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.

Friday 02 December 

Nearly all of our students have now completed their mock exams. Well done to everyone for working so hard and behaving so responsibly and thank you to S6C staff for the tremendous team effort to organise what is a very tough week of exams. We still have Art and Business A Level mocks next week so for those of you who haven’t finished I have included the following useful advice on how to prepare for exams. If exam stress is affecting the wellbeing of our students, please remember that support is available from the team in college.

https://www.salisbury6c.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/S6C-Y13-Mock-Timetable-November-2022.pdf

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/children-and-young-adults/help-for-teenagers-young-adults-and-students/tips-on-preparing-for-exams/

This link is also excellent and focused on tips for coping with stress: https://www.themix.org.uk/work-and-study/study-and-exam-tips/exam-stress-1241.html

On Thursday 08 December we will be raising money for Save the Children by wearing our Christmas Jumpers. For those who don’t have a Christmas jumper, anything festive can be worn so don’t forget to dig out that tinsel and those flashing lights!

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.

Regards

Ben

EPQ

Rebecca Anderson – Teacher of English

Our EPQ students are making excellent progress with their research into a wide variety of topics – the potential impact of misogyny on the value of art, the effects of intergenerational trauma, strategies to improve performance in sport, the psychological effects of a cancer diagnosis and trends in weddings since 1900 and the way this links to societal change, to name just a few. Artefact projects will produce an original game design, a video essay on film making and an educational presentation on overcoming stereotypes of autism. One student is researching the environmental factors that affect our mental health and would appreciate as many responses as possible for this entirely anonymous survey. Students are encouraged to collect their own data, as well as researching and evaluating a wide range of academic sources, so please do take a few minutes to complete this. Thank you. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd0mCLaufQ-XEDJehQC3SXB6LL4a9DyjRpvQFBTAUDAooQ5ow/viewform?usp=sf_link

Aspire to Excellence

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

The S6C Aspire to Excellence programme has been launched and is open to all. Parents and carers are encouraged to read the email sent out this week 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.

Life Skills

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

Students in Year 13 are continuing on the Looking Ahead pathway, following their session on Cooking on a Budget – considering the impact of extremism and how it can be prevented, by discussing free speech and hate speech. They looked at materials from Let’s Talk About It, an organisation promoting unity to prevent terrorism, who can be contacted if anyone is concerned about radicalisation. https://www.ltai.info/

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.

Motiv8

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

Year 12 have had a talk from Motiv8 about managing risks associated with Drugs and Alcohol. Motiv8 offer non judgemental advice, with the line that there is no way of taking substances without any risk, but that students need to be well informed about how to minimise that risk if they do choose to take substances. Students in both year groups have access to the slides and contact details for getting support. Motiv8 can also be contacted by parents or carers for advice or referrals and have an excellent website offering support across a wide range of needs. https://www.thewrapdhi.org.uk/

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 meet 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 we have been working on 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 any of our families who knit or crochet at home would like to participate in this project please send in your Christmas stockings by Friday 09 December.

To find a free pattern please try websites such as loveknitting.com

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

We offer tours for anybody considering their post 16 options who would like to see our facilities and experience college life here at S6C. If you are interested in coming for a tour, please email our Admissions Officer Teresa Salmon at admissions@s6c.mlp.college.

For more information, check out our Open Events page.

Friday 25 November 

Mock exams for our Yr13 students start on Monday 28 November. Attached is the timetable and some really useful advice on how to prepare for exams. If exam stress is affecting the  wellbeing of our students, please remember that support is available from the team in college.

https://www.salisbury6c.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/S6C-Y13-Mock-Timetable-November-2022.pdf

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/children-and-young-adults/help-for-teenagers-young-adults-and-students/tips-on-preparing-for-exams/

This link is also excellent and focused on tips for coping with stress: https://www.themix.org.uk/work-and-study/study-and-exam-tips/exam-stress-1241.html

On Tuesday 22 November we held another successful open evening for prospective students, welcoming around 250 people to look round the college and learn more about post 16 options. 

