Desborough College
Sixth Form News #BetterNeverStops It was a pleasure to speak to a bursting Jacoby Studio full of Year 11 students and their parents, with standing room only at our annual Sixth Form Open Evening. This, as I said on the night, is testament to the ever improving reputation of our Sixth Form locally (and more widely). Mr. Frazer had the enjoyable task of sharing the data headlines with our audience, which once again proves that at Desborough College, Sixth Form students make significantly more progress on A-Level and BTEC courses than their counterparts nationally. This of course isn’t news to us, or our current students, but should help inspire confidence among our Year 13 students as they head towards their mock examinations (wb: 5th March). All our students are in great hands, but those who will enjoy the most success this summer, are those that read and believe in the title of this article: Better Never Stops! We cannot become complacent now that university offers are
being made, in fact, this is when students should be shifting up a gear and digging deep to make it over the last hurdles! For Year 12 students, they need to recognise that they are already over 25% into their Sixth Form journey, with crucial end of year exams awaiting them in June (wb: 18th June).
Thanks for reading, and have an enjoyable halfterm.
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Mr. D Clawson Assistant Principal & Head of Sixth Form
My hope for this newsletter is that it gives you a regular insight into the rhythm of our Sixth Form and reminds you of key dates and milestones! It will also draw your attention to the many opportunities and experiences our students are offered, but don’t always take!
Keep up-to-date with our Sixth Form on Twitter: @DesboroughSixth
UCAS update
Friday 9th February, 2018
Upcoming dates: 23rd February: Reading University trip, selected Year 12 2nd March: UK University & Apprenticeship Search Fair, Year 12 3rd March: YE Trade Fair, Royal Windsor Shopping Centre 5th March: Year 13 mock exams begin 20th March: ALevel Business & Econ Conferences, London 23rd March: Old Maids Dinner 28th March: Inspirational speaker, Roz Savage MBE
I’m glad to report that all students met the application deadline of January 15th, and offers have been coming in thick and fast since then! The next deadline to be aware of is 3rd May, when students need to have made their Firm and Insurance choices. For more information to support this process, please visit: https://www.ucas.com/?tile=tile-311 and for advice on applying for student finance: https://www.ucas.com/?theme=track&tile=tile-361
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Sixth Form News
Careers & Employability update It’s been a busy term for our sixth formers. We have had disseminated a regular flow of information using our direct email to all of the students, with information ranging from details given on some major apprenticeship events such as the big Heathrow apprenticeship convention representing the hundreds of companies working in and around the airport, and the major London based UK University and Apprenticeship Fair that all of our year 12s will be attending in early March, to informing students of individual vacancies as and when they present themselves, as well as lectures and events being offered to enhance and broaden students’ understanding of the subjects they are studying. A constant flow of students have made use of the daily access to advice and guidance on offer in sixth form for any questions they have regarding apprenticeships/careers, work experience and the myriad other activities that will ultimately enhance their university personal statements and their CV’s.
ing brought home for half term which will be referring to the final week of the academic year when all of year 12s are expected to avail themselves of the opportunity of finding work experience ideally suitable for their long term career wishes. Please do have a look, if you haven’t done so before, at the careers webpage on Desborough’s website, as there are many contacts, websites and some very useful tips that may assist you with information which will keep you abreast of advice and guidance for post school/ sixth form years, or please do not hesitate to get in touch if you feel that a phone call or indeed a face to face visit will help you even further.
Our careers websites http:// www.desborough.org.uk/ UCAS-Careers-andEmployability http:// www.desborough.org.uk/ Careers http:// www.workreadyschools.co.uk /schools/desboroughcollege/
Mrs C Sansom Sixth Form Mentor & Careers Advisor
Work experience paperwork will be be-
Attendance update The attendance levels in our Sixth Form continue to be high, and in line with our
95% or above tar-
get for all students. We continually recognise in assembly, those student whose attendance is exemplary, and Salah (Yr12) and Justin (Yr13) were the lucky recipients of this half-term’s attendance prize draw! A well done must also go to all students who are making a concerted effort to improve their attendance, particularly following a bout of winter illnesses! As a reminder, students (or parents) should inform us as soon as possible about all absences, so that our records can be amended, and teachers can be informed. Please use our attendance email: sixthformadmin@desborugh-college.net to get in touch with us. You should expect communication from us when your son/daughter’s attendance drops below our target, and we thank you in advance for your support at ensuring students are here on time, and every day! Mrs J Weston Sixth Form Administrator
Examinations Year 13 mock examinations begin on Monday 5th March, and will fully finish a week later. All students are expected in for the full school day, with no study leave being granted for this round of mock examinations. It is crucial that students are adopting good study/revision habits during half-term, and we have sent them home with a revision planner and exam timetable to help them direct their ‘working holiday’. These exams are the last formal chance for our Year 13s to rehearse for the real thing, and so must be taken seriously and prepared for adequately.
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PiXL Independence Please encourage your son/daughter to make regular use of this fantastic resource! Log-in details can be found below, and students can turn their credits into prizes!
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Sixth Form News
Enrichment in the Sixth Form Did you know that on a Wednesday afternoon, all Year 12 students take part in an Enrichment Programme? This is an activity, chosen by the student, and followed through for the entire year. Some activities will result in certificates or even qualifications, but all will lead to broadened experiences and a wider skills set. This term, we have students engaged in the following activities:
Gold Crest Award
Extended Project Qualification
Chinese Studies (Mandarin Language)
Young Enterprise Company Programme
Football Team
Recreational Games
Administrative Work Experience
CISCO Networking Course
PE Work Experience
Swimming practice & coaching
Here’s what some of the students have to say: “Enrichment is a great way to escape from your subjects on a weekly basis, and I’m enjoying exploring my project which looks at whether laws should or shouldn’t be employed within different counties” Joe, EPQ “Mandarin is challenging but quite fun, and it’s exciting to be learning one of the world’s most spoken languages” Oliver, Mandarin “It was great to let off some steam each week with a team around you to take your mind off studies” James, Rugby “Being part of the football team allows me to interact with people
Dress code reminder The majority of our students adhere to the Sixth Form dress code meticulously, and it’s a pleasure to receive (almost daily) feedback on how well presented our students look! However, could I please remind students and parents that we are very clear about what jumpers we are happy to see worn to school, and these are V-neck jumpers only. All Sixth Form students should also be proudly wearing their red lanyards, and anyone who needs a replacement should see Mr Clawson.
that I normally wouldn’t socialise with - and it’s great to be winning this season!” Matt, Football
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Year 12 Careers Trip - Friday 2nd March This trip is now live on sQuid, and will cost ÂŁ9.25 for transport. All Year 12 students are encouraged to attend, as it covers the whole range of destinations post Sixth Form. Please return permission slips, and make payments on sQuid ASAP. Normal dress code required, and money for lunch will also be needed.
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Photo finish!
17 Year 12 students have completed their Mental Health First Aid Training this term!
New artwork has appeared around the Sixth Form Centre this term!
Mrs Gerber’s Year 12 Psychologists have enjoyed a day trip to the University of Surrey
This year’s Young Enterprise company have started as they mean to go on! First Trade Fair and first win in the bag!