Friday 03 March 2023 

Our week of mock exams is nearly over but let’s not forget there is an Art exam on Monday morning. Well done to everyone for working so hard. We all know how tough exams can be and I am so proud of our students for their resilience, determination and enthusiasm for their chosen subjects.

Our focus this term continues to be attendance and punctuality; our teaching and learning group are identifying ways in which good practice can be shared and our work experience group are busy ensuring all students have a meaningful work placement. We are also considering how to find time in our already really full timetable to increase tutor time and one-to-ones.

We are all very excited to be celebrating World Book Day at S6C! Albeit a week late due to mock exams, on Thursday 09 March there will be literature related activities throughout the day and both staff and students are being encouraged to dress up as a character from a book. We are also asking students to submit a photo of themselves reading in an ‘unusual place’ (obviously avoiding anything dangerous!)

Looking ahead we have our parents coffee morning on Friday 10 March. I would be delighted if you could join me for an informal chat from 08.30am to 10.30am and if anyone would like to have a look round, we would be happy to provide a short tour of the college.  

If your financial circumstances have changed since joining S6C and you feel you may be eligible for a bursary, please complete the form in the attached link.

Regards

Ben

Fine Art and Photography  

Sophie Bellars – Teacher of Fine Art and Photography

Year 13 Fine Art and Photography students have started their externally set assignment. They now have 13 weeks (including holidays) to complete a wide range of experiments and development of ideas that will lead towards their 15 hour exam. The dates are:

PHOTOGRAPHY 

19 April, 20 April, 24 April

FINE ART 

25 April, 26 April, 27 April

National Careers Week – 06 to 11 March

Rosie Roberts – Careers Officer

“National Careers Week (NCW) is a one-week celebration of careers guidance (and education). Our aim is to provide a focus for careers guidance activity at an important stage in the academic calendar to help support young people develop awareness and excitement about their future pathways.” (https://nationalcareersweek.com/)

At S6C there will be a focus in lessons on careers that link to the curriculum and what the labour market looks like for those careers. Students will be able to discuss with their teachers where their subjects could lead to and how important skills and knowledge they’re gaining now will benefit their future career.

There is a publication just for parents about National Careers Week which has comprehensive information about future options. It’s called The Parents’ Guide to NCW 2023 and you can access it here: The Parents’ Guide to NCW 2023

As well as the careers in the curriculum discussions taking place in lessons, we will have a visiting speaker in Study Skills lessons from 13 to 17 March to talk about Labour Market Information: What is it? Where can you find it? And how can you use it? All Year 12s will benefit from this talk.

This week forms part of the bigger careers programme which happens throughout the year at S6C and you can learn more about what we do or submit feedback on the careers programme on our website here: https://www.salisbury6c.ac.uk/students/careers/

Life Skills

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

In Life Skills, Year 12 are continuing with their pathway on Community and Values and Year 13 are still Looking Ahead to a more independent life. With these focus areas in mind, everyone has had a chance to think about the political spectrum, the values that define modern Britain and make it a safe place for all, about the nature and danger of radicalisation, and about LGBTQ+ history (which we celebrate in February, and throughout the rest of the year). Year 13 have also had a talk and discussion on online influence, and have been encouraged to choose their role models and online inspirations as. carefully as they would choose their friends. Year 12 have had additional support from their tutors in choosing a work experience placement which will really benefit them. Students have had a chance to feedback their thoughts and take home points on all these issues, and we are in dialogue with them as they shape their ideas. We encourage them to base their ideas on sound evidence alongside open mindedness, and to share them with sensitivity. We take opportunities to address any misconceptions, misunderstandings, or potentially unhelpful ideologies, in the course of our main sessions or with individuals. It is a real privilege to be working with a group of young people who are reflective and keen to learn, willing to stand up for what is right, and always looking out for each other’s welfare. Please do get in touch if you would like to talk with us about any of these issues or would like to know in more details what has been covered.

1:1s

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

Every term, every student should be seen by their tutor for a 20 minute Performance Review appointment for a chat about their attendance, progress, development of skills and experiences, online safety, personal development, citizenship, and wellbeing. Young people should remind their tutors if they are yet to be seen and must make themselves available at a time that works for their tutor. This is an amazing opportunity for us to get to know our young people and for them to feel seen and heard and supported. We can put a huge amount in place to help academically, personally, financially – and for emotional, physical and mental health – but only if we know. Please keep in touch with us – we really value direct communication with parents and carers and students.

S6C v Marlborough College 

Luke Muchmore – Teacher of Sport

The S6C football team played a spirited match against Marlborough College last week, with goals from Callum Wohler and Lewis Elshaw. The match ended in a respectable 2-2 draw, with a special guest appearance from former England and Arsenal Captain Tony Adams.

Friday 24 February 2023 

I hope that everyone had a restful half term break and you are now ready for what is looking to be a very busy term!  

Next week and on Monday 06 March, Year 13 will be sitting their mock exams. I have attached the timetable and wish all our students the best of luck. Students are expected to attend lessons when they aren’t in an exam so that their teachers can help with revision and exam preparation.  

February Mock Exam Timetable

Our focus this term continues to be attendance and punctuality plus we have recently established a teaching and learning group to consider teaching and learning initiatives and to identify ways in which good practice can be shared. Another area where we have listened to feedback and taken action is in the development of a work experience group, who are meeting to ensure we are enabling all students to have a meaningful work placement.  

Below you will see an advert for parent governors. This is a brilliant opportunity for our parents to become involved in S6C, our vision and educational performance. It is really important for parents to be involved plus you don’t need any prior experience of sitting on a board so if you are interested and want to know more, please feel free to contact me and I will be delighted to discuss things further.  

Looking ahead we have our parents coffee morning on Friday 10 March. I would be delighted if you could join me for an informal chat from 08.30am to 10.30am and if anyone would like to have a look round, we would be happy to provide a short tour of the college.  

