Blog Week Ending 30th January

National Apprenticeship Week 10th to 14th February 2025. There are lots of events happening here at WGSB and in the local area that students and parents/carers can attend.
The North Kent Apprentice Event is now in its 4th year and is being hosted by St John’s Secondary School in Gravesend this year on Wednesday 12th February 4-6pm. There are 36 employers, training providers and universities attending to advise students and parents on progression routes, training, careers and of course apprenticeships. Anyone is welcome to attend, young people, parents and carers, you just need to sign up here: www.kentchoices.info/12-02-25
Our Year 11, 12 and 13 students can also attend Unifrog’s Online Apprenticeship Fair on 12th February sign up here Apprenticeship Fair it will cover:
- How to ace your written apprenticeship applications
- Everything you need to know about apprenticeships
- What to expect from the application process
- Degree apprenticeships
- How to showcase your skills in applications
- How to ace interviews and assessment centres
- Parents and carers session: what are apprenticeships and how to support applications
Current live apprenticeship vacancies can be found by clicking here with a new January listing due any day and students can also look for live apprenticeships here. Additionally, Year 13 students have a “Live Apprenticeships” Teams Page where the most up to date opportunities are shared. Students who are actively looking for apprenticeships – We have a six week after school online course for Year 11 and 13 run by the Apprenticeship Academy which starts on the 26th February. Sign up here
Laing O’Rourke Professional Apprenticeships Event for Students and Parents/Carers Wednesday, 12 February: 5:30-7:30pm Dartford Head Office, Bridge Place 2, Anchor Boulevard, Admirals Park, Crossways, Dartford, Kent DA2 6SN. Meet the early talent recruitment team and department leads and learn about our exciting apprenticeship opportunities and to discover more about Laing O’Rourke and the incredible projects you could work on as an apprentice click here for current opportunities. Please register your interest by competing this form.
“Hi, my name is Ruby Kaufman, student correspondent for WG6. I am an aspiring journalist working with the school blog to advocate for the student voices within the sixth form and to share my own personal experiences. I encourage all students to put forward their own ideas that they would like to see in the School Blog and I commit to making them possible! “
Year 13 is finally reaching the last stretch to the A Level finish line, the end is near and whilst this is exciting, the next steps can seem daunting. It is a strange feeling, difficult to pin down, leaving the comfort of academia which most people have lived within for the last seven years into the wider world of opportunity and new experience. However, always embrace change, as it can bring you the best things in life that you never even knew existed.
From university to apprenticeships the possibilities are vast, and I aim to give you more detail on these choices. Universities require a UCAS application due in November, these act as a ticket to different locations depending on your course choices. It’s great to visit a variety of cities and campuses to narrow down your choices. My university adventures took me to Leeds and Norwich and even though I didn’t choose them, I was able to filter down my ideas on what I was looking for.
An alternative route, still carrying a degree, is a degree apprenticeship. These are highly competitive but carry great payout. The advantages stem from no student debt and a salary but it does require full-time work, which is a shift from school life. The demanding lifestyle of work and studying is an important factor to consider when applying. The application window varies with some opening as early as October. However, there are also opportunities for apprenticeships without degrees, level 3-5 can still result in paid salaries. When looking ensure to look at all options and never rule anything out!
Whilst apprenticeships and university are advocated for, there are paths through full time employment. After leaving school, you can get entry level jobs and work your way up through the company, developing your skills and gaining better salaries.
Year 13 is finally reaching the last stretch to the A Level finish line, the end is near and whilst this is exciting the next steps can be daunting. It is a strange feeling, difficult to pin down, leaving the comfort of academia which most people have lived within for the last seven years into the wider world of opportunity and new experience. However, always embrace change, as it can bring you the best things in life that you never even knew existed.
From university to apprenticeships the possibilities are vast, and I aim to give you more detail on these choices. Universities require a UCAS application due in November, these act as a ticket to different locations depending on your choices. It’s great to visit a variety of cities and campuses to narrow down your choices. My university adventures took me to Leeds and Norwich and even though I didn’t choose them, I was able to filter down my ideas on what I was looking for.
The alternative route, still carrying a degree, is a degree apprenticeship. These are highly competitive but carry great payout. The advantages stem from no student debts and a salary but it does require full-time work, which is a shift from school life. The demanding lifestyle of work and studying is an important factor to consider when applying. The application window varies with some opening as early as October. However, there are also opportunities for apprenticeships without degrees, level 3-5 can still result in paid salaries. When looking, ensure to look at all options and never rule anything out!
Whilst apprenticeships and university are advocated for, there are paths through full time employment. After leaving school, you can get entry level jobs and work your way up through the company, developing your skills and gaining better salaries.
Year 11 Subject Fair. To support students’ post-16 study decisions our WG6 Subject Ambassadors stage a subject fair to showcase their subjects, and crucially, to be able to share first hand experience and advice to help students make decisions on their next-steps and subject options. A Year 11 student commented “having spoken to the Y12s about how they are finding their course has really made me happy with my subject choices! I’m really looking forward to only studying subjects I’ve chosen” Thank you to all our amazing Year 12 ambassadors – your positive input makes such a difference, especially on subjects new to the Year 11s!
