Friday 17th September 2021

It has been such a wonderfully busy week this week at college.  I had the privilege of meeting with our new Student Union Team (SU) on Tuesday and discussing with them their leadership roles and early planning for the year ahead. The SU is supported by Hazel Wright, Receptionist and Pastoral Support and Rebecca Anderson, our Pastoral Lead. Lots of important and exciting events will be planned for students this term, including celebrating, Black History Month throughout October, National Poetry Month on 7th October and our Mental Health Awareness Development Day on 11th October.  We will feature these in the weeks to come. 

We also had Nicola Bull, Director of Education for our MLP Trust in college this week.  Both Nicola and myself had the opportunity to go into lessons this week and see how our new year 12s were settling in their transition from secondary school to college and how year 13s were making that step up from year 12 to their final year of study.  The students were happy and engaged in lessons, and there was some really in-depth and complex learning happening throughout the college in many different subjects.  Year 12 Esports students were also showing incredibly confident presentation skills, pitching ideas to each other in their entrepreneurial  unit of their course. It was very impressive.

S6C is seeking two new parent governors to join the Local Governing Body. The Local Governing Body (LGB) is appointed by, and reports to, the Magna Learning Partnership Trust Board. Its 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 the educational performance of the College (students and staff). Governors come to us through a variety of routes and with a range of different backgrounds, skills and experiences, but they are all volunteers who work together for the benefit of the academies and are the link between the academy and the community it serves.  If you are interested, please contact Carina Sawyer, Head of Governance (csawyer@magnalearningpartnership.org.uk) for an application form, or to find out more about the role and the appointment process. Closing date is 8^th October 2021.  The S6C LGB work closely with the senior team and we would really welcome further support from our parents if you feel you can contribute a small amount of your time each term.  We really would love to hear from you. 

Please see below further updates from this week. 

Wishing you all a great weekend, 

Louise

Pastoral Care – Rebecca Anderson Pastoral Lead

EPQ – We have been very excited to enrol students onto our EPQ course this week. The Extended Project Qualification is an independent research project, with taught skill builder sessions, and can be adapted to a wide range of academic and career interests. Students will either have sessions added to their timetable, or will take the course as a Club on a Wednesday afternoon, so that they get the teaching support they need. It is interesting to note that the resources we use to deliver the programme come from universities, who promote the programme because they value the qualification. The project builds skills which are useful for competitive applications to universities, apprenticeships and employment. It equates to half an A level and students will need to commit to independent study of around 80 hours across the year, in addition to the taught course. Applications will remain open next week if anyone would like to join. Students should contact Rebecca Anderson for more details.

Aspire To Excellence –  The S6C extension programme is for students with high achievement or high aspiration. As part of our vision to see every student become the best version of themselves, we aim to challenge even our most able learners, nurturing and supporting them as they study and prepare for their next steps. We have invited a group of students to attend the programme but all students are welcome. We run a monthly meeting focusing on areas which will support excellent progress in their subjects but will also help them put in competitive applications for university, high or degree level apprenticeships, or aspirational employment. This is followed by a speaker programme shaped by the students, and then 1:1 support moving into Year 13. It was exciting to see so many students in our first meeting and we are looking forward to getting to know each individual!

Online safety – Just a reminder, following on from the notices we shared with students on their first day in college this term, that students are asked to use the G suite of programmes in college for communication, and not to contact each other on Snapchat, Air drop or Instagram in study time. Not all students have access to these apps for safeguarding reasons, so it is more inclusive, and much safer, to use our college platforms. We would also suggest that, whether at college or not, students set those apps to only receive messages from existing contacts, so they are not getting communications that may be distracting (at best) or cause concern or harm (at worse).

Careers at S6C – Rosie Roberts, School Liaison 

This week, Year 12 were introduced to the Careers programme at S6C. The programme is led by Careers and Pastoral Leaders. Year 13 students are using this resource to support their progression planning. 

S6C aims to ensure every student is able to progress onto the right pathways for them. Our careers programme supports entry to university, apprenticeships or employment.  Students will learn about careers that relate to their chosen subjects through visiting speakers and careers activities both in the classroom and through a programme of careers activities that take place outside of lesson time. 

