Our Freshers Day on Tuesday 29th June 2021 will be going ahead as planned unless the local situation changes substantially or government guidance alters. Students attending have been interviewed and offered a place and as such we consider this will be your first day as an S6C student and is therefore critical to successful transition into S6C life.
A full risk assessment will be available on our website early next week and we will be asking students to ensure they carry out a lateral flow test on Monday evening or Tuesday morning, wear masks on public transport and in communal areas around the college and in classrooms if social distancing cannot be adequately maintained. Lunch is pre-packaged for safety and as long as the weather is reasonable we will have seating outside for breaks and lunch.
We have had a really productive week with our Character Curriculum this week, which includes Life Skills, Enrichment as well as the Speakers and Careers Programme. Enabling students to have a rounded curriculum is essential in developing the tools they need to help build them into confident and capable young adults.
This week we have also seen a busy week at the college welcoming more prospective students through the doors, as we finish off the College Tours. We have welcomed small family groups of over 135 prospective new students from a variety of local secondary schools, including, Wyvern St Eds, Trafalgar, St Jospehs, Stonehenge and Shaftesbury. This has given students and their families an opportunity to look around the college and ask any questions they may have.
Below is a review of some of this week’s stories.
Have a lovely weekend.
Louise Head of College
Student Life Skills Programme
Equality and Diversity in Life Skills – Rebecca Anderson, Pastoral Lead
Year 12 met together for a Pride Month themed Life Skills education session this week, as part of our celebrations of equality and diversity. The importance of our national values of freedom of speech and expression, the protection ensured by the rule of law, and the impact of tolerance (as a bare minimum expectation that widens to kindness, acceptance and solidarity) were also highlighted. We expect S6C students to challenge all and any prejudice – and to commit themselves to always being willing to listen, learn and show kindness. An excellent opportunity to remind our students to value themselves and those around them highly. It was an absolute pleasure to be able to address such an attentive, engaged and open audience, in person, and I was, as ever, impressed and moved by their maturity, kindness and respect.
Pupil Emotional and Wellbeing Support – Rebecca Anderson, Pastoral Lead
Students have been offered drop in lunchtime support this week for anxiety about exams and tips for managing revision and stress. A little bit of pressure can boost progress but this needs to be carefully managed to protect our wellbeing. Students can contact tutors or the pastoral lead any time for more help or look at the Wellbeing resources on the Information Classroom.
Local Community Links and Support – Rebecca Anderson, Pastoral Lead
S6C leaders also met with our local community police liaison officer this week to talk about issues that sometimes affect our students, whether this be experiences of harassment at work or in public, knowledge of employment law, fraud, issues surrounding sexting, and the rise of local county lines activity which aims to draw young people into criminal or sexual exploitation, often in ways which mean that young people are not even aware. We cover all these areas of personal safety and wellbeing in our Life Skills programme but in the coming year we are going to extend this by inviting the police education outreach team to share their direct experience of these issues with our S6C students.
Students, parents/carers and members of our local community are reminded that all harassment and abuse and exploitation and fraud , whether in person or online, should be reported – young people should never feel that they have to put up with these things; we can work together to raise awareness and encourage action by getting in touch with the police on 101, or 999 if there is an immediate threat.
If students have been affected by any of these issues then pastoral support is available via tutors or the pastoral lead, our safeguarding team (safeguarding@salisbury6c.ac.uk), and our college counsellors, or via The Mix or Childline online, or through external referrals which we can arrange.
Student Enrichment Programme
STEM Club – Chris Papp, Teacher of Chemistry and STEM Club Lead & Lisa Rodway, Science Technician and STEM Club support.
The Stem Club have recently been growing their own crystal gardens. The Gardens are created by using coloured silicates which begin to form overnight and grow into gardens in a week.
DodgeBall Tournament – Luke Muchmore Teacher of Sport – and Enrichment Lead
On Wednesday afternoon, Double Sport Students Harvey Roberts, Amy Webb, Ed Price and Ryan Fernando hosted a dodgeball tournament outside on the MUGA as part of their Organising a Sports Event unit. Overall it was very successful with over 30 students competing. Congratulations to the winning team: George, Finn, Ben, Louis & Jess. A great effort from all involved, next up we have a 5 a side football tournament hosted and organised by students on July 7th!
