What is Cultural Capital?

Cultural capital is defined as the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours, and skills that a student can draw upon and which demonstrates their cultural awareness, knowledge and competence. Building cultural capital in our students is just as important as ensuring they achieve their potential in examinations. At The Blue Coat School Basingstoke, we work tirelessly to provide students with a wide range of opportunities and experiences that will equip them with skills valued by employers and colleges alike, ensuring their success in later life.

We recognise that for students to aspire and be successful academically and in the wider areas of their lives, they need to be given rich and sustained opportunities to develop their cultural capital. We do this in many ways, for example, through our curriculum, extra-curricular activities, trips and visits and careers activities.

The Blue Coat 20 Challenge

In Years 8 and 9, we have launched The Blue Coat 20 challenge. Students need to complete 20 activities from the list below in order to complete the challenge by the end of Year 9. They should provide evidence of completion (such as a photograph, souveneir, or a statement from the person they worked with (ideally, not a family member). Any member of staff can sign off the activity in The Blue Coat 20 log book. Badges will be awarded upon completion.

See the list of activities below.