Careers guidance with an external adviser is available when significant career choices are being made and tutors and teachers are trained to offer advice.   

We recognise that parents also have an important role in supporting their young person to explore all of the opportunities available to them and to make decisions about their future study and work. We would therefore encourage you to take a look at the information and links available on our website relating to careers information: https://www.salisbury6c.ac.uk/students/careers/

We would also like to share with you the slides from the introduction session which was delivered to all Year 12s today: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-9_R66Mm4-m4SFTju2X608zgKCyB9Vfm/view?usp=sharing)

MLP CAREERS Instagram account

Find out about careers events going on in College and across the Magna Learning Partnership.

Plus, don’t be the last to know about other exciting careers events and initiatives taking place across Salisbury, Wiltshire and the whole of the UK.

This may include:

• Apprenticeship / job opportunities
• Work experience placements
• Free online courses for all ages
• Talks and workshops happening online and in person
• Advice about all aspects of education, training and employment

We recommend that all students are following this new account and welcome parents to follow it too. Download the Instagram app if you don’t already have it and add MLPcareers to your favourites

Clubs and Societies/ Collaboration work with MLP Schools 
The Volunteer Hub at S6C – Steve Price, Teacher of Business

As part of our student offer this year we are launching ‘The Volunteer Hub’. As you may know S6C provides a large Clubs and Societies Provision, normally on a Wednesday afternoon in order to support personal development and crucially provide leadership opportunities during their time at S6C.

With a significant number of students already signed up, we start our Volunteering Programme next Wednesday 23 September with our students supporting ‘Clubs and Societies ‘ at one of our Magna Learning Partnership (MLP) schools, Wyvern St Edmunds. They have provided our students with fantastic leadership opportunities in Dance, Fencing, BBC Young Reporter Programme, Language Code Breaking Club, as well as  a chance to support GCSE students with their learning in Art, Design and Technology and Maths.

Over the next term the scheme will grow and S6C students will be working with local charities and community groups, including supporting a ‘befriending scheme with a care home’. Volunteering for our students is about living our core values, providing opportunities that drive equality and inclusion, allowing us to collaborate and integrate not only with our MLP partners but also the wider community. 

On that note if any stakeholders have volunteering opportunities they would like to share with us, please do not hesitate to contact Steve Price at sprice@s6c.mlp.college I am sure we will be able to help and please look out for our regular updates.

Photography at S6C – Laurance Rushby, Teacher of Art and Photography

With year 12 photographers this week, to explore the history of photography, we have processed dry plates glass collodion images from 1890 using a cyanotype solution. These photographs came from Laurance’s husband’s grandfather who traveled the world. 

The images were revealed for the first time ever to the viewer. Truly exciting to see ghost images revealed before your eyes.  

Friday 10th September 2021

It’s been a really busy beginning to the term, and it has been fantastic to see our young people starting to adopt their new routines and start their year 1 or 2 courses.   

We have managed to complete all our lateral flow testing for years 12 and 13.   A big thanks to all the staff involved in this process particularly Lisa Rodway our Science Technician who has done a great job in keeping the system running efficiently.   A copy of our most recent Covid risk assessment has been updated onto the college website in Statutory information for your information. 

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has produced a toolkit to encourage COVID-19 vaccine uptake for young people.  The toolkit includes new materials from Public Health England (PHE) to help everyone promote the benefits of the vaccine to young people. 

We encourage you to use the links and read and watch the materials.  We want our students to exercise their Individual Liberty in making informed decisions with your support. 

Today you will also have received a Key Dates document for the academic year.  This will include when students assessment windows take place and our Development Days which have focused themes to support their personal development.  Each term we will update the document and share this with you.  