Baking Club – Dr Sally Tye, Faculty Lead for Humanities – and Baking Club Lead
Baking club this week made millionaires shortbread – the perfect treat to make revision more productive
Yoga Enrichment Club – Hanna Boddy, PA to the Head of College and Yoga Teacher
Staff and student Yoga continued in person at S6C this week, with practices centered around exploring ‘Alignment’. Not just the alignment of the body in postures, but also alignment of the mind and breath, in order to support both physical and mental wellbeing, specifically in times of stress.
Curriculum News
BTEC Business Finance Workshops with Bournemouth University (BU) – Steve Price, Teacher of Business
A UCAS report from 2018, quoted in What Uni noted nationally just 10% of students studying just a BTEC qualification will attend university. This year our Year 13 cohort are on target for over 85% to take up a place.
As part of the BTEC Business teams programme we were joined this week by the BU Business School delivering a workshop on Personal Finance. Delivering at Undergraduate Level, not only does it ‘raise the bar’ in terms of the challenge our students need, it gives them a chance to work with specialists in the industry.
The programme of workshops has covered the use of Artificial Intelligence, Developing a Marketing Plan and Driving Innovation. The intention for the BTEC Business Team is to develop this relationship, with a programme of visits to BU next academic year, COVID dependent, allowing our students to have the full university experience.
The programme over the last 18 months has been important in supporting our students to make the right decision regarding the University pathway. Even though much of the work we have done has been online, students have seen the reality of University life and its potential as a pathway Post 18.
History and Philosophy – Dr Sally Tye, Faculty Lead for Humanities
History and Philosophy students are taking part in their first oral history session this week. Discussing childhood memories with older members of the community. Salisbury Museum arranged with Wiltshire Council to bring the older members of the local community onsite to meet with students.
Psychology Investigations – Kirsty White, Faculty Lead for STEM
Before half-term, Year 13 Psychology students took part in an interactive crime scene investigation. Using content they had been learning about in earlier lessons on Forensic Psychology, students had to critically analyse a crime scene and profiles of suspects. Working in small groups, they had to decide on who they thought committed the murder, using their psychological understanding, as well as excluding the other suspects. Students were incredible at verbalising their thoughts and presenting to quite a large group of people as the class groups were combined. It was a great session and such a lovely way to end their time with us at S6C (after such an odd experience due to Covid)! Polly and Kirsty are really going to miss them and wish them all the best for the future!
This week we celebrated some of the close links we have to our local Salisbury Community. Our S6C Art Students have a wonderful art exhibition open at Salisbury Library; our S6C Sports teams had a Futsal match with Wiltshire College students held at Five Rivers Leisure Centre, as well as our S6C History Students linking in with Salisbury Museum for their most recent project. Further details of these exciting local community links can be found below in this bulletin.
We have also been really pleased to welcome onsite prospective students and parents for small family tours of the college. We have had some wonderful feedback and it has given families an opportunity to look round the college in small groups for a personalised tour. We hope to see some familiar faces.
We look forward to welcoming our new students for our College Freshers Day on Tuesday 29th June. Staff have been preparing taster lessons that should inspire students and provide an exciting start to the courses they will study in September.
Today, sadly we say goodbye to our international students who have joined us this year from the European Community. Every year we are blessed with an amazing group of young people who show such maturity and passion for learning. They add a wonderful richness to our community and thrive in their personal development. The students will return home with their S6C course certification and recommendations for their future studies before they finalise preparations before University.
Wishing you a restful weekend, enjoying the sunshine.
Louise Vice Principal
S6C Sports – Luke Muchmore, Teacher of Sports
S6C finally returned to competitive football action in a Futsal (5 a side, indoor) match against Wiltshire College at Fiver Rivers. Despite being new to this version of the game, S6C ran out 13-4 winners despite early pressure from the opposition. Louis Cartwright opened the scoring after a good one-two with striker Finn Russell. Two left-footed goals by George Goff before halftime gave us a 6-0 lead. Harvey Roberts scored two quick goals after half time to extend our lead, after this Wiltshire College came back into the game which made for a more interesting last 20 minutes.
