VI Form News
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onoured guest, Students, Parents, Members of Staff and Governors, the last academic year was a challenging one. As the pandemic rumbled on, we prepared to come back to school in September with bubbles, zones and self-isolation looming ahead. Despite the disruption and the drastic changes to school life, the Sixth Form students responded fantastically well. They adapted to being restricted to one area of the school, they responded positively to needing to undertake more study at home and they resumed online learning between January and March with determination and self-discipline. When they came back to school in March, they faced assessments to help determine final grades and sat further assessments later on in March. The disruption to their learning over the last two years has been significant and not something any of us envisaged at the beginning of September 2019 when their sixth form journey started. Year 13, you responded impeccably and I, along with the rest of the school community, am proud of you. The exam results awarded in the summer were fantastic. The overall percentage of A* to B grades was impressive and this is the result of individual aspiration, hard work and academic excellence. The student body in the Sixth Form is talented and ambitious and I would like to congratulate each individual for what they have achieved and wish them well for their futures. To our prize winners, your families will be justly proud of you and the school community is too. Well done on your successes. The achievements of the Sixth Form are not just exam based. 38 students completed an EPQ with all of them achieving A* and A grades. The essays and presentations produced for this qualification were truly exceptional with topics covered being vast and reflecting the varied interests of our students. Particularly impressive this year is the fact that the presentations were delivered remotely over Teams, a further example of how readily the year group adapted to different ways of working whilst still maintaining their unwaveringly high standards. Clubs and societies within the Sixth Form went from strength to strength at a time when they could have faltered. Despite there needing to be separate meetings for Years 12 and 13, the wisdom of the Year 13 presidents and vice presidents was shared with the new entrants to the sixth form and this key element of life in the sixth form continued to flourish, even when the next lockdown came in January. Meetings went online and, in some cases, external speakers still continued to deliver 24 – Olavian 2021
talks to students. The production of journals also did not stop. Whilst printed copies were not possible, many journals were published electronically and were a fitting way of demonstrating the diverse range of interests and the wide range of talents that our students have. There were many other achievements beyond the curriculum, despite the impact of coronavirus on extracurricular provision. Numerous individuals and groups took part in many competitions and achieved highly in these. Linus for example was one of only six invited to represent his country at the Balkan Mathematical Olympiad, or the fantastic news that Sanah was awarded third place in the LSE Economics essay competition. These are just two achievements among many; too many to mention in a short presentation such as this, but all the students involved in extra-curricular activities should be justly proud of their achievements. Their engagement and involvement beyond the classroom further highlights their talents and their desire to extend their understanding and their marvellous achievements are one of the numerous things about the Sixth Form at St Olave’s which make it such a special place. The students have also demonstrated great commitment and determination in sport. They have also shown exceptional leadership and have been excellent role models for younger students. There have been some incredible personal achievements in a wide range of sports. Last week, many in the year group came back to play against the current Year 13 during our Young Olavian’s Day. It was great to see them back in school once again and I would like to thank Srikar for his work in organising this. We should also extend our thanks to the staff who have been happy to freely give up their time outside of school to work with students and give them opportunities outside of the curriculum. This does not of course apply solely to sport, but to the many other activities such as clubs and societies. Sadly, opportunities for music and drama were rather curtailed by bubbles and the fact that year groups could not mix. The music department were able to put on fantastic concerts remotely via YouTube which allowed the talent in the year group a way of continuing to perform. We were also fortunate to have musical performances in our final assembly, with their time at school culminating in a performance of Abba’s Dancing Queen.