Regards

Ben

Change Your Mind

Catherine Pennington – Mental Health Lead and Programme Coordinator

Just before half term, the Change Your Mind Team delivered their second assembly in a series of three, all based around Healthy Relationships. This assembly on Managing Conflict was delivered to Year 7 at Wyvern St Edmund’s. Working towards either Bronze, Silver or Gold awards in Mental Health and Wellbeing, the Change Your Mind Team are doing exceptionally well working together and supporting each other. I am immensely proud of these young people who are our future and shaping healthy minds of today. Well done Team CYM!

Lessons from Auschwitz

Sally Tye – Teacher of History

Before half term four History students took part in the ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ project which aims to ensure that the chilling memory of the Holocaust is not lost as we begin to outlive its final survivors. Students not only heard testimony from a survivor but went on a transformative trip to Auschwitz in Poland to bear witness to the tragedy on these sites, concluding with a memorial held by a Rabbi from London, who shared his story. Miranda Perry commented ‘that it is now our time to stop the spread of hate and to remember the victims of the Holocaust…Whilst this trip was melancholy, Poland was cold and I had to wake up at 2am to get to the airport in time, I truly believe that it was an important and educational experience so that the Holocaust and Auschwitz can never be forgotten’.

Ozzie Goodman noted: ‘My trip to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp on 9 February 2023 was an utterly unique experience, not one I would say I enjoyed, but one I was glad to experience nonetheless. Travelling to and through Poland and the town of Oświęcim was physically difficult (particularly because of the 4am flight), but the camp itself was a much more mentally demanding activity. The visit was a very emotional one, but I wouldn’t feel confident accurately describing how I felt, unsurprisingly so in a place where over a million people were murdered. It was akin to some combination of horror, disgust and a staggering sense of the scale. At Auschwitz Birkenau my first thoughts were about the size of the death-camp, especially the buildings that housed the prisoners, rows and rows of which stretched on as far as you could see in one direction, the reality of which stretched even further than the visible tree-line. Not just the scale, but the conditions of each and every building was terrifying. Our guide for the experience put it into better words than I could, that “we were bearing witness” to what happened in these places, so that it would not be forgotten. As such, I urge you to visit such a place for yourself and “bear witness”, it’s the only real way to understand what I mean.’

Art Exhibition

Sophie Bellars – Teacher of Fine Art and Photography

You can still see our Year 12 student’s work at the Young Gallery (above Salisbury Library), where they are exhibiting as part of the Salisbury Schools Exhibition, but hurry, the exhibition closes on 25 February.

LGBTQ Month

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

February is LGBTQ History Month and we will be marking this in life skills, tutor sessions, on the plasma screen and in all subjects. http://voicesandvisibility.org.uk/

Fine Art and Photography  

Sophie Bellars – Teacher of Fine Art and Photography

Year 13 Fine Art and Photography students have started their externally set assignment. They now have 13 weeks (including holidays) to complete a wide range of experiments and development of ideas that will lead towards their 15 hour exam. The dates are:

PHOTOGRAPHY 

19 April, 20 April, 24 April

FINE ART 

25 April, 26 April, 27 April

Badminton Club

Andrew Lomas – Teacher of Sociology

A great turnout for badminton club this week!

Friday 10 February 2023 

This week we have been taking part in National Apprenticeship Week. Students and parents were invited to attend a virtual broadcast of an Apprenticeship Showcase held by the Swindon and Wiltshire Careers Hub and Amazing Apprenticeships provided a series of short films covering 12 school subjects and the many apprenticeship roles they link with. Our students have been accessing and discussing these films in their lessons. 

https://amazingapprenticeships.com/think-apprenticeships-films/

https://amazingapprenticeships.com/resource/school-subject-posters/

Our students continue to work hard in their studies, both at S6C and beyond the classroom, and we are focusing on attendance and punctuality to help our students understand that being on time is also an important part of their college experience. We know that being late is sometimes unavoidable but we would like our students to understand how being prompt shows respect and instils discipline and we feel it is a life skill that can be of huge benefit. Please encourage your young people to plan ahead, set their alarms and take an earlier bus so we can emphasise the message.   

Dates for your diary: half term runs from Monday 13 to Friday 17 February; Year 13 mock exams take place in the week commencing 27 February; parents coffee morning on Friday 10 March.   

Please have a restful half term holiday and I look forward to seeing our students on Monday 20 February.

Regards

Ben

MLP Parent Survey

Dear Parents and Carers

You will have been asked to complete the parent survey which has been issued to parents in all ten of our academies this month. A similar survey has been issued to staff and pupils. This is an essential part of our work as Trustees of Magna Learning Partnership. The results of the survey will help us determine where the strengths and the areas for improvement are in all our academies so, whilst it may seem a bit of a cliché, your views really are important to us. We would like as many parents as possible to complete the survey, which closes on 10 February (at the half term break). The link to complete it for your child’s academy can be found here:

MLP Parent Survey – January 2023

We will ensure that we provide you with feedback from the surveys before the Easter break.

Thank you for your support.

Neil Owen

Chair of Trustees

WANTED – Parent Governors to join our Governance Committee

Salisbury Sixth Form is looking for a parent governor to join its Academy Governance Committee. The Committee’s role is to provide focused governance for the college at a local level. It does this by supporting, challenging and encouraging in two principal areas: vision, ethos and strategic direction and educational performance. Your role will be to work with the other governors, using your own professional or community expertise, to benefit the school and enhance the experience and opportunities for our pupils.

If you are interested, please contact rjackson@magnalearningpartnership.org.uk for further information and an application form. 

Kind regards

Ben Hillier

Head of College

Trip to Tate Modern

Sophie Bellars – Teacher of Fine Art and Photography

Year 13 students visited Tate Modern on Wednesday. It was a great opportunity to engage with a huge array of artworks and to take photographs that could be used in exam preparation. The classes recently completed a major part of their A Level studies and handed their Personal Investigations in for assessment. We will be looking forward to exhibiting their work in the summer. 

