Department Newsletter
selby.ac.uk
Welcome
Greetings from Selby College’s Sixth Form Department!
My name is Karen Ralphs and I am thrilled to welcome you to read our departmental newsletter, an exciting new publication designed to keep you informed and engaged with the latest developments at our amazing Sixth Form.
As the Head of Sixth Form, I am delighted to introduce you to our amazing community, where we are dedicated to nurturing your academic and personal growth.
The Sixth Form Department and its tutors are always committed to enhancing the student experience outside of the classroom.
In this newsletter, you can find out what our current and former students have been up to over the past year – from career activities to college trips, enrichment and student stories.
Each cohort we welcome to the College consistently demonstrates academic excellence and enthusiasm to learn. We are very proud of our class of 2024 who achieved amazing results in their A Levels in summer – read about their successes inside.
It is important to us that our students feel at home at the Sixth Form, so we have a support system open to all of our students. This includes our Student Wellbeing Officers, a Student Experience Team, counselling services and more.
Karen Ralphs Head of Sixth Form & Science
University of Oxford offers for Class of 2025
Two Sixth Form students from Selby College have been offered places at one of the UK’s top-ranking universities, the University of Oxford.
An aspiring Lawyer, Henry Toye who is currently studying A Level Biology, Business and Mathematics at the College, has been offered a place to study Law at Oxford University, whilst A Level Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Further Mathematics student Ben Nelson has gained a place to study Chemistry.
Ben said: “I chose to study these A Level subjects because I knew they would help me to get into my dream university. My tutors have been incredibly supportive of my university applications and even held one-to-one sessions where we would go over my personal statement and practice mock interviews.”
Henry said: “The A Level tutors at Selby College really care about your progression and are always encouraging you to do well. This includes taking part in extra-curricular activities such as the Intermediate Biology Olympiad competition, which helped to expand my knowledge and understanding of Biology.”
Many students took part in the Intermediate Biology Olympiad 2024 competition, which saw three students take home Silver medals and two students win Bronze medals.
Selby College’s Mentoring for Excellence programme has helped many of its students attain places at Britain’s top universities, including Durham University, the University of Cambridge.
After achieving A*s in English Language, Maths and Biology, former student Emily Morbey secured a place to study Human Sciences at the University of Oxford and later progressed on to a Master of Philosophy in Population Health Sciences degree at the University.
Reaching even higher levels of academia, Emily is now studying a PhD in Genetic Epidemiology at the University of Cambridge.
“Being offered a place to study at one of Britain’s top universities is an extraordinary achievement and I hope Ben and Henry are incredibly proud of themselves. This is a testament to the hard work and determination they’ve shown throughout their studies, as well as the high-quality teaching and support of our fantastic A Level tutors who have paved the way for their academic and personal success.”
Karen Ralphs Head of A Levels and Applied Science at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group
A Level Destinations
Eloise
“I really enjoyed the coursework we got to do in English Language because we had the freedom to choose the topic, so I found it really interesting. My biggest takeaway from College has been independent learning as I was able to find out what revision techniques worked well for me and what didn’t. I want to go into a job in cybersecurity in the future as it’s my passion.”
Subjects and Grades: Computer Science (A), English Language (A) and Law (A)
Eloise has now progressed onto study Computer Science at Lancaster University
Chloe
“I chose this course as I want to study something I can apply my Maths skills to and I want to get into the business industry in the future. At College, the teachers were always really helpful and the general College surroundings were really nice so I enjoyed it a lot.”
Subjects and Grades: Chemistry (A), Maths (A) and Further Maths (A)
Chloe now studies Accounting and Finance at the University of Leeds
James
“At College, I really liked my teachers - they were the reasons I got such good grades. You can’t succeed at A Levels without the proper support structure around you and we all had that here at Selby College, thanks to the teachers who helped us with extra academic support and personal support. I chose Geography, History and Sociology for my A Levels because I was really passionate about them at GCSE level. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made as I’ve really enjoyed my time here.”
Subjects and Grades: Geography (A*), History (A) and Sociology (A)
James progressed onto study Economics at the University of Manchester 99.5% overall pass rate of the class of 2024
Sixth Form Guide
Have you seen our Sixth Form Guide? It’s packed with information about our courses, our Mentoring for Excellence programme, enrichment opportunities and lots of student stories. You can read and download it through the QR code!
Scan the QR Code to have a read.
15 A Levels, including History, Biology, English Language, Chemistry and Business acheived a 100% pass rate
Many students were accepted into their first-choice universities such as: the University of York, the University of Leeds, Newcastle University, the University of Manchester and many more!
SixthForm atSelbyCollege
Biology Week
For the Royal Society of Biology’s annual Biology Week our Biology students got up to all sorts of biology-related activities. This included a Biology quiz, cell-themed 3D modelling using recycled materials and a Biology bake-off!
Students were asked to produce a cellthemed 3D model using recycled materials to help them with their understanding of cell ultrastructure as well as bake something that resembled part of a cell to bring for the class to enjoy.
Psychology Dissections
Careers
Talks
Daniel Kenworthy from Ison Harrison Solicitors recently came and spoke to our A Level Business and Law students about the different careers available within the legal profession.
Look at what our Year 2 Psychology students did last term! The students were tasked with carrying out a dissection of a sheep’s brain as part of their latest practical session. This introduced the students to the anatomy of a mammal’s brain, giving them the opportunity to explore the central nervous system.
Trip to Amsterdam!
Our Criminology, Law and Psychology students have recently been on a trip to Amsterdam where the students took part in a range of tourist activities in the city including a scenic canal cruise. Students also developed their knowledge of their subjects through various educational activities and visits.
Criminology and Law students were able to experience a whole different perspective on why crimes that are illegal in the UK are socially accepted and decriminalised in the Netherlands. Students were tasked with thinking about how the UK legal system operates and compared the different levels of crime, policing and urban environments across both countries.
Students were encouraged to look at the design of the environment and consider whether this is a factor in why crime rates
This was an excellent opportunity for our students to hear first-hand what a day in the life of a legal practitioner looks like.
are also so low in Amsterdam as well as observe the police presence in the city to determine the effectiveness of it as a crime deterrent.
Psychology students visited the Body Worlds Museum which helped them to contextualise their learning on the Biopsychology module. They looked at the brain and the nervous system, cognition and social influence on how interaction with other humans can support engagement between the mind and the human body.
The trip was valuable to all students as they experienced a different culture alongside the varied social structures and institutions, enabling them to utilise the experience in future applications for further study or employment opportunities.