A special mention goes to international student Matija Rados, who was finally able to appear in a competitive fixture for the college despite arriving in September – he leaves for Croatia next week, so we wish him all the best for the future. S6C football are looking forward to returning to 11 a side fixtures in the next academic year, where we will be once again competing in and looking to win the Wiltshire Schools FA u18 Boys Cup.
Goalscorers: Harvey Roberts (4) Ben Hayward (3) Louis Cartwright (2) George Goff (2) Matija Rados (1) George Allen (1)
Art – Laurence Rushby, Teacher of Art & Photography
S6C Art and Photography students have a showcase of some of their artwork in an exhibition which opened on Thursday 10th June at Salisbury Library. This is part of the Salisbury Schools Art Exhibition, which has been running for several years. This is our third time exhibiting at the gallery.
From the acorn...
From the acorn to the ‘mighty oak’, the art and photography students at S6C have explored the process of growth that they experience through the elements of their art course and many aspects of their everyday lives.
Following an exceptional year they have reflected on their work and selected the moments that showed best the process of learning through perseverance and resilience.
The quote inspired us never to give up. It marked our journey through COVID and online teaching, and helped us remember that great things come from the small experiments, the mistakes and the many trials that make an artwork.
The artists have written a short statement to accompany their work. To visit you just need to register at the library door for track & trace. Please do feel free to pop in and have a look, we would love to hear some feedback from you.
History & Philosophy – Dr Sally Tye, Faculty Lead for Humanities
A group of history and philosophy students are taking part in a local oral histories project with Salisbury Museum. Students will have the opportunity as part of this to create some of their own oral histories which can be used as primary sources for their coursework on British Politics 1951-1997. This will not only introduce them to a new historical technique and a wider range of careers in history but also put their coursework at the forefront of historical research.
Careers – Rosie Roberts, Careers Lead
Parents can now access the slides from the Life Skills session on Work Experience using their own email address by following the link in the letter sent to parents before half term.
If your young person has not registered yet then please can you help them go through the slides:
Today has been a sad and emotional farewell to Year 13 students. In the blink of an eye we say goodbye after 2 years to the most amazing young adults that joined us in September 2019 as young nervous young people embarking on the start of their ventures of adulthood. Every teacher has endless tales of the personal growth of our young adults and are immensely proud of how they have adapted through the pandemic and shown incredible academic commitment in their studies. On a personal level, I have had the pleasure of teaching our A Level geography students and accompanied them on a residential trip last year that will always be memorable to me. This year I have taught our GCSE Maths class and have seen student confidence grow and a determination to work harder to ensure that they can secure the grades needed for University.
We wish our students well in their future careers and happiness, and hope they stay in touch. Most students join our Alumni every year and stay in regular contact with teachers. We hope this continues this year and Rosie Roberts will be in touch to support this.
Louise Henderson and staff, bidding farewell to some of our year 13 students at lunchtime today.
In the coming weeks, Lisa Lucas will be sending out further guidance about the results days in August. This will be sent to both students and parents.
I have asked Year 13 to remain in touch if they need further career guidance in the coming weeks or months. It is not unusual for a student to change their plans from university or employment and we will continue to guide and support any individual needs.
The Year 12 assessment plan has been created for the assessment week of 21st June. Students will have been informed about the length of papers they will sit and whether it will be one or two papers, depending on coverage of the course so far. Copies of the timetable for that week will be shared once we return to college after half term and will be emailed to parents.
I hope everyone has a very restful and relaxing half term and enjoys the much needed sunshine we have been waiting for.
With best wishes,
Louise Henderson
Vice Principal
Life Skills – Rebecca Anderson, Pastoral Lead
In Year 12 tutor this week we looked at time management – which can have an impact not only on productivity and progress, but also on positive mental health and work/life balance, both now and in the future. Students used a tool for prioritising tasks, which you might like to try. Make a detailed list of tasks – then go through a rank them A to C depending on importance. You then look at the Bs and re-categorise them as As or Cs. The Cs can wait – the As are then number ranked in order of importance/urgency. You start at the top. They also looked at 5 activities that can be used to consolidate learning if you have 5 minutes to spare. Great for revision for end of year exams.
