Last week we opened our doors to everyone hoping to join us in September. Nearly 200 young people came to enjoy Freshers Day and we absolutely loved meeting everyone and showing them what a wonderful college we have. Sessions in all subjects were run by teaching staff and there were a variety of additional activities including a presentation on our netball, football and rugby academies, an introduction to study skills, our admissions and enrolment experts were on hand to offer advice and everyone was able to explore the college and take part in a treasure hunt. We were hugely impressed by how mature everyone was and there was a real sense that everyone was already observing our values of inclusivity, aspiration and each individual striving to be the best version of themselves. Thank you to all the hard work our staff put into Freshers Day, thank you to our student union for their help on the day, thank you to Russ in our cafe for all the delicious treats, thank you to Cameron Walker, Esports Teacher, for running drop-in sessions, thank you to Laurence Rushby, Art Teacher, for hosting a pop-up gallery and last but definitely not least, thank you to Joanna’s Gelatos for the amazing ice creams!
Our UCAS and Apprenticeships Information Evening for parents was really well attended and I hope that everyone found the information useful. Links to the presentations are below:
Destinations Advice
Introduction to Apprenticeships
Graham Waton, Widening Access Outreach Manager, University of Bath
The countdown to the end of term has well and truly started, with just two weeks left until the summer holidays. Until then, our Year 12s must attend lessons as usual right up until Friday 12 July, when the college will close at lunchtime. Tuesday 09 July is a really important day for our Year 12s when they Unlock Year 13, Next Level, Next Steps. We would like to see ALL students that day to ensure a smooth transition to Year 13. At the beginning of the day, each student will be given an appointment time where they will be enrolled into Year 13 and the following will be discussed:
– work experience placement and feedback
You can still sign up for Unifrog online work experience. Please register and then let Rachel Cooke know and you will be excused from lessons to complete it online in college or at home.
– mocks results
– expectations for Year 13
– attendance record
Please can all students also check they have completed their:
– Character Curriculum Tracker
– Careers Passport
– Registered for UCAS (used for both Uni applications and references for apprenticeships and employment)
If you have any concerns or need assistance, please speak to Rachel via Google Chat.
End of Year Exams
Your end of year exams are being marked and teachers will get marks back to you as soon as they can. Some of you are asking about the impact of your results on predicted grades:
– On your report you will see THREE GRADES.
– Your TARGET GRADE is the grade that the computer generates based on your GCSE results in combination with your chosen subjects. This does not change over your time with us, but it is only an indicator of your potential.
– Your PREDICTED GRADE is the grade your teachers currently think you will get, based on evidence, if you continue to follow the same working patterns and level of progress into Year 13. This will be updated after each data capture.
– Your UCAS PREDICTED GRADE is a more generous grade, still evidence based, but assuming you will work super hard from now on, and that things will go very well. This is the grade we will use for university and apprenticeship applications. If the picture changes significantly before we have to enter these grades, then it can still go up or down, and you can ask your teachers for your current UCAS PREDICTED grade, at any time. This will give you an idea where to pitch your applications as you start to think about your next steps – we recommend putting in a range of applications with room for challenge at the top end and a safety net at the lower end.
We will be taking you through information on applying for jobs, apprenticeships and university on the Unlock Year 13 Development Day on Tuesday 09 July. Here is some clarification on how to unlock Year 13:
– If you get a D or above in your end of year exams, or your vocational work is complete at the expected level, then you will go straight into Year 13.
– If you get an E or U, and this is two grades below your target, or your vocational work is not complete at the expected level, then you will be asked to complete catch up work and revision over the summer holidays, so you are well placed to succeed in Year 13.
– You will then be asked to sit a further end of year exam, or show your completed work, at the very start of the new term.
– If you succeed at this stage (which most students do) then you go into Year 13 with new confidence, and well prepared to continue.
– If you don’t achieve at this stage, then we will review your performance in light of your attendance and your progress this year, and work with you to put extra support in place or overcome any barriers, which, for some, may include considering a course change or alternate next steps, so that we can find the best path for you.