On Thursday 01 December we are holding a virtual parents evening between 4pm and 6pm for year 12 students. Over the next week, staff will be contacting parents to book an appointment.

Don’t forget that we offer tours for anybody who is considering their post 16 options and would like to see our facilities and experience college life here at S6C. Our next tour day is on Monday 12 December. Please go to https://www.salisbury6c.ac.uk/study-with-us/open-evenings/ to book your place.

Regards

Ben

A request from an Extended Project Qualification student

Rebecca Anderson – Teacher of English

Our EPQ students are making excellent progress with their research into a wide variety of topics – the potential impact of misogyny on the value of art, the effects of intergenerational trauma, strategies to improve performance in sport, the psychological effects of a cancer diagnosis and trends in weddings since 1900 and the way this links to societal change, to name just a few. Artefact projects will produce an original game design, a video essay on film making, and an educational presentation on overcoming stereotypes of autism. One student is researching the environmental factors that affect our mental health and would appreciate as many responses as possible for this entirely anonymous survey. Students are encouraged to collect their own data, as well as researching and evaluating a wide range of academic sources, so please do take a few minutes to complete this. Thank you. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd0mCLaufQ-XEDJehQC3SXB6LL4a9DyjRpvQFBTAUDAooQ5ow/viewform?usp=sf_link

Abstraction

Sophie Bellars – Teacher of Fine Art and Photography

Year 12 Photography students have been exploring ‘Abstraction’ and have produced some interesting outcomes. The mini project has given them the opportunity to look carefully at their surroundings and practise using their camera settings. Using digital editing software is an essential part of the course yet sometimes the simplest of edits such as cropping can produce the best outcomes. Can you tell what these are?

S6C Change Your Mind Team

Catherine Pennington – Mental Health Lead

The S6C Change Your Mind Team delivered their first assembly to Year 7 at Wyvern St Edmund’s school. The team have been researching the five ways to well-being which is a mental health research study conducted by The New Economics Foundation for the government. The year group at WSE really enjoyed seeing former students come back to talk about How to be Happy and we plan to go back in the new year to deliver more fun mental health workshops on Healthy Relationships and Managing Conflict. The team are working towards either a Bronze, Silver or Gold award at the end of this course, so we wish them all the very best of luck. If you would like to find out more about the Five Ways to Well-being and boost your happiness, visit 5 steps to mental wellbeing – NHS

Careers

Rebecca Anderson – Teacher of English

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 meet 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 we have been working on 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 any of our families who knit or crochet at home would like to participate in this project please send in your Christmas stockings by Friday 09 December.

To find a free pattern please try websites such as loveknitting.com

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

Baking Club

Sally Tye – Head of Humanities and RS

This week the baking club tackled another frugal family dinner of chicken and bacon pie. Alana even made pastry from scratch which is an incredibly cost effective way to cook as ready-made pastry is twice the price. Here is a sweet version from Chloe, Elise and Alida.

Friday 18 November

This Monday I held a TEAMS presentation to explain the process of applying to university and discuss other post 18 options that are available. For parents who could not attend, there is a link to the presentation below. Please do get in touch by contacting Rebecca Anderson at randerson@s6c.mlp.college if you have any questions.

https://www.salisbury6c.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/Destinations-presentation-to-parents-Nov-2023.pdf

Mock exams for our Yr13 students start on Monday 28 November. Attached is the timetable and some really useful advice on how to prepare for exams. If exam stress is affecting the wellbeing of our students, support is available from the team in college.

https://www.salisbury6c.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/S6C-Y13-Mock-Timetable-November-2022.pdf

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/children-and-young-adults/help-for-teenagers-young-adults-and-students/tips-on-preparing-for-exams/

This link is also excellent and focused on tips for coping with stress: https://www.themix.org.uk/work-and-study/study-and-exam-tips/exam-stress-1241.html

A reminder that we are seeking a parent governor who will be able to work with us in shaping the college in the future. Please get in touch with Rachel Jackson, Governance Manager, at rjackson@magnalearningpartnership.org.uk if you would like to know more (closing date for completed application forms is 18 November 2022).

