Head of Sixth Form Lent 11

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.

Year 13 are fully cognisant of prioritising their final exam preparations and assignment completion over the holiday. They have generated comprehensive work schedules and just need to stick to them now! With only weeks until external exams begin, practising exam questions and mastering their subjects could not be more important. Level 3 BTEC students have multiple assignments and subsequent deadlines to meet and the Easter break will enable them to complete their work to the highest standard. All should enjoy some downtime (as well as the odd chocolate egg!) and recharge their batteries too, remembering, "the best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today" (H. Jackson-Brown Jnr).

Year 12 can use their time to get some R&R as well as networking to confirm a relevant work experience for this summer. Open day visits to universities are invaluable and research into the apprenticeships currently available will provide insight into alternative routes. The focus on UCAS and apprenticeships will intensify next term culminating in registration on both sites and the first draft of personal statements and letters of application. It is an exciting time to be a Sixth Form student! Best wishes to you and your family for a refreshing Easter from myself and the Sixth Form Team.