Salisbury 6th Form College S6C Update

This week we have opened applications for Year 12 students to join the S6C Student Union. This student led group really does make a difference and the views of the student union are held in high regard by the college leadership team. This is an amazing opportunity to develop the college and support and build our college community, whilst increasing individual skills and strengthening future applications. We would love to hear from anyone who would like to get involved, have a voice and help their fellow students. Closing date for applications is 6pm on Friday 17 May.
S6C Student Union

This week, we have also finalised the timetable for year 12 mock exams: Year 12 Mock Exam Timetable
Please note that exam locations will be added at a later date.

Last week we wrote to parents about attendance, exams and as we come to the end of the year, our expectations for our year 12 students. The letters are attached below. Please do let us know if you feel there is more we can do in our communications with parents.
Attendance Expectations
Summer 2024 Exams
Preparation for End of Year 12 Exams

We continue to support all of our students during exam season and the following resources have been gathered by our expert teaching staff:
Revision Support – what to revise
Revision Guide – how to revise

Revision is hugely important and taking past papers is a brilliant way to learn what to expect. Please ask your teacher for help if you don’t know how to approach your revision or you want to access past papers for your subjects.

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

Hot off the press! 2024 Exam Timetable

The last interviews for prospective September 2024 students have now taken place. We received a record number of applications this year but it’s not too late if you still want to apply – there are still places available on some courses: APPLY NOW

Work Experience – the attached letter has been emailed through parentmail but in case you have missed it, please click here to see what our expectations are and the support we offer: Work Experience

Liz Stavely – Mental Health Lead

Mental Health Awareness Day 2024
On Wednesday 15 May and Thursday 16 May we will be recognising Mental Health Awareness Day at S6C. The themes of the day are #WearitGreen and #BeActive. To this end we invite students to show their support for wellbeing by wearing something green on either or both of these days. On Wednesday we will be welcoming Paddy the support dog to college, he will be available for a cuddle in the Study Centre – he can even read books! During our Enrichment slot, I will be on hand to chat through coping strategies for anxiety and the PE students will be hosting an interfaculty competition – more details to follow! On Thursday we aim to spread a little joy as the college will be overrun with tiny green creatures and students can get involved with Operation Adopt a Frog…?! Term 5 can be a stressful time for students, particularly those in Year 13. We recognise this and are on hand to provide a listening ear and signpost students towards support. If your child is feeling the strain, please encourage them to message me on Chat and we can arrange a 1:1.

Wiltshire Council parent workshops and adult learning opportunities
These workshops and adult learning opportunities are all free to attend and some focus on supporting children’s wellbeing in the home. Please do take a look and I hope there is something here that is of interest to you.

Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead
In tutor and assembly we are really trying to make sure that Year 13 leave with the skills and knowledge they will need in the future. Information and support will always be available, but this is the last time in their education or training that someone will be directly telling them stuff and showing them where to go for help. Please encourage them to make the most of it.

Year 12 had an assembly about end of year exams and the pathway to Year 13. I also shared the key takeaway messages of some high level safeguarding updates, which I will also cover with Year 12.

Safeguarding Update for parents/carers to note:
A recent study has shown that the threat posed by online predators has increased since the pandemic. Young people and their families need to be aware that the sad reality is that tens of thousands of tech savvy young adults are being professionally groomed so that they can be blackmailed for money or for explicit images of themselves or others. This is not happening on sites where young adults shouldn’t be, but on Instagram and Snapchat, where groomers will commit to playing a long game to build trust that they are another young adult, until they get an initial image or information they can use as leverage. We are aware that S6C students have been affected and the advice from the National Crime Agency is to block the minute an online contact seems they may not be who they say they are or asks for something suspicious, and to report to CEOP immediately. Young people should not be ashamed or embarrassed, as these groomers are very good at knowing how to build trust. The advice is that you should never send whatever is requested by the blackmailer, as they are likely to move on to their next target the minute you block them, and the consequences at an early stage, even if they do act, are never as bad as it will get if you engage further. It is also worth noting that students can help keep themselves safer by never sharing nudes or semi nudes online, which is illegal anyway, because they have no control over those images, even if they are sent to another young adult who they definitely know and currently trust. As ever, students are also advised to set all accounts with higher privacy settings than the default ones (very few of them do this, so please do ask them about it)

If any parents or carers or students would like more information then please do get in touch.
We don’t want students to be scared but we do want them to be savvy, and to be taking care of themselves or each other. Report to CEOP

University and Apprenticeships
– If you applied to UCAS on time then you should have all your offers by 16 May, and you need to accept by 06 June – but you can still apply, so come and talk to us if you want to get an application together.
If you are going to uni then you need to apply for Student Finance – you can apply any time but it is recommended you apply before the end of May to guarantee getting your first payment on time. You do not need to have accepted a firm offer – use your preferred choice and go back in and change it once you have chosen. Here are some useful links:

Student Finance – how to apply
Student Finance in England – everything you need to know
Deadlines for Accepting University Offers – UCAS
University Bursary – Wiltshire Community Foundation
Disabled Students Allowance

The Wiltshire Community Foundation Grant is still open so PLEASE apply if you think you might be eligible – you can check all the details on the link. I am sure there are students who are eligible and should have applied but haven’t so please come and see me for help!

If anyone needs help applying for DSA (disabled students allowance – which is for any kind of additional support needs) then please let me know. I can also help with uni accommodation applications. But we can only help if we know!

– 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
– 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 Football Academy
Community and Education Football Alliance League

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

S6C Update

2024 Open Evenings

S6C Tours

S6C Update

S6C Update

S6C Update