At the beginning of the academic year, I think it is important for you as parents to be well informed with what is happening at S6C.  We produce this weekly update on a Friday every week, but please also take this opportunity to start  following us on our social media platforms. 

https://www.instagram.com/salisbury6thform/

https://www.facebook.com/SalisburySixthFormCollege

www.twitter.com/salisbury6form

Wishing you all a restful weekend, 

Louise

Pastoral Care – Rebecca Anderson Pastoral Lead

It is a genuine pleasure to be able to support these wonderful young adults on their academic and personal journey. Student wellbeing (physical, emotional and mental) is so important to us at S6C and we have lots of support available from teachers, tutors, pastoral lead, college counsellors, the MHST (mental health support team) and external agencies. Our pastoral systems are outlined in the S6C Handbook and on the website and students can find information in the Information Classroom (under Wellbeing) and on the back of all the toilet doors in college. Please keep in contact with us and get in touch if we can help in any way.

Notices 

Thank you to our students who have been so patient with technical issues this week. Now that almost all students are set up online, please can all students be reminded to check notices on the plasma screens and to have notifications on for Chat, Information Classroom and Subject Classrooms. Notifications can be set to reasonable working hours as part of good online practice.

S6C Student Union

We are really looking forward to getting started with our new Student Union team. S6C is a very collaborative college and we are always keen to develop in line with student needs and feedback, working closely with our SU. We asked them to write a brief introduction.

Emily Johnson – I am the President of the Student Union. As a Union we are dedicated to making sure that every member of the S6C Community has a voice which will be valued, respected and heard. The team and I are really looking forward to embarking on this journey and working with fellow students, colleagues and parents!

Lily Jackson –  I’m going to be Vice Student President. I am looking forward to working with all the students and teachers to make the college a comfortable and inclusive environment for them.

Emily Millman – I am the Equality and Diversity Officer. I look forward to supporting everyone in the college from different backgrounds and origins, or anyone that feels like they don’t fit in a “stereotypical“ box. We are here to help and support.

Cara Hellis –  I am the Mental Health Officer. I hope to help raise awareness on this topic and provide a voice for those who may not otherwise be heard, creating a supportive environment for everyone. 

Tom Booth -I am the new Ecological and Sustainability Officer. It is an understatement to say this area is of some importance these days and I’m looking forward to being the persistent person who always brings it up! There are many ideas that I feel can be incorporated and maximised.

Angus Archer – Events Officer, including developing Awareness Days. Our college is an amazing place to help young people develop for their future and I’m excited to help improve that even more. 

Clubs and Societies 

This week students have started to sign up to our Clubs and Societies, which will start on Wednesday next week.  We have a variety of activities available to students, from active sports in Dodgeball, Football, Netball, Yoga, and Badminton to creative opportunities including Music, Film, Gaming, Baking and Volunteering. The range of options is wide. 

This term we will  start our  collaboration with  WyvernStEds  Enrichment Programme to help deepen the breadth of Clubs available over both sites. Students will have the option to participate in some clubs or volunteer during the Wednesday enrichment option at WyvernStEds.  

S6C Cafe Promoting Healthy Eating Choices

S6C is very proud of HC3S ‘Taste It’ Cafe at S6C run by Russ, who has many years of catering experience.  

We are able to bring students a varied and extensive menu of both mid morning snacks, sandwiches as well as hot healthy dinners.  Russ is always open to listening to students preferences of food choices and these can be discussed with him directly or through the Student Union.  
The menus are available here: https://www.salisbury6c.ac.uk/study-with-us/s6c-coffee-lounge/

Dear Parents,

Welcome to the S6C Community

I hope that your son or daughter has enjoyed the first few days here at S6C. We are delighted to have been able to fully open college and run a normal timetable. We recognise that this is a ‘new normal’ and some adjustments have been necessary to keep everyone safe. However, it has been wonderful to see the smiling faces of students returning to our building. The years 12’s have made an excellent start and have adjusted quickly to the Covid protocols and being back in a learning environment.  I met many of the students yesterday and they were an absolute delight, and the staff had a fantastic day stating that they are a really special group of young people. 

It can be hard letting go and seeing our children develop into young adults. I found this difficult myself 3 years ago when my eldest child joined S6C.  We can’t underestimate the role parents and siblings play in their success until now. You helped them manage challenging classes, helped them with their homework, supported them through their schooling, guided them through friendship issues and even asked the questions they were too embarrassed to ask themselves when they needed advice.  