Art Exhibition

Sophie Bellars – Teacher of Fine Art and Photography

Year 12 students are exhibiting their work at the Young Gallery as part of the Salisbury Schools Exhibition, with a private view on 10 February from 6.00pm. The work will be available to view over the next two weeks at the Young Gallery Salisbury, Market Place, Salisbury, SP1 1BL.

Football Team Update

Luke Muchmore – Teacher of Sport

The college football team played a well-contested fixture vs Bishops this week and drew 2-2. The S6C goals came from Alex Crowe and Dan Hassan-Zadeh. Player of the match went to centre-back Joe Gainey! We also debuted our new football shirts sponsored by Edwards Ford in Salisbury.

SPITFIRES BEGIN SPRING SEASON IN FINE FORM

Nathan David – Teacher of Esports

Our Salisbury Spitfires Esports teams came firing out the blocks in 2023 with some strong displays. Our newly-founded League of Legends roster started their Division 2 campaign in imperious form, comfortably beating Guildford College in rapid fashion. Spitfires Rocket League was up next, both continuing their good form with 3-0 victories. RL2 are looking for another mid-table finish in Division 1 with RL1 flexing their muscles in the National Division. RL1 are pitting themselves against the best in the UK and Ireland, with this match being played ‘across the pond’ against North West Regional College from the Republic of Ireland. The evening finished in a humbling fashion for our Overwatch team with a 0-3 loss vs close geographical neighbours Andover College. We now take an immediate competitive break for the Nations ‘half terms’ and we’ll be back in March.

Fine Art and Photography  

Sophie Bellars – Teacher of Fine Art and Photography

Year 13 Fine Art and Photography students have started their externally set assignment. They now have 13 weeks (including holidays) to complete a wide range of experiments and development of ideas that will lead towards their 15 hour exam. The dates are:

PHOTOGRAPHY 

19 April, 20 April, 24 April

FINE ART 

25 April, 26 April, 27 April

Photography

Craig Chambers – Assistant Head

Over the next few weeks, year 12 photography students will be looking at analogue black and white film photography and we would like to show a variety of film cameras to them. Please can we appeal to you to donate any old film cameras you might still have to this cause? 

Life Skills

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

In Life Skills Year 12 and Year 13 are moving on to the next section of their pathways. Year 12 will be looking at Community and Citizenship with discussion on topics including British values, radicalisation, politics and government, and the influence of Influencers. Year 13 will be Looking Ahead with a number of sessions on managing and planning personal finance; how to support yourself or those around you with issues such as mental health, domestic violence and bereavement, when you have less pastoral support available; and what to look out for when getting your own place (and at what point young adults should consider paying rent at home!) As ever, if you’d like to know more about the information and resources we share with our young people, or how we can support them, please do get in touch with Rebecca Anderson, Pastoral Lead.

Aspire to Excellence

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

Don’t forget our S6C Aspire to Excellence programme, which is open to all. We have identified opportunities which are free or under £10 to boost applications to university, employment and apprenticeships. Everyone should be doing something in the programme so please encourage your young person to talk to their tutor about what they would like to do.

Careers

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

A reminder that we can arrange additional careers appointments with our external careers advisor as well as with a range of staff. Any student needing to do an interview for apprenticeship, employment or university can come and see Rebecca to arrange some guidance and practice. And any student needing advice on volunteering, work experience, or wider engagement, to prepare for strong applications, should talk to their teachers, tutor or Rebecca as soon as they know what area they may be interested in. 

Friday 03 February 2023 

This week was the application deadline for entry in September 2023 and the numbers of young people wanting to study at S6C are better than ever. We are all incredibly proud of the quality of teaching here and the excellent results that our students achieve and when combined with the welcoming, friendly atmosphere, I believe we are able to offer our applicants a unique and rewarding experience and I am delighted that so many young people are choosing to study with us.        

Thank you to everyone who sent in food and other items for the Trussell Trust. We at S6C endeavour to support local charities as often as we can and your generosity is hugely appreciated.

On Monday a small group of our students met with Kathryn Podmore, an Education Consultant, who spent the day at S6C speaking to staff and students and conducting learning walks. Kathryn was very interested to learn the student’s views and her feedback will be invaluable as we consider and develop the ways in which we teach our courses.    

Next week is National Apprenticeships Week (please see details below) and other dates for your diary include an interview evening for prospective students on Tuesday 07 February, the MLP parent survey closes on Friday 10 February, half term runs from Monday 13 to Friday 17 February and Year 13 mock exams take place in the week commencing 27 February.  

Regards

Ben

MLP Parent Survey

Dear Parents and Carers

You will have been asked to complete the parent survey which has been issued to parents in all ten of our academies this month. A similar survey has been issued to staff and pupils. This is an essential part of our work as Trustees of Magna Learning Partnership. The results of the survey will help us determine where the strengths and the areas for improvement are in all our academies so, whilst it may seem a bit of a cliché, your views really are important to us. We would like as many parents as possible to complete the survey, which closes on 10 February (at the half term break). The link to complete it for your child’s academy can be found here:

MLP Parent Survey – January 2023

We will ensure that we provide you with feedback from the surveys before the Easter break.

Thank you for your support.

Neil Owen

Chair of Trustees

National Apprenticeship Week 06 to 12 February 2023

Rosie Roberts – Careers and Schools Liaison Officer

National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) aims to shine a light on the amazing work being done by apprentices, employers and their training providers across the country.

The theme this year is ‘Skills for Life’.

The week-long celebration of apprenticeships, taking place across England, will reflect on how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career and businesses to develop a talented workforce that is equipped with future-ready skills.

For more information about national events happening during the week please visit https://naw.appawards.co.uk/events

You can also keep up to date with the latest National Apprenticeship Week news by following @Apprenticeships and @AmazingAppsUK on Twitter and Apprenticeships Gov on LinkedIn.