Our students have been celebrating the Spring Festival during their mandarin classes. The festival is China’s oldest and most eagerly anticipated festival. Our Year 8 students (pictured below) have been making Chinese paper cut art. Their finished 3D designs are the mandarin for Spring Festival and a Year of the Snake decoration.
Mrs Rubbera’s Year 7 MFL students have been practising their spoken French, and specifically for this Sport topic, to use sports verbs and time phrases. In pairs, students have been testing their knowledge before joining in a class discussion – well done everyone!
Chinese Spring Festival Singing Competition. Congratulations to all of our fabulous contestants who shared songs, routines and joy .. all whilst singing in mandarin! The student audience and Mandarin teachers were very appreciative, joining in and buoying contestants! Special congratulations to Jui who received the top prize for her beautiful solo. The winning Group, Little Apple Group is Kinga, Emily, Amelia and Kendall! Well done everyone.
Mrs Cregan’s Year 7 students have been working on Contemporary Still Life embroidery, as they have explored the work of textile artist Lynn Setterington. In this project, students have been working on a ‘domestic stitch piece’ using Lynne Setterington’s work as inspiration. Students have incorporated a range of embroidery stitches and colours to create a sense of form in their finished pieces and have been researching colour theory including how artist’s use simultaneous colour contrasts in their artwork.
Dr Harris, Head of History, accompanied WG6 students who attended a Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration at Auschwitz in Poland, run by the Holocaust Education Trust. 140 students attended the trip from across the Southeast, with the group visiting both Auschwitz and Auschwitz Birkenau. BBC’s Newsround recorded a broadcast piece which was aired this week and featured our students. It was an incredibly poignant and moving trip to commemorate the memory of the six million Jews and other groups who were murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust and educate about the danger of discrimination and persecution, to prevent the spread of hatred in future generations.
The theme of Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 is ‘For a Better Future’. The full piece can be seen by clicking here.
The WG6 Elective Programme promotes life-skills to benefit future aspirations as well as providing opportunities to explore more about their interests and learn new skills. The Scholars Group (pictured below) are working on an academic research project. In groups, students choose an academic article of mutual interest to discuss and evaluate. Using the Harkness Method, (which facilitates meaningful discussions that empower students to explore complex topics and learn from one another) students extended their critical thinking and effective researching skills – providing valuable skills and preparation ahead of their university studies.
Our Year 12 WG6 Biologists had the opportunity to dissect a fish as part of their topic ‘Gas Exchange Systems’. The dissection allowed students to study the structure of the gills and their role in the respiratory system. A practical where Mr Barnes could spot the accomplished cooks with their seasoned approach to dissection!
Mr and Mrs Lennon are delighted to introduce the newest member of their family (and History Department!!), Gabriel. As you can see, he is an absolute cracker! Wishing you all huge congratulations from everyone at WGSG .. we’re looking forward to meeting Gabriel at the first opportunity!
It is Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week next week: 3rd – 9th February!
What is Children’s Mental Health Week? The first ever Children’s Mental Health Week took place in 2015 and was launched to shine a spotlight on the importance of children and young people’s mental health. The week was designed to encourage more people to start talking, spread the word and raise money to help fund services to support children’s mental health. As well as to make sure anyone struggling knew they were not alone. Across the UK lots of schools and communities get involved and hold special events or assemblies to mark the week.
What does the 2025 theme ‘Know yourself, Grow yourself’ mean?” Know Yourself, Grow Yourself” is all about how we can build and grow our resilience by understanding ourselves and recognising our emotions. By understanding who we are, we can find out what makes us feel happy, or sad, or anxious, or scared – or maybe all of them at once!
The charity have linked up with the well-known movie Inside Out 2 this year. The Inside Out 2 characters can help you understand how different emotions might make you feel.
What is Mental Health? Mental health describes our emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. Everyone has mental health – it effects how you feel and think, and sometimes how you act and cope with things going on in your life. It is completely normal for us all to feel all sorts of emotions. We all feel sad, angry or worried sometimes.
But when those feelings won’t go away and they start to really affect day-to-day life, that is when there might be a problem. Some people can experience mental health problems, which can massively affect their thinking, mood, and behaviour.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. If you have a concern about a young person at WGSB, please contact the school office or email [email protected] Please note that this email address is inly monitored during working hours in term time.
If you have an urgent safeguarding concern outside of school hours, we recommend calling the police on 999 or Kent Social Services directly on 03000 411111/ Bexley Social Services on 0203 045 5440.
If you have a wellbeing concern, Kooth is a free online counselling service, providing young people aged 11-25 years with a safe and secure means of accessing support with their emotional health and wellbeing needs from a professional team of qualified counsellors: https://www.kooth.com/
You can find out more about Children’s Mental Health Week and how to support your family’s mental health and wellbeing by visiting the Place2Be website here.
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Forthcoming Dates;
Year 9 Options Evening (in person) – 30 January 6pm-7:30pm
Years 10 & 11 Maximising Success Workshops – 30 January
GCSE Geography Trip – 4 February
Year 9 Deadline for submission of GCSE Options – 12 February
Year 13 Grade Report home – 12 February
Last Day of Term 3 – 14 February
Ski Trip departs – 15 February
First Day on Term 4 – Tuesday 25 February
Year 13 Written Report home – 26 February
Years 7 & 8 Grades home – 26 February
Best wishes,
Michelle Lawson
Headteacher