Don’t forget we are holding an open evening for new students on Tuesday 22 November from 5pm until 7:30pm. Please come along to meet our teaching staff, look round the college and learn more about post 16 options and what S6C can offer you.

Regards
Ben

Visiting Speaker Judge Morris

Susan Murphy – Teacher of Humanities

BTEC Law students had a visiting speaker in their class last Friday, the Recorder of Winchester, Judge Angela Morris. Judge Morris gave an amazing presentation to the students about her current role and career path. She had been a barrister for 20 years and took her robes and wig with her to show everyone; our students very much enjoyed trying these on for size! This was such a great opportunity for the Year 12 Law students to learn about legal careers and also enhance their knowledge of the criminal justice system. Hopefully this will be followed up by a class visit to Salisbury Law Courts later this term!

Sarum College Library

Sally Tye – Head of Humanities and RS

On Monday philosophy students were invited to visit Sarum College Library.

Sarum College is a theological college in Salisbury Cathedral Close, offering vocational training as well as higher education courses and evening and day courses. The library was founded in the 1860s and has around 50,000 books in the subject areas of theology, philosophy, ethics and religion. Students were able to join, borrow books and use the library to study at a greatly reduced fee. This was a fantastic opportunity for students to not only learn more about local history and how to use a library but will directly support their A level Study.

Life Skills

Rebecca Anderson – Teacher of English

Year 12 are continuing with the Be The Best Version of Yourself pathway and have had sessions and talks on the science and psychology behind happiness, safeguarding and how to do formal or informal risk assessments of common situations (walking home in the dark, going to an unsupervised party, doing your first long distance drive etc) to help them stay safe. We also talked about the importance of moving away from a culture that has traditionally accepted a number of unacceptable behaviours by others as ‘part of growing up’ (eg being harassed at work, especially in the hospitality industry, or turning a blind eye to prejudice and discrimination if it is presented as ‘banter’), to a society where we all take our share of responsibility and call out inappropriate interactions. The local Safe in Salisbury initiative is also keen to note that our society is finally moving away from a tendency to blame victims and we reassured students that those doing wrong are the ones in the wrong and so no one must keep quiet for fear they won’t be taken seriously. We gave examples of the sorts of things the safeguarding team can help with, and reassured them that support from the specially trained team is designed to be sensitive and practical. This week our session was interrupted by an internet outage but we are keen that students look at the material on how to develop an Open Mindset. There are some fascinating videos on the science behind this and some optical illusions to practice your skills – fun for all the family so do get them to show you!

Year 13 still has full support for their research and applications for their next steps and the recent talk will be available to stream if parents/carers would like further information. In Life Skills they are moving on to their next pathway, Looking Ahead. They started this with a session on cooking on a budget and have been encouraged to share the tips and recipes at home and to make a start making genuinely delicious, healthy and properly cheap food. This is a good opportunity to remind students and their families that our discretionary bursary is available and you can apply on our website. We can offer help with forms and uploading evidence so do get in touch if this is a barrier.

Careers

Rebecca Anderson – Teacher of English

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.

SPITFIRES ROCKET LEAGUE TOPPLE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS

Nathan David – Teacher of Esports, Business and Media

Wednesday was a landmark day for S6C Esports. The Spitfires completed their first weekly ‘clean sweep’ getting 5 victories from 5 across three Esports. Overwatch started proceedings with a tightly fought 3-2 victory over Bexhill College, followed by Valorant 1 winning comfortably 13-6 vs Dean Close School. It wasn’t so easy for Valorant 2, however, who won in overtime vs Cambridge Regional College 14-12. The Spitfires Rocket League teams were the stand out performers this week however, with Rocket League 2 coming out emphatic 3-0 winners vs Godalming College, as well as the icing on the cake from Rocket League 1 defeating current National Champions, Farnborough 6th Form 3-1. Congratulations to all of our Esports students this week from everyone at S6C.

