Sponsored Silence! What a marvellous way to raise money for the Gambia Project, a well used but brilliant idea Jacob in Year 12 had and which, strangely, staff and students were keen to support! It was a peaceful day in the Sixth Form and proved very profitable too with £118 now added to the funds the students are building up for their trip to Brufut in October.

Our rowers have also had success, winning various races including the quad you can see in this week's photograph. James, Alec, Joe and Jake holding their winners medals and the well worn trophy which has been awarded to many other superb teams down the years. Congratulations to them and our other rowers who competed so impressively. 

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Poignant and timely words from Dr Seuss who certainly understands human nature and how to find the silver lining in every situation. As a 'glass half full' person myself, this phrase resonates with me as our Year 13 student's time in Sixth Form draws to a close. 

We had a wonderful 'Leavers Celebration' last Friday, looking at photos of each of them from the distant past and more recent images too. For the first time in many years the students themselves created their own homage to Claires Court Sixth Form, putting together a montage of fond memories which prompted 'ooohs', 'aaahs' and raucous laughter for its duration. Their shy and retiring teachers (not!) produced a sequence of innovative and sincere farewells which included dramatic science experiments, tweeting, monologues and dancing! Behind every message was a sincere appreciation of each student's contribution to the life of the Sixth Form, the legacy they leave behind and recognition of the great promise and potential of each student. After some sage advice from myself including; looking for opportunities rather than waiting for them to fall in our lap; to be grateful every day and not to let a bad day define us - after all, we have lots of good days too!

It's the time of year when I wake up in the middle of the night, in a cold sweat, wishing I had started my exam revision earlier! Thankfully, our students have been preparing sensibly and effectively for theirs which are now in full swing. It is their time to shine and 'show what they know' and I am sure they will not experience the same flashbacks I do in the years to come. 

Our Y13 photographers have spent the past three days in exam conditions demonstrating their remarkable technical and creative skills, producing a variety of pieces of stunning quality. Oscar Akerman is one of those students and his recent entry into the Young Photographer Competition was awarded third prize. Congratulations to Oscar and also to Tom Hattam whose work merited first prize. I am immensely proud of them both and find their work inspiring as I am sure you will when you come to the exhibition later this term. 

Other Y13s have been busy with A Level ICT and Language exams with Art and Textiles on the horizon, while Y12 Sports BTEC students have started external controlled assessments. There is an atmosphere of industry and focus in the Sixth Form Centre.

When you are absorbed in the work you are doing, time moves quickly and this term has certainly flown by, both for our focused students and dedicated teaching team. I'm not sure Usain Bolt could have kept pace! Looking back there is significant evidence of Year 12 and Year 13 aiming high, many achieving top grades in their mock exam series. Year 12s are beginning to identify university courses and apprenticeship opportunities which suit their interests, talents and skills while Year 13s have been confirming their firm and insurance university places and targeting apprenticeship and employment openings.

The term is also punctuated with proof of increased self-belief as students impressed at Young Enterprise Trade Fairs, rowing in several Head of the River events, winning triathlons, performing in music concerts and the football 1^st XI reaching the final of the SOCS Super 8 league pictured here. Our local charity, The Alexander Devine Children's Hospice and our global charity, the Gambia Project, have also been well supported, as have several PTA events at which students volunteered to help.

This week, much like every other week, I am brimming with pride at the diversity and quality of student activity inside and outside the classroom. On Monday our musicians and singers gave stunning performances at our annual evening concert, including stand out renditions of pieces on flute, piano, guitar, saxophone, voice and a variety of electric instruments too. 

Our Gambia adventurers met on Tuesday to discuss the itinerary and fundraising options for their exciting trip to work on art and sport based activities as well as other ideas to support the literacy and numeracy programmes there. On Wednesday our sports men and women were scattered on pitches and courts county wide, competing in fiercely contested fixtures. The Year 12 students enjoyed the Higher Education Exhibition at Brunel University on Thursday, speaking to admissions tutors about the grades needed for the courses they are interested in and armed with prospectuses and a record number of freebies returned with increased motivation to succeed in their studies. And to round the week off we invited Helen Cole, our Careers Consultant, to talk to  students about the alternatives to university which include a myriad of apprenticeships at all levels including degree courses. Our days are always full of interesting and useful opportunities which give the students every chance to develop their personal qualities, transferable skills and optimise their future options. 

The students who went on the Art and Psychology trip to Berlin were a credit to themselves and Claires Court. Here they are in front of the Brandenburg gate. The staff who led the trip commented on the engaging and interesting company the Year 12s and Year 13s proved to be and although the teachers (and probably students!) certainly needed to catch up on some sleep on their return they all thoroughly enjoyed the experience, including the East Side Gallery, an open-air gallery consisting of a series of murals painted directly on a 1316m long remnant of the Berlin Wall, located near the centre of Berlin. To the north of the city lies the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp where more than 100,000 Jews, communists, intellectuals, gypsies and homosexuals were killed by Nazis between 1936 and 1945. The students were able to witness the buildings which have been preserved in their original form and more importantly achieve a better understanding of social influence and conformity.