Friday 04 November 2022
We have thrown ourselves into the new half term with an array of activities to improve and develop life at S6C.
On Monday 31 October, staff attended an inset day at Sarum Academy where they met with their peers from across the Magna Learning Partnership. Themes included best practice in the classroom, promoting wellbeing and improving communication.
Our weekly enrichment programme continues with knitting club making Christmas stockings, badminton, sessions in the gym, netball and video and board games. The art department is hoping to start a college mural and baking club begins this term.
Two days this week have been spent undertaking an External Quality Review. Photography, Art and Film classes have been observed by colleagues from Farnborough and Godalming Sixth Form Colleges and a student panel from each subject has been asked their thoughts. With a focus on the quality of our teaching and learning, assessment procedures and feedback we can gain valuable insights into what we are doing well and what we need to improve.
This week our students have been taking their GCSE Maths and English resits. Well done to everyone for their hard work and good luck in achieving the very best results! Mock exams are now fast approaching and I have attached the timetable. Good luck to our Yr13 students! Please click here for the mock timetable.
Today, parents dropped in for an informal coffee morning and I really enjoyed getting to know them and hearing their thoughts on the college. We believe there is huge value in listening to the parents of our students and we are looking to appoint a parent governor who will be able to work with us in shaping the college in the future. Details on how to apply will be sent to parents shortly.
And finally, I am delighted to share the news that we have once again been graded GOOD by Ofsted. This is an extremely positive result and I would like to thank everyone who has helped achieve this outcome. We are now all keen to reflect on the report and look closely at the suggestions for improvements that were made so we can build on our successes. To see the full report, click on the following link – Salisbury 6th Form College Ofsted Report
Regards
Ben
Geography Field Trip
Susan Murphy – Teacher of Geography
The Year 13 Geographers have been on a field trip to Leeson House, Dorset on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Led by staff members Catherine Pennington and Chris Papp, students braved the weather to complete their physical fieldwork at Swanage and their human fieldwork in Boscombe. They also had an evening tutor session completing follow up work for their Geography coursework.
Loci the dog (from the fieldwork centre) joined the students and staff at the beach on Wednesday. They were measuring longshore drift, looking at cliff stabilisation and groynes, landslides and wealden beds. The students measured the waves per minute and threw an apple into the sea (for ethical reasons), measuring how long it took to come back on shore; a seagull pinched it which we could record as one of the drawbacks to the experiment! Overall, a great time was had by all.
Little Loci gives a whole new meaning to the term “fetch’’ 🙂.
Wyvern St Edmund’s/S6C Director of Sport
We have recently appointed a Director of Sport across WSE and S6C to create a first class sporting experience for students. It is our ambition to compete and perform at the highest levels and it is hoped to extend our sports offering to ensure we retain our academic/sporting superstars within the Magna Learning Partnership. We are really excited to announce that from September 2023 we will be offering ‘A’ level PE at S6C.
Alongside our educational programme, we will offer an opportunity to be part of the Football, Rugby, Netball or Fitness Academies. These sport academies will be based at WSE Academy, further strengthening the link between S6C and WSE. The Sport Academy option will be part of their daily timetable where students will have access to professional coaching for one hour a day in their chosen sport or activity. We are hoping to be linked to professional and local sport clubs to ensure the students’ experience will replicate being a professional athlete. Watch this space!
Being part of a Sport Academy will also mean the students will join the WSE/S6C Elite Performance Programme. This will be made up of Sixth Form sports students and students from WSE who are either competing at county level, part of a professional academy, have a national ranking or a black belt in a martial arts. Being part of the Elite Performance Programme will provide students with enrichment opportunities including listening to presentations from professionals in the world of sport such as nutritionists, physiotherapists, personal trainers and athletes, visiting top sports universities and team building trips to increase team cohesion. We are working tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure the student’s experience of sport and academic PE at WSE then S6C is as outstanding as it can be!
There are many different reasons why everyone should take part in physical activity, the main one being that it helps mental health.
Improves Mood: Studies show that physical activity has a positive impact on our mood. One study asked people to rate their mood after a period of exercise (i.e. walking or gardening) and after inactivity (i.e. reading a book). Researchers found that people felt more awake, calmer and more content after physical activity.
Reduces Stress: Being regularly active is shown to have a beneficial impact on alleviating stress. It can help manage stressful lifestyles and can help us make better decisions when under pressure. Research on working adults shows that active people tend to have lower stress rates compared to those who are less active.
Increased Self Esteem: Physical activity has a big impact on our self-esteem – that’s how we feel about ourselves and our perceived self-worth. This is a key indicator of mental wellbeing. People with improved self-esteem can cope better with stress and improve relationships with others.
Depression and Anxiety: Exercise has been described as a “wonder drug” in preventing and managing mental health. Many GPs now prescribe physical activity for depression, either on its own or together with other treatments. It’s effective at both preventing the onset of depression and managing symptoms.
So the message is clear. Please get out there and participate!
S6C Sports Teams
Emma Thompson – Teacher of Sport
The S6C football and netball teams got off to winning starts at the end of the last half term. The netball team won 14-9 against Sarum Academy with Flo Boxall being awarded player of the match for her excellent shooting. This was the first netball match for many of the players so it was a great experience for them and the team are now looking forward to more fixtures.
The football team played away at Burgate and won 5-2 with a hat-trick for Callum Wohler, and other goals from Seb Osmond and Alex Crowe. This was their first match as a team and an excellent win for them to start the season off.