Students will develop a new level of independence at S6C and over time will learn to master the balance of study in and out of class and how to maintain a good wellbeing.  This doesn’t happen overnight! Despite now being a college student, your son/daughter will still want you involved in their progress, development and career planning. Many parents can be unsure about whether they should be hands on and involved in this journey, or whether they need to take a very different approach to school.  Our view is that communication with parents is really important to us, and is probably really important to your child as well. What we would ask of you is to not be strangers, please do reach out and contact if you have a concern or query, we are always here to help. A calendar of key dates will be issued to you next week and we will actively encourage you to stay involved in your son/ daughter’s academic and personal progress. 

It may appear rather strange that timetables are now so different to a school timetable that was filled every session of the day with taught lessons.  Post 16 studies require a significant amount of time for students to consolidate their learning and build on taught content out of lessons, after all the courses are challenging and require a lot of thought for students to succeed. At S6C we take this responsibility very seriously and operate a 50:50 Curriculum, preparing students for the next step of their education at University but also for all learners to be prepared for the world of work that requires them to work independently and with resourcefulness.  The independent study time on timetables therefore is a compulsory element of the timetable, and students should be completing 4-5 hours of study for each individual subject they study each week.  If students are studying a diploma or extended diploma then this time doubles or triples for out of class work to be completed.  Initially students will be fully guided on what to  complete as a series of  activities set by their class teachers.  Over time, and certainly by year 2 of their courses, we would hope that all students would manage this time effectively, requiring less guidance on activities they need to do out of the classroom, and build autonomy to their learning.  From next week, please do expect your son/daughter to be set a range of activities to complete.  There are many workspace to complete this in college. 

Over the summer we have changed IT providers. This has caused a delay in getting all student accounts functioning as we need to provide full access to all the communication services the students need. We anticipate this will be resolved early next week and then students will have full access to their chat functions, emails, and their separate google classrooms where they can access resources and collaborate with their teachers. 

If you have driven past our building recently you will see that we currently have scaffolding covering the front and side.  Rendering work has to be completed, and although this is unsightly it is work that needs completing.  It will not affect the student experience in any way or health and safety on the site.    Inside the building we have a lovely community atmosphere.

In any normal year, we would be inviting you into college to meet us and the tutor team. We have made the decision to host a Tutor Evening virtually on Tuesday 28th September 6 – 7pm. Please save the date so we can interact online. Details about the event will be sent out in the coming weeks. 

Attached is also a copy of our  Parent’s Handbook with information that you should be aware of.  We hope you find it useful as it provides key information for parents including many aspects of keeping your young person safe. Link to Handbook

Every Friday you will receive an email with a link to our News section of the website with a Head of College weekly update for the week. Here we share key messages and celebrate the success of our students across their curriculum and clubs and societies. We hope you find this informative.

If you have any queries in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact us here at the college on 01722 597970 or office@salisbury6c.ac.uk .

I hope you have a lovely weekend,

Kind regards

 
Louise Henderson
Head of College

Dear Parents and Carers

NHS Lateral Flow Device Testing – Tuesday 7th September 2021

The majority of Year 12 and 13 students have taken a lateral flow test in college this week and did so confidently. Thank you for supporting their choice to take their tests and to help keep themselves and our community safe.  All students that have completed the test should have also taken home a testing kit.   If this is not the case then they can collect a kit from reception on Monday.

Both year groups will have access to testing again on Tuesday 7th September.  On Monday morning sign up sheets will be available for students to choose a time slot that does not affect their learning time for lessons.  We would actively encourage all our students to continue on the testing programme.  Once this second test has been completed at college on Tuesday then we will continue to encourage them to test two times a  week. 

Please contact us if you have any questions. You can contact the office via office@salisbury6c.ac.uk

Yours faithfully, 

Louise Henderson 
Head of College

Tuesday 24th August 2021

Dear Parents and Carers

NHS Lateral Flow Device Testing – Year 13 students from Friday 3rd September

To return safely to college and to maintain accurate scientific records of COVID transmission for the NHS, we have been asked to start the academic year with Lateral Flow testing for all students. 