5 A Side Football Tournament

Emma Thompson – Teacher of Sport

S6C students took part in a 5 a side football tournament this week to celebrate the start of the men’s football World Cup this weekend. Eight teams took part and they all played incredibly well despite very wet conditions! Well done to Argentina who were the eventual winners. Thank you to the staff who took part and to those who stayed to watch in the rain!

Student Enrichment

Sally Tye – Head of Humanities and RS (and baking)

Baking club took on a family dinner recipe this week with breakfast puffs! A great way to make bacon and sausages go a lot further in the current cost of living crisis and ideal as an easy student meal which would last all week! Here are Alana’s. They also went down well for breakfast in the staff room this morning.

Go Ape

Emma Thompson – Teacher of Sport

Sports students completed the tree top challenge at Go Ape on Thursday! This is a part of their Practical Skills in Sport unit to participate in an adventurous activity.

Friday 11 November 

This Monday we held the last of our GCSE Maths and English resits. I would like to thank all members of staff who have been involved in making the process go smoothly and professionally. I’d also like to say a big well done to our students who worked so hard and conducted themselves brilliantly. Mock exams are now fast approaching and once again I have attached the timetable. Good luck to our Yr13 students!

Year 13 Mock Timetable

Click here for some really useful tips on how to prepare for exams:   https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/children-and-young-adults/help-for-teenagers-young-adults-and-students/tips-on-preparing-for-exams/

Parents have all been emailed a link to a TEAMS presentation that I will be giving on Monday 14 November at 6pm. I will be explaining the process of applying to university and discussing other post 18 options that are available. We are aware that often this information doesn’t filter through to parents and guardians and I hope that this presentation will help you to support your young people. There will also be a Q&A session afterwards which will be open to all. For those who cannot attend, the event will be recorded and a link will be sent to parents next week. 

A reminder that we are seeking a parent governor who will be able to work with us in shaping the college in the future. Details on how to apply have been emailed to all parents. Please get in touch with Rachel Jackson, Governance Manager, at rjackson@magnalearningpartnership.org.uk if you would like to know more (closing date for completed application forms is 18 November 2022).

Next week is assessment week for year 12 students. Depending on the nature of their course they will either be sitting a formal evaluation or be issued with a ‘working at grade’ so an important week in determining how they have progressed since joining us and being assessed in September.

Don’t forget we are holding an open evening for new students on Tuesday 22 November from 5pm until 8pm. Please come along to meet our teaching staff, look round the college and learn more about post 16 options and what S6C can offer you.

And finally, to celebrate the start of the men’s Football World Cup, S6C will be hosting a 5-a-side tournament on Wednesday 16 November at 2.45pm. Let’s hope the weather improves! 

Regards

Ben

Virtue Ethics

Sally Tye – Head of Humanities and RS

This week Sally Tye visited The Stonehenge School to deliver a lecture on Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics as part of their optional Schools Certificate in Philosophy (SCIP). Sally was really encouraged to see so many year 9 and 10 students so passionate about philosophy and the response from students was really impressive. Virtue Ethics is not something that students would usually encounter until degree level but this group of students really embraced the topic and we are hoping they will visit the college for some more sessions later in the year.

Peter Saville virtual presentation

Sophie Bellars – Teacher of Art

Last week Year 12 Art and Photography students watched a virtual presentation and Q&A with Peter Saville. They absolutely loved it and with several students interested in a career in the field of graphic design, the event was really inspirational and gave them all a wealth of ideas.

Roche Court Sculpture Park

Sophie Bellars – Teacher of Art

On Thursday Year 12 Art and Photography students were invited to Roche Court Sculpture Park to take part in the ARTiculation Discovery Day that aims to help develop critical analysis, research and public speaking skills. We enjoyed a full day of working collaboratively, getting up close and personal with some fantastic sculptures and growing in confidence when talking about art.