A reminder to Year 13s that they can still access support applying to university, apprenticeships or employment – next week, next term, even next year! They just need to get in touch. We shared a link this week to Reed employment agency with some tips for finding work in sectors other than retail or hospitality – there are some local opportunities and we wish all our job seekers all the best.
Online Baking Club
Online baking focused on prep for life at University this week. We looked at batch cooking these Mcdonalds style sausage bacon and egg muffins which can be frozen and then reheated in the microwave in 2 mins from frozen! The trick is a piece of kitchen roll to absorb the moisture!
Year 12 Careers Passport – Rosie Roberts, Careers Lead
Alongside the academic studies completed this year, Year 12 have been working on sections of their Careers Passport. Many students have been extremely proactive in completing the sections of their careers passport and are building awareness of employment law as well as spending time reflecting on career goal plans. Building on the letter sent to parents yesterday about Meaningful Employer Engagement of work experience, we would like students to reflect on what they have completed so far and take some time over the next week to consider how the curriculum is supporting their knowledge of career pathways. This is all available to them in Classroom.
Year 13 students have now finished their final assessments and are all busy in class with teachers adding the final touches to prepare for their next stage in life, whether that’s university, an apprenticeship or employment. This will continue in the run up to the half term holiday when year 13 students will be leaving us, on Friday 28th May.
Teachers are very busy collaborating and moderating work both internally and externally as we prepare to start reporting TAG grades in the later half of June. Further moderation will take place across the trust next week to ensure consistency and fairness in the process. If you’d like to know more detail please contact our Exams Officer, Lisa Lucas via office@salisbury6c.ac.uk
The weather may be poor at present and the forecast not great, but we can now meet socially in small groups and our students have enjoyed not having to wear masks in classes which has allowed lessons to feel more like they did before Covid and college life is getting back to normal.
Best wishes,
Craig Assistant Principal
Pastoral – Nicola Miller, Designated Safeguarding Lead and SEND
Congratulations on completing the assessment period and I hope you are enjoying your lessons for your remaining time at S6C. There are many decisions to make now that you are leaving college and for many it will involve choosing where to study next. It is likely that you will want your exam access arrangements to continue wherever you choose to go. Every university will have their own policy on what they will accept as evidence for access arrangements and for many it will involve you being reassessed which is part of the DSA application process.
It is a good idea to look at the student services section of their website and if necessary contact the student services department to see what they recommend. Students that have a special educational need may be entitled to additional support at university. This may include things such as mentoring or help with costs for assistive technology. To find out more about this you should look at the Disabaled Student Allowance (DSA). The requirements and process for applying is on the link below. https://www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-dsa
If you are thinking of starting an apprenticeship you may also need access arrangements for any timed assessments. Any student that would have had extra time in their exams will have access arrangement paperwork. Please check your college email accounts for the access arrangement paperwork that was sent on Wednesday 19th May as this may help with your application for DSA or for your access arrangements at university. I hope that you are looking forward to the next steps in your future careers.
STEM Faculty – Kirsty White, Faculty Lead
Following the end of a tough assessment fortnight, students in Psychology are experiencing elements of Forensic Psychology. A significant number of students are going on to study subjects such as Psychology, Criminology and Sociology at university, and so this will expose them to content they might encounter there (as well as critical thinking and research skills). In lessons this week, students looked at the atavistic form, and the theory that criminals have common physical features such as a large jaw, large ears, a sloping forehead and long arms. Students replicated Lombroso’s ideas using playdough.
Some classes also looked at psychopathy, including the Psychopathy Checklist – a measure of psychopathic traits (students even had a go for themselves!). We also spent some time looking at offender profiling and how Forensic Psychologists might construct a profile to help with a police investigation. This involves identifying features of the crime scene and the likely characteristics of the offender. Students then applied this to a murderer that they chose to research. This is all in preparation for a crime scene investigation on the 28th May for our final lesson!