By testing, we will help to reduce the spread in college through asymptomatic transmission which enables us to keep S6C open as safely as possible. We will be, once again, testing all students on site when they return in September. We will carry out one initial on site test and following this we will then return to a home testing programme. The tests are free and on a voluntary basis, but I am strongly encouraging all students to partake in our testing programme. 

We will be looking to test all staff and  students as they return to college. On Friday 3rd September,  all Year 13 students will return to college at 8.45 am, to allow an initial re-introduction to COVID control measures and the issuing of timetables during period 1. Throughout the morning, students will go as a tutor group to the Dance studio for their LFT.   Those taking the test will be supervised by Lisa Rodway, our science technician and COVID Lateral Flow Test Coordinator in the first instance. The ‘lateral flow’ tests are quick and easy using a swab of the nose and throat, and students should be very familiar with this process. Students will register their tests and the results will be processed by the college. The majority of students in Year 13 have already been part of the on-site testing programme in March and therefore, there is no need to provide consent again.

We will then ask students to take the test kits home and take a second test on Tuesday 7th September.  

Recording results

It is important that all students record their results in the final step of the process on the NHS site either using their phone or computer. This is explained in the booklet and is a quick and straightforward process.  Not only does this allow large data sets to be analysed by the scientific community to review rates in the local area, but it also  provides an accurate usage count  for the next distribution of test kits arriving on site for staff and students. 

All students must register all negative results on the Government website that same day (please see below for further information on positive results).  Reporting results is easy. Go to report a COVID-19 lateral flow test result or call 119 free from a mobile or landline. Lines are open every day, 7am to 11pm. 

Please note that if your young person has previously tested positive for COVID-19 they are exempt from testing from both LFD or PCR tests within 90 days of a positive result, unless they develop new symptoms. If this applies to your young person  they will not be part of the testing programme in September could you please email office@salisbury6c.ac.uk to advise us of this. 

What if the result of the Lateral Flow test is positive?

If a student tests positive on a lateral flow device, the parent/carer will be contacted and asked to collect them immediately. The student will be directed to  reception where they will await collection. The results of all positive cases will be reported to NHS Test and Trace, via the Government website, by the college. The student will need to self-isolate immediately and a confirmatory PCR test ordered. The confirmatory PCR test should be taken within two days of the positive LFD test. If the confirmatory PCR is also positive, follow guidance from NHS Test and Trace and continue to self-isolate. If the confirmatory PCR is negative the student can stop self-isolating and return to college. Should a confirmatory PCR not be obtained, the student should self-isolate for 10 days from the result of the positive lateral flow test.

Testing at home

Students will be provided with an information guide with their test kit, but an electronic copy of this information is attached here: 

Self Testing Instructions

Another useful guide to testing for parents can be read here by following the link

A guide to regular rapid Covid-19 testing

Students and staff are asked to complete 2 tests each week thereafter, 3 to 5 days apart.  For many students a test in the evening may be more manageable and less time pressured than early morning before college.   We have not yet received a timescale of how many weeks we are asked to undertake the tests, so we will update you when we know. 

We will support our students throughout, but please contact us if you have any questions. You can contact the office via office@salisbury6c.ac.uk

Yours faithfully, 

Louise Henderson 

Head of College

Louise Henderson, Head of College at S6C is extremely proud of how well students have achieved this year, especially after such a difficult and disrupted 2 years of study. There are many exceptional achievements across the A Level and Vocational courses, and a higher proportion of students than ever before have chosen a university route for their next pathway. More students than ever have achieved aspirational pathways with a high number of students in particular heading to the University of Exeter in September – these are so well deserved. University pathways have become more diverse this year for S6C students and reflect the strengths in our curriculum, including students studying courses such as Computing and Artificial Intelligence.

Louise said, ‘All our students worked really hard with great resilience and we thank our teachers who have worked tirelessly to ensure students are all able to progress onto the right pathways to university, apprenticeships and employment. We are proud of every student, how they have coped with the pandemic and shown such individual perseverance, care towards each other and our community, and tenacity to deal with the challenges they have faced. They are an exceptional group of young adults, and we all wish them every success for the future’.