Fine Art and Photography  

Sophie Bellars – Teacher of Fine Art and Photography

Year 13 Fine Art and Photography students started their externally set assignment on Wednesday. They now have 13 weeks (including holidays) to complete a wide range of experiments and development of ideas that will lead towards their 15 hour exam. The dates are:

PHOTOGRAPHY 

19 April, 20 April, 24 April

FINE ART 

25 April, 26 April, 27 April

Holocaust Memorial Day

Sally Tye – Faculty Lead Humanities

On Friday 27 January S6C students were honoured to be invited to contribute to the city’s commemoration event at the Guild Hall. Five student volunteers read orginial testimonies from survivors of a number of genocides including the Holocaust, the Rowandan Genocide and the Bosnian Genocide. Four of these students will also be taking part in the Lessons from Auschwitz project next month and be making their own journey to Poland. With the last few survivors of the holocaust dying and the unfortunate occurrence of subsequent genocides, educating our young people about these atrocities becomes a fundamental part of safeguarding our societies.

Speaker Miranda Perry writes: 

“Last Friday was Holocaust Memorial Day, which takes place every 27th of January with the theme this year being ‘Ordinary People’. The event took place in the Guild Hall and featured many incredible guest speakers, who all got to tell the stories of their family members, ordinary people, who went through the Holocaust themselves, as well as a choir performance and an educational video on the ten stages of genocide. During this event, I and four other S6C students read out testimonies from genocide survivors: Sir Ben Helfgott, Marie Chantal Uwamahoro and Nedžad Avdić, so that their stories and the genocides that they witnessed can never be forgotten. Despite the sombre circumstances and atmosphere, it will always be important to remember the events of the Holocaust, and other genocides, and continue educating the next generation, a message that everyone in the Guild Hall took to heart as the room was full.

Army Outreach Visit

Emma Thompson – Teacher of Sport

The Year 12 sports students spent Thursday afternoon with a team from the British Army, who delivered a careers presentation on all the different options there are within the Army including apprenticeships and funded university degrees. All the students then took part in an elite skills building session where their teamwork, communication and problem solving skills were put to the test.  

Harnham Water Meadows

Susan Murphy – Teacher of Geography

S6C geography students went for an afternoon visit to the Harnham Water Meadows this week. The volunteers at the trust gave them an excellent presentation about the historical purpose of the meadows and the local geography of the area. Following this, students got the opportunity to go out on to the meadows to be shown the ‘drowning’ in action. It was a fantastic opportunity to see how the history and geography of the local area can influence local conservation and biodiversity in the present.

Alumni Guest Speaker 

Sally Tye – Faculty Lead Humanities

This week WSE and S6C alumni Angus Archer came in to talk to philosophy students about studying at the university of Southampton and tips on preparing for exams. He also reluctantly admitted that Sally was right about almost everything!

Photography

Craig Chambers – Assistant Head

Over the next few weeks, year 12 photography students will be looking at analogue black and white film photography and we would like to show a variety of film cameras to them. Please can we appeal to you to donate any old film cameras you might still have to this cause? 

Life Skills

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

In Life Skills Year 12 and Year 13 are moving on to the next section of their pathways. Year 12 will be looking at Community and Citizenship with discussion on topics including British values, radicalisation, politics and government, and the influence of Influencers. Year 13 will be Looking Ahead with a number of sessions on managing and planning personal finance; how to support yourself or those around you with issues such as mental health, domestic violence and bereavement, when you have less pastoral support available; and what to look out for when getting your own place (and at what point young adults should consider paying rent at home!) As ever, if you’d like to know more about the information and resources we share with our young people, or how we can support them, please do get in touch with Rebecca Anderson, Pastoral Lead.

Aspire to Excellence

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

Don’t forget our S6C Aspire to Excellence programme, which is open to all. We have identified opportunities which are free or under £10 to boost applications to university, employment and apprenticeships. Everyone should be doing something in the programme so please encourage your young person to talk to their tutor about what they would like to do.

Careers

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

A reminder that we can arrange additional careers appointments with our external careers advisor as well as with a range of staff. Any student needing to do an interview for apprenticeship, employment or university can come and see Rebecca to arrange some guidance and practice. And any student needing advice on volunteering, work experience, or wider engagement, to prepare for strong applications, should talk to their teachers, tutor or Rebecca as soon as they know what area they may be interested in.

Friday 27 January 2023 

On Tuesday 24 January S6C hosted the Salisbury Apprenticeships Fair, the first time we have collaborated with The Salisbury Education & Business Partnership on such an event. We were absolutely delighted with how well received the fair was by both visitors and employers alike. 

Pupils from Leehurst Swan, Stonehenge, Wyvern St Edmund’s, St Joseph’s, Trafalgar, Sarum, Bishops Wordsworth, South Wiltshire Grammar School and the WASP all enjoyed a welcome briefing in our Theatre and then they had the opportunity to meet staff from DSTL, RAF, Salisbury Reds, GoSkydive, Wiltshire Council, A Plan Insurance, JAS hair, Sheldrake Training, Sopra Steria, Alabare, Roche Court, Moore Accountants, Scarce Architects, Work Wiltshire, 3D Learning, SSE, Steve Vick, The University of Winchester and SDH Hospital. 

Throughout the day S6C students visited the fair and it was hugely encouraging to see so many young people taking an interest and engaging with employers and having very mature conversations about what their next steps might be. 

The local employers were really brilliant, capturing the imaginations of everyone they spoke to and there were a number of employers based at Wiltshire College who came to S6C in the evening including Babcock, Chemring, Wiltshire Creative, Wessex Archaeology, The Army, Wiltshire College, Aspire and Work Wiltshire. We were so pleased to see such a large number of our parents in attendance, along with parents and teachers of local school children. 

The atmosphere all day was incredibly positive and the event affirmed our commitment to giving our students and the wider community a high quality careers education along with promoting local businesses and the wealth of opportunities that are available. I would like to thank everyone who took part who made the day such a success and to all the members of staff who worked so hard on the day.     

