Friday 28th May 2021
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.
