Highgrove Education and Future Foundations Launch Innovative Global Social Leaders EPQ Course Starting September 2025
12 June 2025, London — Highgrove Education, a leading provider of online education for GCSE and A level students in the UK and internationally, and Future Foundations, an independent organisation that delivers award-winning social action programmes for young people, are proud to announce the launch of their new Global Social Leaders EPQ course, set to begin this September. This pioneering programme blends academic rigour with social impact, providing students with the opportunity to explore real-world issues through independent research, while actively contributing to global change.
Global Social Leaders (GSL) is a transformative movement that has empowered more than 10,000 young people across 100 countries to deliver impactful social action projects. With over 5,000 young people also having participated in the GSL Global Goals Competition, GSL has demonstrated the power of youth-led innovation in addressing urgent global challenges. Their mission aligns with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including efforts to combat poverty, reduce inequality, and fight climate change.
The joint GSL EPQ offering marks the first time that students can formally link the GSL ethos to an accredited qualification. The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), introduced nationally in 2006, enables students aged 16 to 19 to undertake a self-directed research project on a topic of their choice. With recent data indicating that approximately 20% of A level students also undertake an EPQ (Gill, T. (2022). Are students who take the Extended Project Qualification better prepared for higher education study? Cambridge University Press & Assessment), the qualification is increasingly recognised as a key differentiator for university applications, with many higher education institutions acknowledging its role in developing critical academic skills.
The Global Social Leaders EPQ will allow students to explore pressing global issues, such as access to education, climate action, or gender equality, and design research projects and solutions inspired by their own communities or personal passions. Alongside academic exploration, students will be encouraged to develop and evaluate social action initiatives that address the Sustainable Development Goals. The EPQ requires students to be self-directed, reflective and self-motivated. These are also the skills that the World Economic Forum predicts will be the most in demand by the year 2030, specifically creative thinking; resilience, flexibility and agility; leadership and influence, and environmental stewardship (Future of Jobs Report 2025, World Economic Forum).
Highgrove Education has a strong track record of supporting pupils in the UK and internationally to achieve impressive academic outcomes in external examinations. Results from the January 2024–November 2024 EPQ cohort underscore the strength of its EPQ offering: 80% of students achieved an A or A* grade, with 60% earning an A*. These outcomes highlight the effectiveness of Highgrove Online School’s delivery model, which places an emphasis on building up independent learning skills – one of the keys to success in the EPQ.
Heather Rhodes, Principal of Highgrove Education, said,
We believe in the potential of young people to be architects of change. This new course empowers students not only to explore the world’s most critical issues in depth but also to take meaningful action. Combining the academic framework of the EPQ with the social mission of Global Social Leaders is a natural and exciting progression for our school.
Jonathan Harper, CEO of Future Foundations & Co-Founder of GSL said,
In a world facing complex and challenging times, we want to give young people the tools, support and recognition to turn their ideas into meaningful action. I’m delighted to be partnering with Highgrove Education to offer students a strong, future-focused curriculum.
This marks an exciting new phase as we build on two decades of impact. Our mission is to equip young people to be leaders in their lives and society and this qualification will do just that. Delivered flexibly, this qualification will be accessible to any young person, anywhere in the world.
With leadership and social influence named by the World Economic Forum as one of the top skills for the future, we’re proud to offer a programme that helps young people grow in confidence, develop real-world skills and make a tangible difference in their communities. I can’t wait to see the impact this will have both on the young people themselves and the world around them.
Students enrolled in the course will benefit from comprehensive online support from both Highgrove Education and Global Social Leaders across an academic year, including weekly live lessons and self-study modules, and fortnightly one-on-one supervision sessions with experienced educators. These sessions are designed to develop essential skills such as academic writing, project management, critical thinking, and public speaking. Students will gain access to additional GSL live sessions, training tools and opportunities. At the end of the course, each student will present their project to a live audience, fostering real-world communication and presentation skills. All student projects will be featured on the online GSL Project Showcase, and every participant will be invited to write a guest blog reflecting on their learning journey and the impact of their project.
The course structure is designed with flexibility in mind. With start dates in late September or mid-January and lessons that fall after school UK time, pupils can tailor their EPQ experience around other academic or extracurricular commitments. As well as working with individual students, Highgrove Education and Global Social Leaders partner directly with schools to provide bespoke courses.
The Global Social Leaders EPQ course is now open for individual enrolments, and Highgrove Education invites students from across the UK and around the world to explore how they can combine academic excellence with meaningful social impact.
https://highgroveeducation.com/a-levels/global-social-leaders-epq/
Media Contact
Richelle Zakrzewski
richelle.zakrzewski@highgroveeducation.com
Interviews with Highgrove Principal Heather Rhodes and Future Foundations CEO, Jonathan Harper, as well as quotes, are available upon request.