It was fantastic this morning to celebrate student’s success with them, and their parents, something we were hopeful could happen. Students were delighted and in some cases relieved by the grades they were awarded, and felt that they were as expected based on their performance and hard work. Huge praise was given from parents, thanking staff for the quality of care and learning experience students have received over the 2 years.

Please see below a letter that went out to parents of Health & Social Care and Sport students regarding the summer exam results.

https://www.salisbury6c.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/Exam-results-day-2021-sent-July.pdf

Friday 9th July 2021

Another busy week at college this week.  Year 12 had their Destinations Day, where we linked with our local community to find talented individuals to come and speak to students regarding their career paths, more details of this day are listed below. 

The colleges  senior and middle leaders have been meeting with our Challenge Partners. Who are an external group of 4 staff from schools and sixth forms throughout the country who are able to review the robustness of our systems, process, teaching and leadership. Our visiting team was made up of:

• Lead Reviewer – An experienced teacher and now Educational Consultant who has also been an Ofsted Inspector                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
• Senior Deputy Headteacher from The Wellington Academy
• Director of KS5 from Tolworth Girls School
• Assistant Headteacher from Chew Valley School 

It has been a really positive process for all staff involved.   We have really enjoyed welcoming them on site. 

Also this week we have had our current year 12s enrolling into year 13 following discussions with their tutors and reviews of their progress, grades and career planning.  Students performance grades are based on their last formal exams here at S6C, and are therefore not holistic, there is still plenty of time for students to develop from this point.  

With England taking on Italy in Sunday night’s Euros final the country has really got into the footballing spirit. We have had our very own 5-a- side football tournament this week.   Luke Muchmore, our Sports Teacher headed up the S6C staff team, consisting of Catherine Pennington, Stuart Halford, Andrew Lomas and Steve Price. 

Regards

Louise
Head of College

Year 12 Work Experience – Rebecca Anderson, Pastoral Lead

If students do not have Work Experience arranged for the last few days of term, Monday 12th-14th July, then they can continue their career planning and research work, and make a start on their subject Summer work, as these are college days and they are accountable for their time whilst working from home.

Oral Histories Project

Dr Sally Tye, Faculty Lead for Humanities,Teacher of History & RS

History students completed the recording this week and were able to complete transcripts for their British politics coursework.  A great grandmother of one of our students said “..I have had an uplifting and enlightening time. Such wonderful young people who have mixed so well with the older generation”. 

Destinations Development Day

Rosie Roberts, School Liaison and Publicity Officer

‘Destinations Development Day’ on Monday this week received positive feedback from students and the visiting speakers who said that our students were polite, welcoming and engaged.

We had 30 speakers involved in the day.  In the morning students received information on Identifying strengths and making decisions, researching university choices, finding and securing a job after College, employability and career planning and apprenticeships awareness. They then had the opportunity to meet with employers in the afternoon.

Employers joined us online and in-person here at the College and included NHS and healthcare workers, primary education and social workers, scientists and engineers including an aeronautical engineer, university graduates including S6C alumni, artists and an emerging playwright and a product designer from Spotify.

Students can rewatch the recordings of the virtual talks and revisit the slides from the talks delivered in the morning by accessing all of the resources in the Google Information Classroom under Classwork > Year 12 > Destinations Development Day. We would also encourage parents to explore these resources with their young people.

Friday 2nd July 2021

Our training day on Monday was incredibly productive and allowed staff to reflect on the successes of the year and to collectively focus on priorities for the next academic year. And what a year it has been for our whole community!!  A Trust wide afternoon session was led by our Director of Learning Nicola Bull in the afternoon, bringinging together networks of staff to enhance the collaboration and sharing of outstanding practice across the MLP primary and secondary academies.   

On Tuesday we welcomed our new students for their  Fresher Day, and it was incredibly successful, with the inclusion of our year 12 and 13 students remoting into sessions to share their experience of life as an S6C student and being part of such a special community. The day included the presence of Miss Bellamy from Wyvern St Edmunds over the lunchtime period to talk to students about our enhanced enrichment offer that we will have on Wednesday afternoons in collaboration with the school.   From September we intend having a wider range of clubs and societies running on both sites and will be able to utilise the sports facilities on the school campus. A detailed programme of the activities will be launched with all students in September.  