WSE Year 10 student: “I LOVED speaking to all the employers, everyone was super friendly. I think this was a great idea and I really enjoyed it (and I got gifts to remember – bonus!). Everyone made the day very enjoyable today. Thank you.”

As you may be aware, one of the teaching unions has voted to take strike action on Wednesday 01 February. I would like to reassure you that S6C will remain open that day and we will be ensuring that disruption is kept to a minimum. Any members of staff who are absent will have set work for their students on Google Classroom but we do not anticipate a large number of absences at present.  

Dates for the diary include an Aspire to Excellence meeting on Monday 30 January at 12.15pm, an Army Officer Lead Recruiter will be on site on Tuesday 31 January from midday, and finally, the deadline for applications for 2023 entry is Tuesday 31 January. 

Regards

Ben

MLP Parent Survey

Dear Parents and Carers

You will have been asked to complete the parent survey which has been issued to parents in all ten of our academies this month. A similar survey has been issued to staff and pupils. This is an essential part of our work as Trustees of Magna Learning Partnership. The results of the survey will help us determine where the strengths and the areas for improvement are in all our academies so, whilst it may seem a bit of a cliché, your views really are important to us. We would like as many parents as possible to complete the survey, which closes on 10 February (at the half term break). The link to complete it for your child’s academy can be found here:

MLP Parent Survey – January 2023

We will ensure that we provide you with feedback from the surveys before the Easter break.

Thank you for your support.

Neil Owen

Chair of Trustees

The Trussell Trust collection trays will be in our foyer all next week. Please send in your donations to support our local food bank and help people locked in poverty. 

Jobs Live Apprenticeship Showcase: Thursday 02 February

The Swindon and Wiltshire Careers Hub are holding an Apprenticeship Showcase event in the form of a virtual broadcast, on the Jobs Live platform. 

If you haven’t experienced a Jobs Live event before, students and parents can join from individual devices or from a teacher’s computer – watching the content on the classroom whiteboard. 

The broadcast will be live between 9am and 10am and then available on demand all day so that you can play it and ask the exhibitors questions at any point during the day.

Register here to attend for FREE: https://jobsliveuk.com/partner/swindon-and-wiltshire-lep/

National Apprenticeship Week 

Rosie Roberts – Careers and Schools Liaison Officer

National Apprenticeship Week – 06 to 12 February 2023

National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) aims to shine a light on the amazing work being done by apprentices, employers and their training providers across the country.

The theme this year is ‘Skills for Life’.

The week-long celebration of apprenticeships, taking place across England, will reflect on how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career and businesses to develop a talented workforce that is equipped with future-ready skills.

S6C will be hosting talks from apprentices and apprenticeship employers on 08 February for Year 13 and 22 February for Year 12. For more information about national events happening during the week please visit www.appawards.co.uk

You can also keep up to date with the latest National Apprenticeship Week news by following @Apprenticeships and @AmazingAppsUK on Twitter and Apprenticeships Gov on LinkedIn.

https://naw.appawards.co.uk/events

Photography

Craig Chambers – Assistant Head

Over the next few weeks, year 12 photography students will be looking at analogue black and white film photography and we would like to show a variety of film cameras to them. Please can we appeal to you to donate any old film cameras you might still have to this cause? 

Life Skills

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

In Life Skills Year 12 and Year 13 are moving on to the next section of their pathways. Year 12 will be looking at Community and Citizenship with discussion on topics including British values, radicalisation, politics and government, and the influence of Influencers. Year 13 will be Looking Ahead with a number of sessions on managing and planning personal finance; how to support yourself or those around you with issues such as mental health, domestic violence and bereavement, when you have less pastoral support available; and what to look out for when getting your own place (and at what point young adults should consider paying rent at home!) As ever, if you’d like to know more about the information and resources we share with our young people, or how we can support them, please do get in touch with Rebecca Anderson, Pastoral Lead.

Aspire to Excellence

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

Don’t forget our S6C Aspire to Excellence programme, which is open to all. We have identified opportunities which are free or under £10 to boost applications to university, employment and apprenticeships. Everyone should be doing something in the programme so please encourage your young person to talk to their tutor about what they would like to do.

Careers

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

A reminder that we can arrange additional careers appointments with our external careers advisor as well as with a range of staff. Any student needing to do an interview for apprenticeship, employment or university can come and see Rebecca to arrange some guidance and practice. And any student needing advice on volunteering, work experience, or wider engagement, to prepare for strong applications, should talk to their teachers, tutor or Rebecca as soon as they know what area they may be interested in.

Friday 20 January 2023 

S6C is extremely excited to be hosting the Salisbury Apprenticeships Fair on Tuesday 24 January. This is the first time we have collaborated with The Salisbury Education & Business Partnership on such an event and it will be a brilliant opportunity for our students to network with local employers. S6C students have been given information on when they are able to visit the fair during the day and if you would like to come along between 5pm and 7pm please click on the link to reserve your place. We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday 24 January. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/apprenticeship-and-careers-fair-tickets-478148163027

A huge well done to all of our students who showed fantastic commitment, focus and maturity during the vocational unit exams over the last two weeks. We are very proud of everyone and results will be released on 15 March for CTEC (Sport, H&SC, Applied Science) and 23 March for BTEC (Business & Applied Law). 

On Thursday 26 January we are offering another family tour day and an Army Officer Lead Recruiter will be on site on 31 January (postponed from last week). 

And finally, the deadline for applications for 2023 entry is Tuesday 31 January. If you or anyone you know is thinking of applying, there is just over one week to go!

Regards

Ben

National Apprenticeship Week 

Rosie Roberts – Careers and Schools Liaison Officer

National Apprenticeship Week – 06 to 12 February 2023

National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) aims to shine a light on the amazing work being done by apprentices, employers and their training providers across the country.

The theme this year is ‘Skills for Life’.

