Department Newsletter
wakefield.ac.uk
Welcome
Greetings from Wakefield College’s Sixth Form Department!
My name is Karen Ralphs and I am thrilled to welcome you to our departmental newsletter, an exciting new publication designed to keep you informed and engaged with the latest developments in our amazing Sixth Form.
As Head of the 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 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 last summer – read about their successes inside.
It is important to us that our students feel at home in 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
Dissections with the British Biology Olympiad Team
Our team for the British Biology Olympiad had a special dissection session to help contextualise their recent learning and as a reward for taking part in the Olympiad next year!
A Level Destinations Statistics of Success
James
“I’ve always wanted to be a Surgeon from a young age as my mum works in the healthcare sector and I really look up to her. The teachers at College are great and treat you like adults and peers, they really showed they care about us. My biggest takeaway from College was becoming more independent, it made me enjoy it more.”
Subjects and Grades: Chemistry (A*), Biology (A*) and Maths (A*)
James has now progressed onto study Medicine at the University of East Anglia
Lillianna
“I enjoyed spending time with friends at College. My favourite subject was Media Studies because it was creative and fun and I really liked my tutor. At Sixth Form, I’ve learnt how to write and structure my essays which will be really useful when I go on to study at university.”
Subjects and Grades: English Language (B), Sociology (B) and Media Studies (B)
Lillianna now studies English Language and Linguistics at the University of York
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.
Students secured places at some of Britain’s top universities, including Newcastle University and the University of York
100% pass rate achieved on 9 A Level courses in 2024 100% pass rate achieved for English Literature for the 19th year running
Thinking about their futures…
Our Sixth Form students actively explore the opportunities available to them after college by attending university open days, career talks, and industry-led workshops.
Durham University Open Day: Five of our A Level students visited Durham University’s Open Day. They were able to look around the residential areas and any subject departments they wanted to study in, as well as explore the rest of the charming city including Durham Castle and the Oriental Museum.
University of Law Visit: The University of Law also visited the College to speak to Criminology and Law students and give them an overview of the different careers they could consider within the Criminal Justice System following their A Levels. The students were told about all the options available to them such as apprenticeships, degree courses and direct entry into the Police Force.
Marketing Workshop: Additionally, A Level Media students were introduced to the world of marketing through a visit from the Porsche Centre in Leeds. The leading car brand taught students all about marketing campaigns such as their social media campaigns. The students were then tasked with creating their own social media advertisement for Instagram to promote the Porsche brand – take a look for yourself at what they created!
Film Studies Day Out
Our A Level Film Studies students took a trip to Cineworld to see ‘Back to Black’ - a biographical drama based on the life of Amy Winehouse.
The viewing gave the students a taste of biographical films to help with their understanding of the documentary genre and its features as part of one of their curriculum units. The day out was enjoyed by all students who happily indulged in popcorn whilst watching!
OPEN EVENTS
OPEN EVENTS
FIND
OUT MORE ABOUT...
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT...
A LEVELS* FOUNDATION LEARNING
* Wakefield College only
* Wakefield College only
A LEVELS* | T LEVELS | VOCATIONAL COURSES | APPRENTICESHIPS FOUNDATION LEARNING | UNIVERSITY CENTRE | ADULT LEARNING EVENTS 2024 EVENTS 2025
WEDNESDAY 15th OCTOBER 5pm-7pm WEDNESDAY 11th FEBRUARY 5pm-7pm SATURDAY 15th NOVEMBER 10am-12pm SATURDAY 13th JUNE 10am-12pm EVENTS 2025 EVENTS 2026
WEDNESDAY 16th OCTOBER 5pm-7pm WEDNESDAY 12th FEBRUARY 5pm-7pm SATURDAY 23rd NOVEMBER 10am-12pm SATURDAY 14th JUNE 10am-12pm
All events will take place at Wakefield College and Castleford College
Events taking place at both Wakefield College and Castleford College