Creative Faculty – Rich Eno, Faculty Lead for Creative
“What would you like to teach us but isn’t in the Specification?” Asked Richard Eno’s Film Studies students as they came to the end of the formal assessments. “There is a 3-hour black-and-white Russian film called, Hard To Be A God, I’ve always wanted to teach. Shall we do it?”. And so this week they’ll be exploring the renowned masterpiece which some reviewers have called, ‘A slo-mo kaleidoscope of medieval squalor, fear and pandemonium…’ and ‘…profoundly, wilfully destabilising experience…’, and ‘…An epic lurch through the circle of the Inferno Dante left out…’. One thing is certain, it’s going to be emotional.
The Creative Faculty have also appointed their new teacher for the Extended Diploma in Esports which is due to start in September. Nathan David will be joining the team to deliver the exciting new course.
You may have heard the recent government announcement regarding the updated guidance on face coverings in colleges as part of Step 3 of the roadmap. The new advice applies to face coverings by staff, students and visitors in schools and further education in England.
From Monday 17th May 2021, face coverings will no longer be recommended for students in classrooms and communal areas. Face coverings will no longer be recommended for staff in classrooms, although we will continue to recommend that face coverings will be worn by staff and visitors in communal areas where social distancing cannot be maintained. Our learning mentor Diane Newton will also continue to wear a face covering in the Study centre when working closely to support students.
Some students and staff may decide that wearing face coverings will continue to be an important priority in their safety and wellbeing. As a community we are very well informed about the Covid risks and recognise that it is still present in our local area. We want all students and staff to continue to feel protected and safe, so encourage everyone to make their own informed decisions.
Decisions to reintroduce face coverings may occur on the advice of Public Health, on a temporary basis, if the local infection rate increases. If this occurs, we will write to you to let you know.
All other Covid measures will remain in place. Our risk assessment will be updated to reflect this change and can be viewed on our website.
Students must still continue to wear face coverings on public transport, and we would actively encourage all students to continue to bring a face covering to college.
The support and work with Year 13 students has not ended, and lessons are still planned until May half term when we will formally say goodbye to Year 13. After this point we will continue to signpost Lifeskills resources in Google Classroom that students can access to continue their preparations for adulthood.
I want to outline the importance of their continued education until May half term and our statutory responsibilities to support successful student progression for every student.
We have a statutory duty from the Department of Education to help support students in shaping their readiness for their next pathways and therefore they need to continue in education until the 28th May. This is to reduce any gaps in skills or knowledge that will affect their success at university, employment or apprenticeships. For example, some students will really benefit from the final teaching which will prepare them even more for specific University courses.
If there are gaps in knowledge in a particular area of the curriculum, staff may decide to redeliver an area that they think is going to be important for students’ progression.
Not all courses completed their curriculum delivery by Easter. Teachers will be able to deliver the final topics providing stimulating and exciting lessons.
Students have missed so much time out of normal education including opportunities for social interaction and they are owed those final days to keep learning and keep experiencing interesting areas of their courses.
This is a time that students should be able to be more relaxed and enjoy being in their classroom with their friends and teachers. We should be affording that opportunity because so much of the lockdown experience has removed or diluted this.
The college will continue to provide further guidance to year 13 after half term. Our weekly baking club enrichment will focus specifically on cooking on a budget, and wider preparations previously covered in Lifeskills for life as a young adult will be available such as financial management.
Some students studying vocational courses that finished after Easter have received consent to allow them to move onto a secure employment role – and it is important in these instances that we have supported them to ensure their progression has not been hindered.
We hope this provides clarity on the expectations set out to us from the Department of Education and the importance in valuing and supporting your young person and their progression.
The weather may have been miserable all week, but our students have been a real pleasure to teach and support through their assessments. Year 12’s have been doing some amazing work this week and it is truly wonderful to see and hear the range of talents and passion they have for their learning.
Working in a college environment is a true privilege, and we are so proud of how Year 13 have shown resilience and commitment to their final assessed work. Today marks the end of the formal window of the Year 13 assessments that supports the evidence for their Teacher Assessed grades. We want to congratulate each and every student in how they have supported each other and committed to doing the best they can.