Year 12 students returned to college on Wednesday and have started to receive back their assessment papers and results from their tests.  It is important that we all recognise the challenges our students have faced this year and we must congratulate them all for the resilience and effort they have shown. All students will be given individual feedback on their achievement and they will be set reflection tasks and activities to complete over the summer holidays – to close down some of the gaps in their understanding and knowledge. These summer tasks will be set for them in Google classroom.  Where students have achieved lower grades,  support conversations will take place to ensure students realise the importance of addressing weaknesses over the summer, and that they will be retested early next term to ensure that some of those areas have been addressed and strengthened. 

We are looking forward to a range of exciting personal development activities for students over the coming weeks prior to the end of term. Details about our careers event for  Destinations Day and  Enrolment to Year 13 are explained in this update by Rebecca Anderson.  Further details about the end of term virtual work experience will be sent out to students and parents next week. 

Have a lovely weekend.

Louise
Head of College

Freshers Day – Kathryn Clarkson, Business Manager 

On June 29th S6C were excited to welcome prospective new students through the doors for the first face to face Freshers Day since 2019.  Although the event was staged under COVID control measures,  this did not dampen the atmosphere or excitement of both staff and students at being able to meet teachers, look round the college,  and make new friends.  Students were able to discuss their subject choices and undertake activities such as a ‘Dragon’s Den’ pitch in Business and practical experiments involving water daphnia in Biology. In Software Design and Development students were tasked with coming up with concepts for new technology which generated an impressive range of ideas such as robots for picking up all forms of litter, technology to detect and remove plastic from the sea and apps monitoring health and wellbeing. Current students also joined the day via virtual links to answer questions about college life and why they had chosen S6C.  

It was lovely to see so many smiling faces and S6C is really looking forward to welcoming them into our community in September.

Dr Sally Tye (Humanities Faculty lead), Rich Eno, Creative Faculty lead) and Steve Price (Business) led a cookery demonstration to students on how to cook a cheap, nutritious meal as a student. As a result it is likely that the baking club will be more popular next term. 

Character Curriculum – Rebecca Anderson, Pastoral Lead

July 5th Destinations Day

A carousel of talks has been planned from experts in their fields: Identifying strengths and making decisions, Researching university choices, Finding and securing a job after College, Employability and career planning, Apprenticeships awareness. All students will attend all talks to encourage them to be open minded and well informed so they can find the path that is perfect for them and which will inspire them to build their skills and interests and self confidence. 

This will be followed by an afternoon of meet and greet sessions with external guests, including the owner of a boutique in a bus (who will be bringing the bus), a lawyer, engineer, aeronautical engineer, university students at a range of stages, teacher trainee, emerging playwright, nurse, paramedic, primary school teacher, dementia care, physiotherapy, Careers in Sport, Financial Services provider to Premier League Footballers and Hollywood stars, nursery apprenticeship provider, and more! 

Some talks are online and some onsite and guests will be socially distanced from students and staff. Students who are self isolating can join the online talks and remote into the live talks by Google meet, by arrangement with their teachers. All other students should be onsite for this much needed experience. Students have a timetable for the day with all the compulsory talks and options, so they can plan over the weekend. If any student is unsure about what their experience will look like then they can contact their tutor for clarification. 

July 9th Enrolment to Year 13 Day 

All students need to attend this full day where they will register for a  teacher reference from college, check that they have completed their Careers Passport and have a one hour Career Pilot Pathway Planner (which will indicate what further support may be needed in September), and, most importantly have a 1:1 review of the year (progress, attendance, careers, and wellbeing) with their tutor. 

Some students may need to see the Faculty Leads if they are going to need additional summer work to support their progress to Year 13 (in addition to personalised tasks that will be set for the class). Tutors will then be able to complete the enrolment into Year 13. We realise that some students will have to wait for their booked slot so we have also arranged some online workshops from external national providers and an opportunity to do a mock interview or have their CV checked, as well as a menu of online talks and guidance on a range of Destinations topics. We are just waiting for the last few workshop confirmations and then students will get a menu and checklist for the day and will be able to sign up for their tutor slot. 