Last year Fine Art student Scarlett Allen won second prize at the national competition, held at the National Gallery, London and we hope there may be a new finalist in our midst. 

Student Enrichment

Baking club was relaunched today with Brownies! Here are the efforts from Chloe, Alida and Alana!  

Friday 04 November 2022

We have thrown ourselves into the new half term with an array of activities to improve and develop life at S6C. 

On Monday 31 October, staff attended an inset day at Sarum Academy where they met with their peers from across the Magna Learning Partnership. Themes included best practice in the classroom, promoting wellbeing and improving communication. 

Our weekly enrichment programme continues with knitting club making Christmas stockings, badminton, sessions in the gym, netball and video and board games. The art department is hoping to start a college mural and baking club begins this term.

Two days this week have been spent undertaking an External Quality Review. Photography, Art and Film classes have been observed by colleagues from Farnborough and Godalming Sixth Form Colleges and a student panel from each subject has been asked their thoughts. With a focus on the quality of our teaching and learning, assessment procedures and feedback we can gain valuable insights into what we are doing well and what we need to improve.  

This week our students have been taking their GCSE Maths and English resits. Well done to everyone for their hard work and good luck in achieving the very best results! Mock exams are now fast approaching and I have attached the timetable. Good luck to our Yr13 students! Please click here for the mock timetable.

Today, parents dropped in for an informal coffee morning and I really enjoyed getting to know them and hearing their thoughts on the college. We believe there is huge value in listening to the parents of our students and we are looking to appoint a parent governor who will be able to work with us in shaping the college in the future. Details on how to apply will be sent to parents shortly.   

And finally, I am delighted to share the news that we have once again been graded GOOD by Ofsted. This is an extremely positive result and I would like to thank everyone who has helped achieve this outcome. We are now all keen to reflect on the report and look closely at the suggestions for improvements that were made so we can build on our successes. To see the full report, click on the following link – Salisbury 6th Form College Ofsted Report

Regards

Ben

Geography Field Trip  

Susan Murphy – Teacher of Geography

The Year 13 Geographers have been on a field trip to Leeson House, Dorset on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Led by staff members Catherine Pennington and Chris Papp, students braved the weather to complete their physical fieldwork at Swanage and their human fieldwork in Boscombe. They also had an evening tutor session completing follow up work for their Geography coursework.

Loci the dog (from the fieldwork centre) joined the students and staff at the beach on Wednesday. They were measuring longshore drift, looking at cliff stabilisation and groynes, landslides and wealden beds. The students measured the waves per minute and threw an apple into the sea (for ethical reasons), measuring how long it took to come back on shore; a seagull pinched it which we could record as one of the drawbacks to the experiment!  Overall, a great time was had by all.

Little Loci gives a whole new meaning to the term “fetch’’ 🙂.

Wyvern St Edmund’s/S6C Director of Sport  

We have recently appointed a Director of Sport across WSE and S6C to create a first class sporting experience for students. It is our ambition to compete and perform at the highest levels and it is hoped to extend our sports offering to ensure we retain our academic/sporting superstars within the Magna Learning Partnership. We are really excited to announce that from September 2023 we will be offering ‘A’ level PE at S6C. 

Alongside our educational programme, we will offer an opportunity to be part of the Football, Rugby, Netball or Fitness Academies. These sport academies will be based at WSE Academy, further strengthening the link between S6C and WSE. The Sport Academy option will be part of their daily timetable where students will have access to professional coaching for one hour a day in their chosen sport or activity. We are hoping to be linked to professional and local sport clubs to ensure the students’ experience will replicate being a professional athlete. Watch this space!

