creative team.

A Level Science: Students tackled real-world challenges through a partnership with SUEZ, applying knowledge across Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The project developed analytical and problem-solving skills while offering insight into STEM careers.

PE and Sport Science: Students were tasked by Bolton Council to investigate low levels of physical activity among young people in Bolton. They designed an event to increase participation, using research, creativity and leadership skills to address the issue.

Film Studies and Media Studies: Fiona Fung, Production Manager from the newly formed Film Office at Bolton Council challenged students to step into the world of professional pre‑production and work in small groups to carry out location recces and create a package of media production assets that could be used by real production companies.

The students really enjoyed the experience with first-year A Level Art, Craft & Design; English Language and Sociology student, Charlotte Senior saying:

“I took part in the Art, Craft and Design brief set by Bolton Museum. I enjoyed working on the brief and turning our plans into reality. It is crazy how a simple idea can turn into an actual product! It was a very high effort week, but I'm proud of what I produced and look forward to showing my work to others. Thank you to all involved!”

The representatives from industry were equally impressed with the experience with Christine Baldwin, Community Life Champion at Asda commenting:

“I enjoyed working with an exceptionally talented group of students and was so proud of the presentation and project that was presented to the panel.”

A huge thank you to all of the industry representatives who gave up their time to support The Sixth Form Bolton