6th Form newsletter - 1 March 2018
Developing leadership skills
It is the time of year when ‘Leadership’ is in the headlines at the College. We are about to embark on the process of electing the new Student President team and will be thanking the outgoing team lead by Max Watkins and Aidan Grenville for their outstanding contribution to the College during the past year.
Calling all future leaders
Next Monday in assembly I will be asking the current Lower 6th to put themselves forward to be members of the new team and indeed for the role of Student President that will ultimately be voted for by all members of the College. This is an excellent opportunity for the students to develop both leadership skills and the skills for life that are evident in our our curriculum wheel as well as make a valuable contribution to their community.
The Lower 6th students are also just embarking on their university preparation and this is being supported by a number of upcoming events that I would like to draw to your attention:
- On Tuesday 27 March we will be hosting a number of past students for our Inside Information event, in the format of a Q&A session, so that our Lower 6th students can talk to university students currently at the beginning and the end of their courses about their university and their course experience.
- On Monday 23 April the students will be introduced to the idea of the Personal Statement that they are required to write in support of their university application if applying via UCAS.
- This will be followed by a Personal Statement Writing Workshop run by Kings College London on Thursday 1 May.
CamMUN and its student leaders
In addition I have been working closely with Dr Ulrike Walton-Jordan and the CamMUN secretariat, entirely made up of 6th Form students and most ably lead by Klara Spark who is the Secretary-General for the event. They are hosting the first Model United Nations event to be held at the Stephen Perse Foundation and I can safely say that this is no small undertaking, with 200 plus students and their teachers attending from around the world.
This is a 3 day event commencing on Friday 17 March 2018 and the secretariat have been responsible for all aspects of organising the conference including the catering, finances, marketing, operations and health and safety to name a few. I have been so impressed by their teamwork, collaboration, negotiation skills and their willingness to make decisions and be held to account. They have also learned about the importance of planning, communication, budgeting and meeting deadlines. They have certainly ‘felt the pain’ so to speak and at times the stress has been evident but I think we would all agree that this is an incredibly valuable part of their education and one that they will reap the rewards from for years to come especially when they are involved in future projects of this nature and in the world of work in general.
Leading the celebration of diversity and individuality
In the last newsletter I announced the launch of our library blog 'Be Curious'. The statistics on the use of the blog suggest that our students are visiting (and hopefully reading!) the blog and benefitting from their regular dose of culture and deeper insight into specialist topics and research skills.
The latest topic is a follow-up from an assembly on LGBT+ History Month, with a discussion about the importance of ‘representation’ and a number of suggestions of LGBT+ movies to watch.
Best wishes,
Naomi Atkins
Head of 6th Form
Upper 6th Guidance Update from Dr Mark Woodward, Head of Guidance
March sees the final deadlines for UK universities confirming their offers with the U6 students, although by this stage most have already heard there are always certain courses (such as Medicine and Law) and universities that leave it very late. Once all the offers are in students have until May to make up their mind on their Firm and Insurance choices, as I have said previously if they have any questions or concerns talk to their tutor or come and see me. Students do not have to put down an Insurance choice and it can often be difficult if all their offers are similar, but as I have said to them they must make sure that if they do it is a university that they are interested in attending. For students who have been unsuccessful in securing offers, UCAS Extra is now open and I will also be talking to some on how Clearing and Adjustment works in the summer.
International universities also have their deadlines around this time, with offers coming in this year from the US, Canada, Hong Kong, as well as French and Dutch universities! Students are also being confirmed on Art Foundation and Music College courses. For those applying to UK universities they will receive information on student finance and we would advise students to fill that in early as it can take time to process. International students may also need to demonstrate evidence of English proficiency, qualifications or ensure other paperwork is in place.
As always any questions please contact me on msw@stephenperse.com