Blog week ending 9th February

Spotlight on WG6.  We are all very proud of what our students and staff have achieved with our WG6 sixth form, creating an environment that is enjoyable and stimulating while providing opportunities to gain the qualifications, skills and attitudes which will enable students to shape their futures positively and will equip them to be valued and valuable members of a global community.

Our experienced specialist teaching staff offer a wide range of courses delivered across our two sites which feature a range of WG6 dedicated study areas and resources.  Our curriculum booklet can be read here.  WG6 has excellent systems that support the students’ pastoral needs as well as ensuring that every student is challenged academically.  Every student has access to exceptional careers support and guidance to enable them to create individual aspirational career paths.

Congratulations to all Year 13 students who have already received offers for Universities and Degree apprenticeships. These include offers from Russell group universities including Cambridge, Kings, Warwick and Manchester, but always a wide variety of other institutions that are specialists in their fields.  Once students have replies from all five universities they need to pick their 1^st firm choice and 2^nd insurance choice. Then students can apply for accommodation, student finance, attend applicants open days and also apply for the bursaries and scholarships available from their chosen universities. If Year 13 students need help with their decision making, they can email Mrs T Walker at the boys’ site and Mrs Martin at the girls’ site for a meeting UCAS next steps.

This week we hosted North Kent’s Apprenticeship Event featuring 45 exhibitors offering a breadth of apprenticeship jobs and opportunities as well as universities and local employers including; the Royal Air Force, KPMG, NatWest, Amazon, J.P. Morgan, NHS and Whitecode Engineering.

For Year 13 students who are applying for apprenticeships we offer a six week free online apprenticeship application course and support if required when they reach interview or assessment centre stages.

Our A Level courses ensure the curriculum is delivered in conjunction with a programme of external trips, work placements and seminars to aid learning whilst making those links between classroom topics and their industry or real-life application.  Recent trips include;

Year 12 A Level Physical Education students are studying biomechanics (the science of movement and techniques) and specifically, the Bernoulli Principle, which explains why racing cars … and racing bikes(!) stick to the ground going round corners when they really shouldn’t!  Students travelled to the Olympic Park Velodrome to put their learning to the test, and as you can see from the below, provided an excellent demonstration of the principles .. including an adrenalin boosting lap at the highest level of the Velodrome!  The trip also illustrated the positive legacy of the Olympics for education and sport as a whole. Mrs Shooman-Taylor commented ‘it was a wonderful experience and the students all put in phenomenal effort; it was brilliant to experience the same facilities where British legends have won gold medals. The coaches were really complimentary about the ability and effort of the entire group, and I was really proud!’

Year 12 WG6 Geographers spent a very cold day up in London using their knowledge from their Changing Spaces, Making Places unit. We started in London Bridge/Borough/Bankside area. 'The aim of the day was to try out field work techniques whilst utilising our understanding gained from the classroom.  We completed noise surveys, cleanliness surveys, land use and footfall - whilst weighing up the different sampling strategies we could use, assessing the strengths and limitations of each. We annotated images, as well as took our own. We talked to members of the public to gain an understanding of the success of investment in this area of London. In the afternoon we got the tube to Canary Wharf to complete further field work techniques, compare the two locations and to challenge our perception of place. We finished off at the London Docklands Museum to consolidate knowledge of the past connections to London; investigate how the past has impacted the present and what the future plans are for this financial hub. The day was great preparation for the residential trip to Sussex in May 2024 when students will be completing independent detailed field work over three days for their non-examined investigation, worth 20% of their A Level.'  Mrs Barclay, Head of Geography WGSG.

Year 12 Art Trip - to the Photographers Gallery for the Articulate London Regional Final Public Speaking Competition. Special congratulations to Martina who delivered a magnificent presentation on Picasso's "Guernica" ably supported by other WG6 Year 12 Art students.  As a consequence of their presentations, Martina and Gabriela have both secured paid intern positions with the National Gallery.

Year 12 Scholars trip to London School of Economics.  Students received a tour of LSE’s campus and an introductory presentation delivered by a member of the Student Recruitment team. 

Across our school, trips and activities are routinely used to link studies and topics to their relevant job roles in industry, one such example is a recent trip to Harry Potter Studies for A Level Media Studies students.  Mrs Kybird is keen to highlight the significance of their studies to a wide range of opportunities .. including newly created jobs and non-traditional ones!  Harry Potter Studies provides a media and design education programme linked to the national curriculum including costume characterisation, mise-en-scène (making a convincing ‘world’ on screen!) and camera choices … as well as being a lot of fun!