The week-long celebration of apprenticeships, taking place across England, will reflect on how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career and businesses to develop a talented workforce that is equipped with future-ready skills.

S6C will be hosting events in the lead up to the week, which will include a Yr 13 talk from Mike Holliday from ASK Apprenticeships on how to apply for apprenticeships, the Apprenticeships Fair for all students and parents on Tuesday 24 January and talks from apprentices and apprenticeship employers on 08 February for Year 13 and 22 February for Year 12. For more information about national events happening during the week please visit naw.appawards.co.uk

You can also keep up to date with the latest National Apprenticeship Week news by following @Apprenticeships and @AmazingAppsUK on Twitter and Apprenticeships Gov on LinkedIn.

Photography

Craig Chambers – Assistant Head

Over the next few weeks, year 12 photography students will be looking at analogue black and white film photography and we would like to show a variety of film cameras to them. Please can we appeal to you to donate any old film cameras you might still have to this cause?

Mock University Interviews

Rosie Roberts – Careers and Schools Liaison Officer

Mike Walsh from the University of Bath conducted mock university interviews for some of our Year 13s on Tuesday 17 Jan. He gave the following really positive feedback:
“Thank you for having me down [to S6C], it was amazing to see the passion your students showed and the incredible efforts they have gone to to get extra experience outside the classroom which will be invaluable! Please let them all know that I wish them all the best with their upcoming interviews!
For the student who I didn’t get to see:
• Take a deep breath before answering
• If it’s a two-part question focus on the first part and then if you can’t remember the second part don’t be scared to ask them to repeat
• When answering remember to give an Answer show the Proof and Explain how that’s relevant to the course (APE)
• It’s just a conversation about a common interest
• If you fidget this can distract the interview from your answers so hold your hands together if you need too. 
• Smile and remember they are just people too!”

Alabare

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

Alabare send a huge thank you to S6C students and community for the Christmas gift donations. When we dropped them off they said that the selection and range of gifts was perfect. They also loved the snowflake pompoms which students had been making in our foyer and there were enough to fully decorate a room for festive celebrations. Please look out for details of The Alabare Big Sleep under the stars in Cathedral Close, which we will be supporting this year so that we can be part of a Wiltshire wide community that cares for the homeless and vulnerably housed of all ages, mothers and babies needing extra support, those with learning disabilities, and armed forces veterans needing a home.

Life Skills

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

In Life Skills Year 12 and Year 13 are moving on to the next section of their pathways. Year 12 will be looking at Community and Citizenship with discussion on topics including British values, radicalisation, politics and government, and the influence of Influencers. Year 13 will be Looking Ahead with a number of sessions on managing and planning personal finance; how to support yourself or those around you with issues such as mental health, domestic violence and bereavement, when you have less pastoral support available; and what to look out for when getting your own place (and at what point young adults should consider paying rent at home!) As ever, if you’d like to know more about the information and resources we share with our young people, or how we can support them, please do get in touch with Rebecca Anderson, Pastoral Lead.

Aspire to Excellence

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

Don’t forget our S6C Aspire to Excellence programme, which is open to all. We have identified opportunities which are free or under £10 to boost applications to university, employment and apprenticeships. Everyone should be doing something in the programme so please encourage your young person to talk to their tutor about what they would like to do.

Careers

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

A reminder that we can arrange additional careers appointments with our external careers advisor as well as with a range of staff. Any student needing to do an interview for apprenticeship, employment or university can come and see Rebecca to arrange some guidance and practice. And any student needing advice on volunteering, work experience, or wider engagement, to prepare for strong applications, should talk to their teachers, tutor or Rebecca as soon as they know what area they may be interested in.

Friday 13th January

We have had a busy first full week back, with Vocational Technical Qualifications (VTQ) exams taking place in Health and Social Care, Applied Science, Applied Law, Sport and Business. Good luck to everyone taking part! 

This week our external careers advisor has been in college, helping our students with their post 18 options. There are a wealth of choices for young people now and we understand how overwhelming it can be so if you need some advice please make use of all the resources available so that you can make the most informed choices.

On Monday and Tuesday, we welcomed colleagues from Woking and Farnborough Colleges who conducted an External Quality Review (EQR) in the areas of personal development and careers. I am delighted to report that both of our visitors commented on the supportive culture and welcoming atmosphere at the college. They found our students well behaved, articulate and friendly and there was a lot of positive feedback. A number of useful ideas emerged from the visit which we are eager to implement so that we can strengthen our personal development and careers provision.   

DC7 reports for year 13 students have been sent to parents and GCSE resit results have been published. I hope that everyone has achieved the results they wanted but if there is anyone who has been disappointed please talk to your tutor or someone at the college for support. 

Don’t forget the following important dates for your diary: Yr 12 assessment week commencing Monday 16 January and University Mock Interview Day on Tuesday 17 January. We have an army officer lead recruiter on site on Thursday 19 January and an apprenticeship and careers fair on Tuesday 24 January. On Thursday 26 January we are offering another family tour day and applications close for 2023 entry on Tuesday 31 January. 

And finally, if your child’s lesson has had to be cancelled due to staff illness there will always be work on their google classroom for them to complete.

Regards

Ben

National Apprenticeship Week 

Rosie Roberts – Careers and Schools Liaison Officer

National Apprenticeship Week – 06 to 12 February 2023

National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) aims to shine a light on the amazing work being done by apprentices, employers and their training providers across the country.

The theme this year is ‘Skills for Life’.

The week-long celebration of apprenticeships, taking place across England, will reflect on how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career and businesses to develop a talented workforce that is equipped with future-ready skills.

S6C will be hosting events in the lead up to the week, which will include a Yr 13 talk from Mike Holliday from ASK Apprenticeships on how to apply for apprenticeships, the Apprenticeships Fair for all students and parents on Tuesday 24 January and talks from apprentices and apprenticeship employers on 08 February for Year 13 and 22 February for Year 12. For more information about national events happening during the week please visit naw.appawards.co.uk

You can also keep up to date with the latest National Apprenticeship Week news by following @Apprenticeships and @AmazingAppsUK on Twitter and Apprenticeships Gov on LinkedIn.