Students will need to bring their laptops and headphones on both of these days

Go Ape Trip – Luke Muchmore Teacher of Sport 

On Wednesday, 25 sport students attended the visit to Go Ape in Itchen Valley Country Park to complete the high ropes course. Overall it was a great experience with all students completing all 5 stages, despite initial nerves from some students. This trip contributes towards their Practical Skills in Sport Unit, where they had to complete an outdoor and adventurous activity, and learn the health and safety requirements for this type of activity.

Baking Club – Dr Sally Tye, Faculty Lead for Humanities and Lead for Baking Club

This week saw the last baking club of the year and students baked a wonderful Chocolate Cake. 

This masterpiece was baked by Maddy Shelley 

Friday 25th June 2021

The year 12 assessment week has  taken place this week and this has meant that the college has felt rather quiet at times, but staff have been busy making preparations for the last few weeks of term when we will host Freshers Day, Destinations Day, Work Experience and Enrolment into year 13. 

A reminder to our year 12 students that it is a Trust wide INSET Day on Monday 28th June 2021, so students will not be required onsite.  On Tuesday 29th June we are holding our new intake Freshers day. Normally we would ask student ambassadors to join us from year 12. This year we have chosen not to do this to ensure we are not mixing year group bubbles, to maintain our Covid procedures. Year 12 therefore we have a reading day with work set on Google Classroom, and we will welcome them back for face to face lessons on Wednesday 30th June. 

Currently there is a rise in Covid positive cases in the local area, with a few positive cases emerging in schools and colleges in the surrounding area.  We need to remain vigilant with our testing and continue to complete our weekly lateral flow tests.  A new supply of test kits has arrived into college this week and this can be distributed to students on their return to college next week. If any young person is exhibiting any of the main symptoms listed here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/main-symptoms/ please remain at home and keep the college informed. 

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Louise
Head of College

Freshers Day – Carolyn Port, Admissions Officer

Plans are progressing for our Freshers Day which is going ahead on Tuesday 29th June 2021. This day is designed to allow students the opportunity to take part in a taster session of the subjects they would like to study with us and give them a real taste of what their college life will be like when they start with us in September. 

Current year 12 students have an independent study day.

Upcoming Destinations Events

Supporting students find a pathway where they can be the best version of themselves

Rebecca Anderson, Pastoral Lead

Destinations Day: 5th July

All students will be in college all day for our Destinations Development Day. In the morning all students will attend talks and workshops on how to plan for the future, employability Skills, university, apprenticeships, and how to find employment – delivered in person onsite by experts in these fields. In the afternoon teachers are inviting onsite and online guests, with a link to their subject, to meet and greet students, talk about their role or career or studies, and answer informal questions. We have an amazing lineup of guests willing to give their time. Students will be in college until 4pm and should speak to as many guests as possible – they are free to look at the programme and attend whatever they like. Onsite guests will be strictly socially distanced and will wear masks when moving between areas. Teachers will be guiding their classes on guests which are an essential for their subject. It’s a really exciting day!

On Friday July 9th

Students are in all day to register for an S6C reference on the UCAS portal which they also use later for university applications. They will complete an online Career Pathway Planner which we are funding, and have a support meeting if required, along with an end of year review meeting with their tutor (and Faculty Leader if needed).

While they wait for their 1:1 there will be a menu of activities to help them research and start to plan their steps after S6C, whether this be apprenticeship, university or employment. We are also hoping to offer mock interviews, CV checking and a range of high quality online live workshops and recorded talks.

Both these days are an exceptional resource and integral to the college programme for each student and are compulsory for students to attend all day. Anyone self isolating or shielding will be patched in online wherever possible and students should be in touch with teachers and tutor to arrange a bespoke solution.

Pastoral Support

We are able to signpost and refer students to support for the summer break so please do see your tutor or Pastoral Lead ASAP if you think this may be beneficial.