UCAS, a bake sale and EPQ’s all feature in our newsletter this term.
Welcome back Aaron
At the very end of last term we welcomed back ex-student Aaron Syme who is currently studying Biochemistry at Oxford University. Aaron talked to current students and staff about life at Oxford as well as his experience of the Oxbridge application process. He shared lots of useful advice and answered lots of questions! Aaron also spoke about how his studies have led into the creation of his own company ‘Venomite’ which aims to find new and affordable treatments for snake bites.
EPQ Presentations
Many of our sixth form students elect to complete the EPQ in addition to their A-Level choices. The EPQ is an opportunity to study a topic of interest to a depth that exceeds that which is required at A-Level, completing extensive research and developing project management skills along the way. A key component of the EPQ is delivering a formal presentation of the project journey, and this term in the Cidermill Theatre we held a ‘marketplace’ of student presentations. In attendance to admire the work and question the presenters were staff, students, friends and family, along with Trustees of the school and members of the local business community. A highly engaging and academically enlightening evening was had by all.
Tuesday Talk – Flying high in F1!
We were delighted to welcome Elliot Parkes who presented to students as part of our ‘Tuesday Talks’. Elliot is the number one mechanic at F1 team Haas. Having worked in the motorsport industry since 2009, he is currently responsible for the F1 car of driver, Kevin Magnussen. Elliot spoke to Sixth Form (and lower school students) about his journey which began at the National College for Motorsport, through to his apprenticeship in F3, his first experiences in International Motorsport and then finally how he secured his position with Haas. He took the the time to answer lots of questions from students and many left feeling very inspired!
Charity Bake Sale
In February, year 13 student Heather Holloway (with help from Megan Gray, Charlie Martin and many others) held a bake sale to fundraise for Cancer Research UK following the loss of a close family friend. They raised £162.50 for the charity by selling brownies, cupcakes and a variety of bracelets and wrist bands. A huge well done to Heather and her friends for all their hard work raising money for such an important cause.
Safer Internet Day
For Safer Internet Day, Mrs Clarke, Theo Fittes, Justin Miskerik, Elisabeth Field (Not Pictured) and Archie Campbell led assemblies to all year groups detailing some of the ways in which online safety has come to change in the last few years.
“For our safer Internet day assembly, we wanted to ensure that everybody in the school shares a common understanding of the new challenges that we now face online. From entirely new methods of identity theft (creating deepfake voice clones from a single minute of speech) to the speed at which technology has developed in the last five years, we wanted to spark a discussion in the school about the changing world that faces us today. As a part of this we also wanted to give an overview of the more common ways that scams challenge us presently. As it is always said – If it sounds too good to be true, then the likelihood is, it is. We are incredibly thankful for this opportunity to have presented these important issues to the whole school. We are also deeply thankful to say that we have encouraged discussions over both the ethics and dangers of new technologies that we all now face.”
Day Trip to Oxford!
On the 27th February, 12 students were able to experience a taster day at Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford. Their time at the college included an ‘Oxford Explained’ session, a tour of the college with a Student Ambassador, an academic taster session and an opportunity for Q&A’s.
Degree Apprenticeships
We were delighted to welcome back another ex-student this term; Cody left us only last year but he was really keen to come back and share his experiences of applying for a degree apprenticeship, as well as highlighting the opportunities available through degree apprenticeships compared to the traditional university route. Cody’s hard work resulted in him receiving two higher degree apprenticeship offers and he has accepted an apprenticeship at RSM UK based in Birmingham, the company specialises in audit, tax and consulting services. Congratulations Cody!
Lessons from Auschwitz
At the end of March four, Year 12 students travelled to Poland for the day as part of the ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ project. They visited Auschwitz and took part in educational seminars about the Holocaust.
‘Our experience visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau was moving and thought provoking, which motivated us to share this with the rest of our peers. We ourselves cannot define, describe, or fully comprehend the Holocaust and what the victims would have experienced, but we hope to tell the stories and lives of some of the victims to deepen our understanding of the contemporary relevance of this tragic event. Our visit entailed us being able to see the book of names: despite the six million names included, over one million are still missing. We learnt of the untold stories, the individual tragedies, but also the hope and courage of the survivors and victims. One of the most impactful feelings at the end of our visit was that we were able to walk out of the gates of Auschwitz-Birkenau, unlike the many victims who did not.’
Georgia Keyte, Leila Davies, Harry Geldard, and Ollie Lewis
“Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied” — Robert Boyce
Year 12 students Harry and Finlay have recently been working hard sharing their History knowledge! They have been voluntarily helping Mrs Kingswood in her Year 9 History class once a fortnight.
Harry was chosen to be a Holocaust Educational Trust Ambassador and following his trip to Poland as part of the ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ project, he offered to put together a lesson starter for the class. Mrs Kingswood reported that Harry and Finlay went through his photos and chose two poignant images to use as an introduction to the topic. They came up with thoughtful questions to encourage the students to think and a brilliant discussion followed. A huge well done to both Harry and Finlay!
It Happens Education
As part of our Life Learning curriculum we welcomed ‘It Happens Education’ who delivered sessions to our Year 12 and Year 13 students. Year 12’s presentation ‘Keeping Safe at Festivals’ covered topics such as Recent data around illegal substances: risks, mixing, strength, unknowns and Harm Reduction & drug testing. Whereas Year 13’s presentation on ‘Future Relationships’ addressed Society & sexuality, Victim blaming narratives and Accessing support services.
Hamlet Trip
On the 20th March 26 students from the Sixth Form visited the RSC in Stratford to watch a production of William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’. Here William Duckworth tells us more about their trip:
‘All day on Thursday the 20th of March, I was looking forward to seeing Hamlet at the RSC .It’s safe to say, I was not disappointed. Interestingly, they took a leaf out of titanic as they had the whole play set on a boat, symbolic of the torrents Hamlet faced throughout the plot. As the tragedy unfolded, we had tears in our eyes from the actor’s strikingly human and emotive theatrics. I especially liked Polonious though, he brought tears to my eyes out of laughter rather than sorrow (except for Act3 Scene5). Overall, we had a very enjoyable trip to the RSC and I am very grateful to the English department for arranging it.’
UCAS Exhibition 2025
On the 27th March over 150 Year 12 students attended the UCAS Exhibition at Worcester University. It provided them with an excellent opportunity to chat with UCAS experts, university representatives and employers.
