Junior IRP Finals Results

On Monday 12 May, six pupils from Year 6 (Caterham Prep), First and Second Year took part in the inaugural Junior IRP competition. The event was attended by parents of Enrichment Club attendees, incoming scholars for the coming September, as well as friends and family of those competing.

The IRP has existed for Intermediate and Senior levels for some time, but this was the first time the competition has been extended to Year 6, First and Second Years. Pupils were invited to explore their own choice of scenario within an overarching theme “What if…” over the Easter holidays, with most producing an essay at the end of it.

Over 30 entries were received from across the year groups and the calibre was extremely impressive. Topics covered scientific areas such as artificial intelligence, the environment, medicine and what if dinosaurs came back, as well as more philosophical and classical questions about human behaviour, wars, and classical allegorical stories.

To research effectively a given topic, beginning with defining the scope of the project, explaining the often complex and nuanced terminology and conducting effective research, as well as ultimately present it in written and then, in the case of the finalists, spoken form, calls on a number of skills and all entrants should be incredibly proud of their endeavours in honing these skills.

In the end, and after much wrangling over the decision, six pupils were shortlisted to present their ideas to a panel of judges, comprised of Senior Enrichment Tutors Mrs Hunter and Dr Scott, and Deputy Head Mrs Print-Griffiths. All the finalists presented their work with passion and maturity and handled being under the scrutiny of the judges’ questioning with aplomb!

Following deliberation and discussion by judges and audience, the winners were as follows:

Winner: Silfay Meiland – What if humans were immortal? (^F First Year)

Runner up: Mia Mehmood – What if all humans were altruistic? (Second Year)

Audience Choice: Silfay Meiland – What if humans were immortal? (First Year)

Junior IRP Finalists 2025:

Year 6

• Ella Wallace – What if volcanoes didn’t exist?

1^st Year

• Benji Cook – What if extinct animals could be brought back to life?
• Ronav Deepak – What if assisted death was legal for terminally ill patients?
• Silfay Meiland – What if humans were immortal?

2^nd Year

• Amritaa Devendra – What if DEI didn’t exist?
• Mia Mehmood – What if all humans were altruistic?

Junior IRP Highly commended 2025

Year 6

• Dylan Jubraj – What if robots became more intelligent than humans?
• Edward Inns – What would have happened if Britain had stayed in the EU?

1^st Year

• Annabel Betteridge -What if South West Water doesn’t stop discharging sewage into the sea around Exmouth?
• Jasper Ross – What if life was a simulation?
• Karam Nelson – The terrifying and shocking reality of what would happen if bees went extinct

2^nd Year

• Kohanna Lewis – What if Icarus and Prometheus had succeeded?