In July 2025, the University of Southampton hosted its first EPQ Student Writing Retreat: a dedicated day of academic writing support for students undertaking the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). Designed to support students from underrepresented backgrounds, the retreat offered students a structured, supportive environment to make meaningful progress on their projects while gaining insight into university life. This article will reflect on the pilot’s success and outline some different ways in which the model could be applied.
Held on our Highfield Campus in Southampton, the first ever EPQ Writing Retreat welcomed 12 students from schools and colleges across the region. Participants engaged in a full day of writing blocks, academic skills workshops, a student finance session, and a campus tour. The event was shaped by the popular and evidence-informed practice of writing retreats in academia but adapted for a new audience of 16-19-year-old students.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive:
Students also reported tangible academic gains, such as completing key sections of their projects and learning new writing strategies like freewriting and time-blocking. One student told us: “I learned how I'm supposed to write my EPQ, and I managed to figure out what I'm actually doing!! (It's not confusing anymore!)”
The EPQ is more than just a qualification - it’s a bridge to higher education (HE) success. Research shows that students who complete an EPQ are:
These benefits are even more pronounced for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
By supporting EPQ completion and attainment, we can help close the gap in HE access, continuation, and success. At the University of Southampton, the Learn with US Transition team are doing pioneering work to raise attainment via the EPQ, by supporting the academic skills development of EPQ students from low-participation postcodes and those who have received Free School Meals (groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education (HE)).
Similarly, the retreat was targeted at students who may face additional barriers to accessing HE, and aimed to:
Taken together, we hoped these outcomes would in turn increase rates of continuation to HE for the students who attended. Indeed, while the short duration of the event limited measurable changes in belonging, qualitative feedback suggested increased confidence and a more informed view of university study. Importantly, the retreat provided a supportive academic environment: a key factor in fostering belonging and motivation among students from underrepresented groups.
Writing retreats for your EPQ students, can offer a scalable, impactful way to provide additional academic support, especially for students who may not have access to this kind of structured writing time or support elsewhere. Even a single day of focused writing, supported by expert input and peer encouragement, can make a significant difference. If you are interested in running your own EPQ writing retreat, check out our DIY writing retreat toolkit for some inspiration, or get in touch with the team: learnwithus@soton.ac.uk.
We know that EPQ coordinators in schools and colleges are doing incredible work, often with limited time and resources. If you don’t have capacity to run a full-day retreat, you could:
We’re proud of what this pilot achieved, and we’re excited to build on it. If you’re interested in collaborating, replicating this model, or simply learning more, we’d love to hear from you. You can connect with our team via email: learnwithus@soton.ac.uk
In July 2025, the University of Southampton hosted its first EPQ Student Writing Retreat: a dedicated day of academic writing support for students undertaking the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). Designed to support students from underrepresented backgrounds, the retreat offered students a structured, supportive environment to make meaningful progress on their projects while gaining insight into university life.
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