Being part of a Sport Academy will also mean the students will join the WSE/S6C Elite Performance Programme. This will be made up of Sixth Form sports students and students from WSE who are either competing at county level, part of a professional academy, have a national ranking or a black belt in a martial arts. Being part of the Elite Performance Programme will provide students with enrichment opportunities including listening to presentations from professionals in the world of sport such as nutritionists, physiotherapists, personal trainers and athletes, visiting top sports universities and team building trips to increase team cohesion. We are working tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure the student’s experience of sport and academic PE at WSE then S6C is as outstanding as it can be!

There are many different reasons why everyone should take part in physical activity, the main one being that it helps mental health.

Improves Mood: Studies show that physical activity has a positive impact on our mood. One study asked people to rate their mood after a period of exercise (i.e. walking or gardening) and after inactivity (i.e. reading a book). Researchers found that people felt more awake, calmer and more content after physical activity.

Reduces Stress: Being regularly active is shown to have a beneficial impact on alleviating stress. It can help manage stressful lifestyles and can help us make better decisions when under pressure. Research on working adults shows that active people tend to have lower stress rates compared to those who are less active.

Increased Self Esteem: Physical activity has a big impact on our self-esteem – that’s how we feel about ourselves and our perceived self-worth. This is a key indicator of mental wellbeing. People with improved self-esteem can cope better with stress and improve relationships with others.

Depression and Anxiety: Exercise has been described as a “wonder drug” in preventing and managing mental health. Many GPs now prescribe physical activity for depression, either on its own or together with other treatments. It’s effective at both preventing the onset of depression and managing symptoms.

So the message is clear. Please get out there and participate!

S6C Sports Teams  

Emma Thompson – Teacher of Sport

The S6C football and netball teams got off to winning starts at the end of the last half term. The netball team won 14-9 against Sarum Academy with Flo Boxall being awarded player of the match for her excellent shooting. This was the first netball match for many of the players so it was a great experience for them and the team are now looking forward to more fixtures.

The football team played away at Burgate and won 5-2 with a hat-trick for Callum Wohler, and other goals from Seb Osmond and Alex Crowe. This was their first match as a team and an excellent win for them to start the season off. 

Friday 14th October 

This Tuesday the college was buzzing with our first Development Day of the year. The day focused on how we can all promote physical, emotional and mental wellbeing and I was delighted to see so many of our students and staff taking part and trying new things. 

The programme of activities was incredibly diverse, encouraging everyone to CONNECT, BE ACTIVE, TAKE NOTICE, KEEP LEARNING and GIVE. I felt immensely proud of the care and energy generated on Tuesday and I am looking forward to seeing how we can use what we have learned, both in college and in the wider community.

On Thursday we held a hugely successful open evening, welcoming over 350 people into the college to introduce our wide offering of courses and excellent facilities. We hope that we were able to inspire our next cohort of sixth form students and look forward to helping these young people make their choices in the forthcoming months.

Regards

Ben

Mental Health and Pastoral Care  

Catherine Pennington – Mental Health Lead

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

We were so pleased with the outcome of our first Development Day of the year on Mental Health and Wellbeing. The day was compulsory for all students and was designed using student feedback and based around The 5 Ways To Wellbeing.

The aim of the day was to have a chance to put these things into practice. Sessions were delivered by staff and specially selected guests. 

The choices on offer were:

CONNECT

• Handclapping
• Drumming 
• How to support a friend in need
• Making greetings cards for local care homes 

TAKE NOTICE

• Walk to Salisbury Cathedral
• How to breathe
• Colouring in for relaxation
• Completing a stress management exercise
• Meditation
• Watching short films
• Making a gratitude journal

BE ACTIVE

• Intro to Couch to 5K
• Yoga 
• Outdoor games
• Walk/jog/run in the park

KEEP LEARNING

• Gaming for wellbeing
• How to live more ethically
• Making origami stars
• How to manage anxiety
• How to sleep
• How to manage exam stress

GIVE

• Money saving tips
• Making greetings cards for local care homes
• A Clothing Exchange

We would like to thank all our guest speakers and visitors who made our day so special, but in particular thank you to our amazing cohort of young people and our dedicated staff for their support.