APPRENTICESHIPS AND CAREERS FAIR
24 JANUARY 2023
5-7PM

Student Enrichment

Emma Thompson – Teacher of Sport

Clubs and societies are as popular as ever with an eclectic mix of activities available for students and staff to join. This term there are sign-up sheets for Art Projects, Badminton, Basketball, Book Club, Christian Community, Curation Project, Drama, Environmental, Esports & Gaming, Football, Gym, Knitting, Netball, Photography, 

Psychology, STEM, Young Activists Club, Video & Board Games and Volunteering. We also welcome suggestions for new clubs and students can run their own club if they wish. 

Student Enrichment

Sally Tye – Faculty Lead (Humanities)

This week, students taking part in the curation project were looking at treasures from the waterways which ran through the middle of Salisbury in the medieval period. Even some tiny scissors have survived!

Aspire to Excellence

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

Don’t forget our S6C Aspire to Excellence programme, which is open to all. We have identified opportunities which are free or under £10 to boost applications to university, employment and apprenticeships. Everyone should be doing something in the programme so please encourage your young person to talk to their tutor about what they would like to do.

Careers

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

A reminder that we can arrange additional careers appointments with our external careers advisor as well as with a range of staff. Any student needing to do an interview for apprenticeship, employment or university can come and see Rebecca to arrange some guidance and practice. And any student needing advice on volunteering, work experience, or wider engagement, to prepare for strong applications, should talk to their teachers, tutor or Rebecca as soon as they know what area they may be interested in. 

Monday 09 January 2023 

Welcome to the S6C Spring Term! I hope you have all had a restful break and are looking forward to tackling the challenges of the new term. The beginning of a new year is always the perfect opportunity to reflect and consider how we can build on previous successes and all of us at S6C are excited to be entering 2023 with such a positive foundation to build on.     

We begin the term with Vocational Technical Qualifications (VTQ) exams. A letter has been sent to everyone involved but if you need any more information or help please talk to our Exams Officer Lisa Lucas. 

This week we are welcoming colleagues from Woking and Farnborough Colleges who will be conducting an External Quality Review (EQR) in the areas of personal development and careers. The EQR system is invaluable in allowing peer observation, the outcomes of which help us to provide the best possible experience for our students.   

DC7 reports for year 13 students will be sent to parents on Thursday 12 January and GCSE resit results will be published on Thursday 12 January – good luck to everyone waiting for their results! 

Looking ahead, some other notable dates for your diary include Yr 12 assessment week commencing Monday 16 January and University Mock Interview Day on Tuesday 17 January. We have an army officer lead recruiter on site on Thursday 19 January and an apprenticeship and careers fair on Tuesday 24 January. On Thursday 26 January we are offering another family tour day and applications close for 2023 entry on Tuesday 31 January. 

Please be aware that we do have a small amount of staff absence at the moment. If your child’s lesson has had to be cancelled due to staff illness there will always be work on their google classroom for them to complete.

Regards

Ben

National Apprenticeship Week 

Rosie Roberts – Careers and Schools Liaison Officer

The 16th annual National Apprenticeship Week will take place from 6 to 12 February 2023.

National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) 2023 aims to shine a light on the amazing work being done by apprentices, employers and their training providers across the country.

The theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2023 is ‘Skills for Life’.

The annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships, taking place across England, will reflect on how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career and businesses to develop a talented workforce that is equipped with future-ready skills.

S6C will be hosting our own events in the lead up to the week, which will include a Yr 13 talk from Mike Holliday from ASK Apprenticeships on how to apply for apprenticeships, the Apprenticeships Fair for all students and parents on Tuesday 24 January and talks from apprentices and apprenticeship employers on 8 February for Year 13s and 22 February for Year 12s. For more information about national events happening during the week please visit naw.appawards.co.uk.

You can also keep up to date with the latest National Apprenticeship Week news by following @Apprenticeships and @AmazingAppsUK on Twitter and Apprenticeships Gov on LinkedIn.

Student Enrichment

Emma Thompson – Teacher of Sport

Clubs and societies are as popular as ever with an eclectic mix of activities available for students and staff to join. This term there are sign-up sheets for Art Projects, Badminton, Basketball, Book Club, Christian Community, Curation Project, Drama, Environmental, Esports & Gaming, Football, Gym, Knitting, Netball, Photography, 

Psychology, STEM, Young Activists Club, Video & Board Games and Volunteering. We also welcome suggestions for new clubs and students can run their own club if they wish. 

Student Enrichment

Sally Tye – Faculty Lead (Humanities)

Students started their curation project with Salisbury museum this week, starting with a 16th Century ‘witch bottle’!

Aspire to Excellence

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

Don’t forget our S6C Aspire to Excellence programme, which is open to all. We have identified opportunities which are free or under £10 to boost applications to university, employment and apprenticeships. Everyone should be doing something in the programme so please encourage your young person to talk to their tutor about what they would like to do.

Careers

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

A reminder that we can arrange additional careers appointments with our external careers advisor as well as with a range of staff. Any student needing to do an interview for apprenticeship, employment or university can come and see Rebecca to arrange some guidance and practice. And any student needing advice on volunteering, work experience, or wider engagement, to prepare for strong applications, should talk to their teachers, tutor or Rebecca as soon as they know what area they may be interested in. 

Friday 09 December 

As we draw to the end of the Autumn term I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This half term has been hugely enjoyable at the College and I would like to thank everyone I have had contact with since starting in September. I have been made to feel so welcome by the community in every interaction I have had, showing what a wonderful place the College is to both work and study. Our students impress me every day as I walk around the site seeing the work that they are producing and we are all very proud of them. 

