This Thursday we’re remembering when the Geography students went on a residential trip to Swanage at the beginning of March. The trip was an opportunity to develop the students fieldwork skills and to reinforce their curriculum concepts and case studies for Coasts and Changing Places, 2 of the units in the A Level course. Despite atrocious weather the group were in great spirits and worked with enthusiasm over the 2 days. Students were challenged to develop their understanding of a place’s characteristics in a study in Boscombe and to reflect on the contrasts between how the media represents the town and the reality for residents that live there. The issues are complex and the students showed great maturity in understanding and identifying a very contrasting place to their local study.
Vice Principal, Louise Henderson, said “Our coastal fieldwork had to be modified as we saw firsthand the impact of the weather and the closure of Swanage beach on the northern side that prevented our fieldwork due to the landslides that had collapsed onto the beach just days prior. This could not have been more topical as we had just studied mass movement in class the week before and the students were keen to view the landslides at a safe distance behind the safety closure tape. This did not prevent us completing beach profiles on the shallower beach section, and there was a constant dash of students moving off the beach between the wave breaks to stay dry. It caused huge amusement when we finally grouped together as Mr Chambers did not see a large wave heading towards him which he didn’t have time to outrun! The trip has now given the students some real insight into the types of techniques they can use for their non-examined assessment that they will be choosing in the summer term.”
On Thursdays we will be remembering back to some of the events that took place before College closed and learning moved online. Today, we’re remembering back to Friday 13 March 2020, Brain Day at S6C – we had Neuroscientist Dr Stutton in College giving insightful talks to our Psychology Students in both Year 12 and 13.
Students looked at the effects of addiction on the brain and also factors that play a role in schizophrenia – they learnt that there is research which suggests having a dog, especially one that licks your face, can act as a protective factor against the development of it!
The most notable part of the day was the sheep brain dissection where they were able to handle parts of the brain and look at the similarities in the structure to a human brain.
Thank you to Psychology teacher, Kirsty White, for arranging this fascinating day for the students.
Since schools and colleges were told to close, the College building has been shut but S6C students continue to attend timetabled lessons online from home using Google Meet and Google Classroom and a combination of synchronous and asynchronous teaching. Maths teacher, Phil Greenwood, has even taken a whiteboard home so he can continue teaching via webcam! S6C students are all familiar with Google Classroom as teachers use it in ordinary College life to share resources and set assignments; it encourages independent study by allowing students to access work from home to continue their learning outside of the classroom and to submit assignments online. Now teaching is online, S6C teachers are using timetabled live video webcasts to run classes where they continue to pose questions to students as they would in class to ensure there are no gaps in knowledge going into Year 13. Until very recently, Year 13 students were also attending online lessons which enabled them to stay engaged with their studies and continue to prepare for their next step at either university, an apprenticeship or employment.
Principal Simon Firth says “We’re doing online quizzes, interactive lessons with Jamboard and even running our Clubs & Societies programme with online versions of Gaming Society, Film Club and sporting activities. Our Tutorial Programme is also continuing online with tutors meeting with students via Google Meet where they discuss targets, attendance and wellbeing.” Student engagement has been high and one student said “I enjoy online lessons as it enables us to crack on with work in our own comfortable environment and work in our own way” another said “It’s been great so far but I miss being with my friends and classmates.”
In Business A Level, Catherine Pennington challenged her students to develop a Business Plan for a new start-up firm and then face her in The Den for some gruelling questions. First Year student Thomas Green said “I loved doing this task, as it just helps bring out the creativity in people and I want to be able to express myself through my subjects. I’ve learnt a lot about building a business over the past few months so it was nice to be able to put it in an actual plan”
The students worked with business partners of their choice to create a plan worthy of potential implementation. Catherine felt it was an awesome way for young people to express a “can do” attitude, and encouraged her students to use the recording of their Business Plan Review in a digital CV when they are ready to find work or put their plan into action.
Later this term we will have our second online Development Day, this day will focus on career planning. The day will be held virtually using pre-recorded videos and live sessions on Google Meet. Students will hear from universities, ASK Apprenticeship service and local employers. There will be a focus on researching your options after Level 3 study with specific guidance on using online resources at a time when events on site cannot take place. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions directly to university representatives and watch videos from a variety of employers made specifically for our students to introduce them to a wide range of employment sectors.
See what our students have to say about online teaching on our Facebook page.
All of us in the Salisbury community have been affected by the Coronavirus and it is heartwarming to hear all the stories of people coming together to make a difference. At S6C students have been reaching out to see what help they can provide; students are completing their full college programme whilst working in care homes, working and volunteering at the hospital, and even joining the first responder unit. Working in a care home, Alice says “During this crisis I’m continuing my studies by logging onto video calls, attending all the lessons I can while attempting to maintain some normality. In terms of helping my community I’m continuing going to work at a dementia care home on the weekends, however I am picking up extra shifts to help out and keep all residents company. I think it’s important to carry on trying to support anyone who is struggling with this unusual time and let them know they are not alone. We can get through it if we all work together.” Staff at S6C are incredibly proud of the students – some of whom are also providing essential services in supermarkets and helping with childcare at home.
To find out more, please contact:
Simon Firth, Principal, S6C sfirth@salisbury6c.ac.uk
On Thursday we’ll be remembering back to good news events that happened at the College before we had to close our doors. Today we’re remembering back to Friday 6 March when S6C students and staff celebrated International Women’s Day with an afternoon of workshops, talks & discussions. The theme for this year was #Each4Equal encouraging everyone to play their part in striving for gender equality. Students participated in small, student-led discussion groups exploring topics such as; practical ideas for committing to gender equality, identifying positive female role models, linking gender equality to students’ academic and vocational subjects, analysing how gender equality is or isn’t reflected in favourite TV shows and films, and identifying gender stereotypes in the media and employment. This was followed by a talk from Maths teacher, Vivien White, who spoke about her career as an engineer and professional skipper and the inequality she faced in a male dominated sector. There was a real buzz about the day and it was agreed that the message of everyone striving together for equality is key because it’s unacceptable for gender to be a barrier.
This month Salisbury 6th Form College (S6C) is challenging its students to stay healthy, happy and raise some money for the NHS with a 30 day health and fitness challenge. A new challenge is uploaded each day on the Sport course’s Instagram account to keep their students and the community active during lockdown. The daily challenges include exercise, recipes and mindfulness activities and it kicks off today with a 5k walk/run challenge to raise money for the NHS. If you are looking for new things to do while the schools and colleges continue to be closed, follow @sport_s6c on Instagram to get daily suggestions of how to keep healthy and happy. Sports teacher Emma Thompson says “It’s so important for everyone to look after their physical and mental health right now so hopefully this challenge will help to give everyone some new fun ideas of things to try out each day! It would be great to see students and the local community getting involved and sharing their attempts so we can all stay connected, happy and healthy during the lockdown.”
S6C social media is posting everyday across all channels and accounts so we encourage you to follow and engage as it will also give you a sense of what staff and students are doing with learners:
Due to the current advice from the Government surrounding Covid-19 we have taken the decision to postpone scheduled interviews for entry in September 2020.
This will not affect your application to S6C so please do not worry.
Everybody who has an interview scheduled will be contacted after the Easter holidays with the next steps.
