Weekly College Update

Friday 15th October 2021

We had a really positive start to the week  with our Personal  Development Day which was exploring Mental Health organised by Rebecca Anderson our Pastoral Lead – it was a packed day full of insightful talks and opportunities for students to explore their Mental Health in more depth.  In the afternoon we had a number of activities on offer for students such as, knitting, mindfulness, drumming, yoga, and a series of talks on sleep, exam stress, using apps & gaming to support mental health, and how to support a friend in need. Thanks are due to the MHST (mental health support team), Dr Orla Baird from SDH, and Kaya Drumming, for sharing their expertise.  

Luke Muchmore and Steve Price took our S6C football team over to The Burgate School on Wednesday afternoon, for a match against Burgate 6th Form football team.   As you can see from the match report below it was a successful trip for us. 

On Wednesday evening we held the first Open Evening of the year,  welcoming students and their families into the college community to speak to staff, find out more about subjects and to view our facilities.  It was so wonderful to see so many families enjoying our facilities and having the opportunity to speak to our wonderful teachers and some of our current students.   Our next Open Evening is Tuesday 23rd November 5.30pm – 7.30pm  if you would like to book on with a Year 11 child please follow the link: 

I would like to say a collective thank you again to the student ambassadors from both year 12 and 13. They showed outstanding leadership skills and parents were very complimentary about how passionate and articulate they were about their studies. 

Covid cases remain very low in our college community and we continue to review cases weekly to ensure we are confident our measures continue to be appropriate. Covid rates are rising in Wiltshire so we need to continue to be vigilant, keep testing and maintain good hygiene at all times. 

Wishing you a restful weekend.

Louise 
Head of College

Mental Health Development Day – Rosie Roberts, Career Lead and School Liaison 

This week, as part of the Development Day, Year 13 students had the opportunity to focus on Destinations, as well as their mental health, as requested in their feedback last year. They were able to  meet with representatives from the University of Bath, the University of Portsmouth and the University of Winchester to get feedback and advice on their university Personal Statements. We also welcomed Careers Adviser Polly Wiggins in to conduct careers guidance appointments with Year 13s. 

All students can get virtual support with their Personal Statement at any time by submitting it to the University of Portsmouth Personal Statement Hub.

Also this week, Year 12 students have been set a task to help them prepare for the “Your Choices” event on Tuesday 19th October. Students can access the independent study task in the Careers Google Classroom.

‘Your Choices’ is a free event for young people and their parents in Swindon and Wiltshire on Tuesday 19th October 2021 during the College day from 11-2pm, or in the evening between 5-7pm.     

This is an interactive event, giving you the chance to ask questions directly to our local colleges, universities, training providers, employers and speakers, to help you in making your future career choices.

Students, Teachers and Parents/Carers – Register for free here:

https://learnliveuk.com/your-choices-2021-2022/                                              #MyChoices

EGX 2021 – Nathan David, Teacher of Esports 

Last Friday, over 30 Esports, Media and Software Design students travelled to the Excel Centre, London, for the annual gaming convention, EGX. Students used the trip as an opportunity to network in their chosen career paths, engaging with industry professionals such as; content creators, game developers, and cyber security agencies as well as chats with University representatives within their chosen fields. The students then had the opportunity to play lots (and lots) of video games, some retro, some brand new and even some not out for release yet. We’re already looking forward to EGX 2022 – come join!

Student Union – Rebecca Anderson – Pastoral Lead

The Student Union, ably supported by Hazel Wright, are shaping the college with their feedback from Student Voice and their reflections on their individual focus areas. They are joining the Senior Leadership Team on Monday to discuss their recent requests, are working on audits of their areas, joined the team of amazing Student Ambassadors on Open Evening, and are working on their first independent task, planning the S6C Christmas Community Project. Cara Hellis, our mental health officer, suggested that we include a reflection on covid as part of the Development Day and students had an opportunity to discuss what they feel they have lost, what they have gained, and what gaps we can help with, as well as reflecting on current national statistics and sharing their feelings and views. Student feedback on the session was very positive and we will be looking closely at the issues they have raised for support and celebration. 

S6C Football – Luke Muchmore – Teacher of Sports

S6C 3-0 Burgate 

Goals: George Donohue, Finn Russell, Lewis Elshaw

MOTM: Ben Hayward

Lineup: W. Davis, N. Halliwell, B. Hayward (C), J. Price, G. Goff, L. Cartwright, G. Allen, A.Ford, F. Russell, L. Elshaw, G. Donohue   Subs: R. Fernando, H. McDonnell

S6C were back in 11 a side action on Wednesday afternoon, playing an away friendly against a good Burgate side. The opposition dominated early possession before coming unstuck due to good pressing from striker George Donohue led to a simple finish. 1-0. A solid start for the lads led to us playing well for the rest of the half, we were unlucky not to go into the break with another goal after a good header from captain Ben Hayward was saved.

The second half saw changes for both teams, but S6C remained on top – a rejuvenated Finn Russell scoring a weak footed volley midway through the second half. 2-0. S6C finished the game off after Lewis Elshaw scored the rebound from a George Allen free-kick. 3-0. Overall a great game with a flattering scoreline – the boys were buzzing to be back in action after a COVID-affected season last year. Next up is our first league game against Devizes.

Follow us on Social Media

The Official logo of the S6C Esports team – Salisbury Spitfires has been created by S6C Alumni, Jordan Markham.   You can follow the Salisbury Spitfires on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/enn_dee_esports/

We have also seen the launch of our STEM Faculty Instagram  – you can follow the STEM team on : https://www.instagram.com/s6cstem/

Our S6C College Social Media Accounts are please do follow us for regular updates: 

https://www.facebook.com/SalisburySixthFormCollege

https://www.instagram.com/salisbury6thform/

https://twitter.com/salisbury6form