The WG6 Electives Programme provides students with a vast array of enrichment sessions designed with professional, academic and personal development in mind.  Each offers opportunities to gain new skills and recognised qualifications or develop new interests.  All prompt students to broaden their horizons whilst supporting any career or personal ambitions. To read more, including those featured below, click here.

Great British fakeaway!  Learn invaluable life-skills - how to cook healthy quick meals on a budget, perfect for Uni, as well as the theory behind food safety, completing a Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate.  Meat and veggie patties were expertly made, salads seasoned, and delicious sweet and savoury muffins created!

Others Enrichment Programmes include; Personal Finance, Rugby, Mandarin and German.

Ms Santarossa’s Year 7s have been working on their Big Biology Project which is a student-led investigation based on a given topic.  In this case, diffusion.  Students successfully planned and executed an experiment to investigate the cause of a newspaper article “the Pink Pool Prankster”, which reported a university swimming pool had been turned pink.

Library update.  Our Year 7 Student Library Assistants play a vital role in the smooth running of the library and act as ambassadors for student engagement and promotion of reading for pleasure.  Anasuya and Prisha are also part of the KS3 Bookclub.  “We really enjoy working with Mrs Smith, the Librarian, it’s fun to see all the new books and help make new displays.  We’ve now signed up for the student pastoral training so we can help other students”

As you may be aware, International Women’s Day is fast approaching, and we would like to take this opportunity to share with you our plans for an exciting new way to celebrate – an International Women’s Day Conference in the afternoon of 28^th March.  We are passionate about inspiring our students to pursue careers in a wide range of different fields, without letting stereotypes hinder their success. It is vital to educate the next generation of women in the workforce about how to seize the opportunities that are available to them, and this conference will be the perfect first step.

In light of this, we would like to invite any interested female parents/carers to be present as some of our distinguished guests, sharing your personal stories. If you are interested in taking part, please complete the Microsoft Teams Form using the link below, filling in your name, your job, and your industry at the earliest opportunity. We are trying to gather a wide range of industries (i.e. medicine, finance, fashion, etc.) and so will appreciate all applications. It would be good to include as many as we can, although we do have a limited number of spaces and will try to ensure each industry is represented. International Women's Day Guest Presenter Parent Invitation (office.com)

We understand that you must have very busy work schedules, but we hope that your diaries can accommodate this pivotal celebration of women in industry. This conference is a WG6-led project which we are all incredibly enthusiastic about, and are glad to have some of the senior, more experienced students helping the younger ones as they explore female empowerment together. Thank you for your support of this new event, and please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions.

The Kent Teacher of the Year Awards 2024 are now open for nominations.  Social Enterprise Kent, who manage the awards are inviting us to get involved… who do you think deserves a Kent Teacher of the Year Award?

“Everyone working in our education system plays a vital role in shaping the future of our children. From the dedicated teachers who ignite passion, to the behind-the-scenes heroes making everything tick along smoothly, we appreciate the hard work and dedication of each and every person shaping the future of our children.

That's why we're excited to invite you to nominate a member of your school community for a prestigious Kent Teacher of the Year Award!

Whether it's a teacher going the extra mile for students, a member of support staff with a perpetual smile, or a volunteer leaving a lasting impact, SEK wants to hear their incredible stories! Hurry, the deadline for nominations is fast approaching, so seize the moment and make your nominations now! Let's give credit where it's due and celebrate those who make our educational journey truly exceptional!”  To make a nomination CLICK HERE

PTA Update.  Our popular and fun Quiz night is back! I hope to see as many of you there as are able, it's a great evening – all students and family members welcome as there is a wide range of questions!  Bring your own drinks and snacks to enjoy on the night.

‘Nearly New’ School Uniform Shop – We have a range of ‘pre-loved’ uniform in excellent condition for sale at very reasonable prices and any donations of surplus school uniform are most gratefully received.  For details & price list or to make a uniform donation, please contact wgsgpfa@gmail.com

Forthcoming Dates;

Year 13 Grades home – Friday 9th February

Last Day of Term 3 – Friday 9th February

New York Cultural Trip – Saturday 10th February – Tuesday 15th February

Years 7 & 8 Grades home – Monday 19th February

First Day of Term 4 – Monday 19th February

Grade Reports for Years 7 & 8 home – 19th February

Year 13 Written Report home – 21st February

Year 8 Parents’ Evening – 22nd February

Year 10 Progress Exams – 26th February – 8th March

 

Best wishes,

Michelle Lawson

Head Teacher