Apprenticeships, Employment and University
– 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
IMPORTANT MESSAGES FOR YEAR 13
– Please fill out the Year 13 Exit Survey
– YOU MUST KEEP INFORMATION CLASSROOM ACTIVE, WITH NOTIFICATIONS ON, AS THERE WILL BE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO GET YOUR RESULTS, PLUS OTHER NOTICES AS NEEDED. WE EXPECT YOU TO KEEP LOOKING UNTIL RESULTS DAY IN MID AUGUST.
– You are able to contact the pastoral team until the summer if you need help with next steps, careers, or safeguarding.
– If you would like to apply to uni in the next few years, using S6C UCAS, then contact the office or your tutor, and we will do what we can to help.
– Please keep in touch with us. We really value our S6C alumni!
– Please click here to find out where to find support after college.
– Student Finance – how to apply
– Student Finance in England – everything you need to know
– Deadlines for Accepting University Offers – UCAS
– Disabled Students Allowance. If anyone needs help applying for DSA (disabled students allowance – which is for any kind of additional support needs) then please let Rebecca know. I can also help with uni accommodation applications. But we can only help if we know!
– Your college account will be deleted when you leave S6C. This will mean that all your work will be deleted and you will not be able to access this again. If you want a copy of your work for future use, you MUST use Google Takeout to download your work:
– Head to the Google Takeout website: https://takeout.google.com
– Sign in with your college Google Account. You’ll see a list of Google products. Uncheck everything except “Drive”. Click the checkbox next to “Drive” and then select “All Drive data included” for a complete download.
– At the bottom, you can choose how you want to receive your files (email or cloud storage) and the file format (.zip is recommended).
– Click “Create export” and Google will start collecting your files. This might take a while depending on how much data you have. Once it’s ready, you’ll get a notification email with a link to download your archived files. Remember:
– Downloaded files might be organised differently than in your Drive.
– This download only includes your own files, not shared folders or files owned by others.
Tip: Save your downloaded files on a secure external hard drive or cloud storage for safekeeping.
Don’t wait! Download your work and keep a copy for your future endeavours.
General Election
A list of candidates for Salisbury is in the link below, with representatives for Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem, Green, Reform UK, and Arthur Pendragon (who stands as an independent candidate). Please use your voice and your rights . Research it and make an informed decision using reliable sources – or talk to a few people you trust – or just turn up and decide on the day – but TURN UP and BE PART OF THIS.
Voting for the first time – all you need to know
When is the UK General Election and who can vote?
Elections in your area
Who will be standing to be Salisbury’s next MP?
S6C Football Academy
Community and Education Football Alliance League
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Tuesday 02 July
Psychology Trip to Marwell Zoo
Wednesday 03 July
Pembroke Park Science Day at S6C
SEND Afternoon Tea 3pm to 5pm
Tuesday 09 July
Unlock Year 13, Next Level, Next Steps
Friday 12 July
Terms Ends at 12.15pm
Results Days
– Thursday 15 August for A level, AS, BTEC and CTEC qualifications
– Thursday 22 August for GCSE Maths and English Language
– Results for Y12 with CTEC/BTEC Unit Results will be emailed on Thursday 15 August
On these days the college will be open from 9:00am to 12:00pm and staff will be on site to welcome you to collect your results. Please click here for more information.
Thursday 15 August
A Level | AS Level | BTEC | CTEC Results Day
Thursday 22 August
GCSE Results Day
Thursday 29 August – Friday 30 August
Staff Training Days
Monday 02 September
Term Begins
Monday 21 October – Friday 01 November
Half Term
Monday 04 November
Term Begins
Friday 20 December
Term Ends
Monday 23 December 2024 – Friday 03 January 2025
Christmas Break
Monday 06 January
Staff Training Day
Tuesday 07 January
Term Begins
Monday 17 February – Friday 21 February
Half Term
Monday 24 February
Term Begins
Friday 04 April
Term Ends
Monday 07 April – Monday 21 April
Easter Break
Tuesday 22 April
Term Begins
Monday 05 May
Bank Holiday
Monday 26 May – Friday 30 May
Half Term
Monday 02 June
Term Begins
Monday 30 June
Staff Training Day
Wednesday 16 July
Term Ends
Thursday 17 July – Friday 29 August
Summer Break