A letter about the continued attendance for year 13’s until May half term has been sent separately to parents today. A general letter about changes in the Government roadmap for face coverings in college has been sent to all parents.
Best wishes,
Louise Vice Principal
Mental Health Awareness Week – Nicola Miller, Designated Safeguarding Lead and SENDCo
Mental Health Awareness Week 2021
The theme for this year’s mental health awareness week is ‘Nature’. With increasing hours of daylight and more sunny days it is a great opportunity to go out and enjoy nature. The National Trust has published their research on Noticing Nature. Please see below 15 activities from the report that you may wish to try with your family this week. For the full report from the National Trust please go to https://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/documents/noticing-nature-report-feb-2020.pdf?mc_cid=b4af0a6e6b&mc_eid=c7e3458e3a
STEM Faculty – Kirsty White, Faculty Lead
In lessons with Year 12s this week, teachers have been carrying out folder checks to help students identify gaps in learning and to celebrate all of the excellent work they’ve done over the last year. This is essential preparation for the end of Year 12 assessments in June and students have presented their notes with pride. In Psychology, I have been thoroughly impressed by the sheer amount of revision some of the students have done – a key component to doing well at A-Level is consistent revision. In addition to the revision students do (flash cards, mind-maps etc.), I would also advise them to engage in exam skill practice – a great way to prepare for an exam is to do it! Teachers can provide past paper questions or resources for students to access that help them apply what they’ve revised to the exam that will evidence what they know. This will really help students to understand what examiners are looking for and to hone those skills.
Humanities Faculty – Catherine Pennington – Teacher of Business and Economics
Catherine Pennington challenged her A Level Business students to create Mocktails as inspired by The Cosy Club. The students had been looking at how businesses have adapted through the pandemic, in particular the hospitality industry. The Cosy Club diversified and launched online Mocktail courses for small groups, so the students looked into what it takes to become a Barista and a Mixologist. In a follow up practical class there were some very tasty mixes being served by the students. Catherine served up Lattes to some of her students and role played some customer service scenarios. Great fun learning. Below are some of the beautiful creations from the session.
Creative Faculty – Luke Muchmore – Teacher of Sport and Health and Social Care
In year 12 sport, students have been getting outside a lot and taking part in regular practical sessions three times a week to help boost activity levels and mental health after the most recent lockdown. The onus has been on the students to get outside of their own comfort zones and build their own confidence and leadership skills as part of the sports coaching unit. All students are planning and delivering three coaching and activity sessions for their peers, so far we have been very impressed with what we have seen!
In class, we are progressing with sports psychology, having looked at personality and motivation within sport, we now are moving on to stress and anxiety in sport and exercise. This ties in nicely with mental health awareness week as we will begin to look at stress and anxiety management techniques for athletes, these will be valuable skills that the students can use in their own sporting performance and personal lives.
Careers – Rosie Roberts, Careers Lead
Swindon and Wiltshire Careers Hub have an upcoming careers event for students and their parents on the 26th May 2021 – Your Choices (Post 16 and 18 options) as a Learn Live Broadcast. The Careers Hub will be broadcasting between 11-2pm during the day for schools/college to access and 5-7pm for parental/carer engagement.
It will be a fantastic opportunity for students and/or parents, carers, teachers etc to engage with a range of learning opportunities available to them. This will include academic and vocational routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities, training providers and local workplaces on a digital platform.
There is a timetable of broadcasts throughout the event which will be advertised closer to the event. The time slots are up to 5 minutes per institution, allowing time for a short presentation with additional and longer videos added On Demand from various partners and stakeholders, you can also take advantage of the LIVE CHAT features on the Learn Live Channel to ask any questions to the providers. The event will run on a one hour loop so students can watch it in different lessons if this suits your needs, the same will happen during the twilight session.
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
I attach a letter from Pearson about the BTEC qualification your son/daughter will be completing this year. This information is in alignment with that shared previously by the college.
If you have any questions please contact Lisa Lucas (Exam Officer) on office@salisbury6c.ac.uk Kind Regards S6C Office
