This week our BTEC Applied Law and Business Studies students received the results of their winter external examinations and I am delighted to report that their grades were outstanding. All of the students have worked extremely hard to ensure they are on target for great outcomes and we would like to congratulate these students for not only doing well in their exams but also approaching their college education with the maturity and determination that is needed to achieve great results.
In Business we have seen two students achieve such great results that they will be placed in the top 1% nationally of BTEC students, over 20% are on target to attend a Russell Group University such as Reading, Liverpool and Exeter and nearly 60% have secured a University place, with the national average for the BTEC Extended Diploma at 39% in 2022.
Applied Law has seen record results and although we are yet to see final results, we are quietly optimistic that a large number of students will achieve a D or D*.
Although vocational qualifications are often seen as ‘second best’ to A Levels, this is certainly not our approach at S6C and our dedicated team of specialist teachers and our amazing students consistently achieve well above national average. As you can tell we are very proud of our students and their achievement and look forward to celebrating with them in August.
At S6C we are proud that our students and staff have the freedom to express themselves. It is what makes our college such a brilliant place to study and work and yesterday was no exception when we recognised World Down’s Syndrome Day by wearing brightly coloured and mismatched socks to celebrate the individuality of every person who has Down’s Syndrome. I am so pleased that we are able to celebrate such things together and it highlights what an incredible team we have here at S6C: Down’s Syndrome Association UK.
Easter Revision Sessions
We are opening the college for a few revision sessions during the Easter break. The staff members who will be running these sessions are noted below. We would highly recommend that students invited to these sessions do attend so that they can get the most out of their time with us and help to prepare for their exams in the summer, which are fast approaching.
Tuesday 02 April
9.00am-12.00pm
Viv White, Kirsty White, Steve Price, Sally Tye, Lainey Hughes
1.00pm-4.00pm
Kirsty White, Sally Tye, Lainey Hughes, Steve Barrington
Thursday 04 April
9.00am-12.00pm
Viv White, Nigel Roper, Ben Hillier, Nicky Miller
1.00pm-4.00pm
Nigel Roper, Ben Hillier, Steve Barrington, Jon Usherwood
Our teaching staff have drawn together this revision support document which is an excellent resource: S6C Revision Support
If exam stress is affecting your wellbeing, please remember that support is available from the team in college.
Preparing for Exams
Coping with Exam Stress
Laurence Rushby – Teacher of Art and Photography
This week I visited our lovely creative students Roux and Jay, who are volunteering for Wiltshire Creatives at the Salisbury Arts Centre. They have been working on creating an archive dating from the 1960s for Salisbury Youth Theatre. I was delighted to hear lots of praise for their fabulous work and there is even discussion surrounding their continuing this project into 2025.
Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead
University and Apprenticeships
– Any student needing to do an interview for apprenticeship, employment or university can come and see Rebecca to arrange some guidance and practice;
– 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;
– We offer a full support service for those applying for apprenticeships, but it has to be responsive to the job market, so there are no set dates for the different stages. This means that students need to show a high level of initiative and independence, but we are here to help and we expect to be involved – we can help search, check applications, and prepare for interviews.
Careers
Polly Wiggins is our external careers advisor and students wanting to book an appointment should message Rachel Cooke.
Funding
– You have just under a month to get your Wiltshire Community Foundation grant applications in! £1600 a year for every year of university. Let Rebecca know if you need help completing the form.
– There is also a one off grant of £1000 to help you with the costs of starting an apprenticeship.
– You are likely to qualify if you are on our college bursary scheme – but if you feel you need the support, then please do take a close look and contact them to ask.
– If your home circumstances have changed and you think you might need a bursary, then it is never too late to apply: S6C Bursary Support
S6C Rugby Academy
Floodlight UR7 7s Tournament
What a night and an unreal experience! The lads did the squad and the college proud and went toe to toe with some of the best teams / colleges in the country!
In our first game we were only losing 10-5 at half time to ETON! Incredible achievement. Then their superior fitness took over but we matched them for the majority of the game. Amazing to watch.
10-10 with London Irish Academy at half time was a particular highlight and Alex being scouted and invited to join their Academy – very well deserved!
Got a glimpse of what elite level looks like. If we want to reach it, we know what it takes – a lot of hard work and dedication. We have the talent but now need to go further and do the training.
In the last game the lads ran out of steam but we are extremely proud of the lad’s efforts. An incredible experience and one I really hope the team takes a lot from.
Let’s take it into the game against Bishops and smash them, to end a brilliant first year of S6C rugby!
Adam Jones – Director of Sport
S6C 52 vs 5 Peter Symonds – what a win!
Not a vintage performance in patches but some lovely rugby in spells. We were far too strong for a mix of first and second team players from Peter Symonds. I think they will send their first team next time!
Good to see everyone get some decent minutes.
Lots of good individual moments from us – Tai good performance capped by 2 tries, Chris carried well with some nice touches, and Mica kicked well and scored 2.
We will need to be much better against BWS on 27 March, particularly our support play and breakdown work – Rob W also epitomised this with his desire in defence.
I enjoyed it nonetheless and looking forward to us finishing the season on a high against Bishops.
Adam Jones – Director of Sport
S6C Football Academy
Community and Education Football Alliance League
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Wednesday 27 March
S6C Football Academy v. Bristol Rovers (away)
S6C Rugby Academy – rematch 15s v BWS 1s
Thursday 28 March
Terms Ends
Friday 29 March
Easter Break
Monday 15 April
Term Begins
Year 13 DC9 Assessment Week
Tuesday 16 April
Vocational Mock Exam Applied Science Unit 2 9am to 11am
Vocational Mock Exam Sport Unit 4 1pm to 2.30pm
Wednesday 17 April
Vocational Mock Exam Applied Law 9am to 10.30am
Vocational Mock Exam Sport Unit 1 1pm to 2.30pm
Interview Afternoon 2.30pm to 4pm
Thursday 18 April
Year 12 UCAS Discovery Fair Winchester
Monday 22 April
Summer Exam Season Begins
Wednesday 24 April
S6C Football Academy v. Plymouth Argyle (home @ Ringwood Football Club)
Monday 06 May
Bank Holiday
Monday 27 May
Half Term
Monday 03 June
Term Begins
Friday 07 June
MLP Pupil Parliament Meeting
Monday 10 June
Year 12 DC7 Assessment Week
Tuesday 25 June
UCAS and Apprenticeships Information Evening
Friday 28 June
Year 13 Prom
Tuesday 02 July
Psychology Trip to Marwell Zoo
Wednesday 03 July
Pembroke Park Science Day at S6C
SEND Open Afternoon 3pm to 5pm
Tuesday 09 July
Year 5 Primary School Careers Fair at S6C