Our students have now all completed their mock exams and I would once again like to say well done to everyone for working so hard and behaving so responsibly in as near to proper exam conditions as possible. Thank you again to S6C staff for the tremendous team effort to organise what is a very tough week of exams. 

On Thursday we raised money for Save the Children by wearing our Christmas jumpers and other festive attire including Christmas tree headbands, Santa hats, bauble boppers, musical jumpers and lots of tinsel!

We still have a few places left on our tour day on Monday 12 December. If you know someone who is currently considering their post 16 options we would love to show them what we can offer. Go to https://www.salisbury6c.ac.uk/study-with-us/open-evenings/ to book a place.

The college will be closing for the Christmas break on Wednesday 14 December. Students will be expected to attend lessons in the morning then at 12.15pm there will be a whole college Christmas quiz and celebration in the lecture theatre.

We know that Christmas can be a difficult time for many different reasons. Below we have provided some links which we hope will be useful. I would like to wish everyone a happy and safe Christmas break and I look forward to seeing all of our students when term begins again on Wednesday 04 January.

Regards

Ben

S6C Christmas Community Project

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

S6C Christmas Community Project: Part One

Alabare have asked if we can donate inexpensive items that would make a lovely small practical Christmas gift for someone – chocolate selection box, chocolate coins, fluffy socks, christmassy toiletries, nice biscuits, hat, scarf etc.

There will be a box by the sliding doors for donations. Alabare run a series of support services in local towns and villages – for street homeless, homeless in temporary housing, sheltered housing for people with learning disabilities, mothers and babies in need, and military veterans.

If you can’t afford to donate something because you and your family are struggling then please speak to us so we can signpost support over Christmas. We all need to look after each other. 

S6C Christmas Community Project: Part Two

We are making decorations for Alabare’s Christmas celebrations in one of their houses/centres. Ask around in Year 12 and you will find someone who has been trained in how to make snowflake paper pompoms and they will show you what to do. There is a table in the foyer with the materials. Please give completed pompoms to Reception to go in the bag. 

Support contacts for over the Christmas period:

Childline advisors are available throughout Christmas and New Year, including on Christmas day if your young person needs to speak to a counsellor or talk to other young people on the message boards. If you feel you need any support to be put in place at the beginning of term in January, please email the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), Mrs Nicky Miller at nmiller@s6c.mlp.college or the Deputy DSL (DDSL), Mrs Rebecca Anderson at randerson@s6c.mlp.college.

Healthy Minds Wiltshire Young People – this is a local number that young people or their parents can ring for mental health advice or to arrange support. https://www.onyourmind.org.uk/children-and-young-people/

Children and Young People

www.onyourmind.org.uk

Here is a link to Warm and Safe Wiltshire who are supporting those unable to heat their homes sufficiently: https://www.warmandsafewiltshire.org.uk/

The Trussell Trust and Salisbury Pantry are available for anyone experiencing long or short term food poverty – please do also apply to our college Bursary if you are struggling.

SPITFIRES ROCKET LEAGUE REACH NATIONAL DIVISION

Nathan David – Teacher of Esports, Business and Media

A successful Winter period is now (almost) over for the Salisbury Spitfires. Each of the four finished teams have ended the Winter Split with positive records whilst we wait for a rescheduled Overwatch fixture. Valorant 1 and 2 finish with respectable 3-2 records in their Winter groups following a 10-13 defeat and 13-0 forfeit win, respectively. What lies ahead for Spitfires Valorant is yet to be seen but clear progress has been made since the start of the 2021 academic year. Both Rocket League teams earned Division 1 spots for the Winter Split and Rocket League 2 held their own amongst the ‘big guns’ again earning a 3-2 record. Rocket League 1 remains the jewel of the Spitfires crown however and following another 3-0 victory last night vs Kennet School, earned themselves a spot in the National Division for the Spring Split post-christmas with a 5-0 Group Stage record. Huge congratulations to all of the Spitfires players for their hard work and rewards for this split, we all look forward to seeing your progress in the Spring!

Aspire to Excellence

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

Don’t forget our S6C Aspire to Excellence programme, which is open to all. Parents and carers are encouraged to read the email we sent with details of opportunities (free or under £10) to boost applications to university, employment and apprenticeships. Students do not need to be doing everything we suggest, but everyone should be doing something. We are here to help with guidance and support so do encourage your young person to keep their tutor updated.

University Applications

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

If Year 13s are wanting to apply to university by the January 25th deadline then they really do need to get their applications ready asap so we have time to process them, which typically takes up to two working weeks. They should keep their tutors well informed about their intentions and progress. As ever, we are all here to help.

Careers

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

A reminder that we can arrange additional careers appointments with our external careers advisor as well as with a range of staff. Any student needing to do an interview for apprenticeship, employment or university can come and see Rebecca to arrange some guidance and practice. And any student needing advice on volunteering, work experience, or wider engagement, to prepare for strong applications, should talk to their teachers, tutor or Rebecca as soon as they know what area they may be interested in. The most important thing remains making excellent progress in subjects.

Student Enrichment

Knitting and Crochet Club – Christmas Project

Nicola Miller – Assistant Head of College

Every Wednesday at S6C the knitting and crochet club meets to work on their projects. We regularly have 15-20 students attending the group, with a range of skills from complete beginners to very competent knitters and crocheters. Knitting is a great way to socialise and relax and it is also a really useful skill!    

This term the club have been making mini Christmas stockings and other Christmas decorations, with the aim of making 60 stockings with treats inside for residents of the Wessex Care homes on Tollgate Road. If you fancy having a go, try websites like loveknitting.com for a free pattern. 

https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-gb/p/christmas-stockings-knitting-pattern-by-amanda-berry

https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-gb/p/mini-christmas-stocking-ornament-knitting-pattern-by-julie-williams

Student Enrichment

Baking Club

Sally Tye – Head of Humanities and RS

Baking club ended the year with festive Christmas gingerbread treats! Here are the amazing biscuits from Chloe, Mollie, Alida and Elise.