sixth form newsletter march 2016
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Welcome to the Easter edition of our newsletter. The last term has been very busy
with a range of events, examinations and revision for students.
After half term, students in both year 12 and 13 sat their mock exams. This was a very
pressurised situation for students and we were very pleased to see the level of revision
and preparation, evidenced by some of the excellent results achieved. As always, the
mock exams are a good indicator of successes and areas for development and teachers
will be working closely with students to ensure that they achieve their full potential in
the actual examinations, both this summer and next.
For year 12, this was the first taster of an A Level examination in these conditions. For
Phase 1 students, there is still much content to be covered for the exams, which won't
be until next summer. Nevertheless, the content already covered may not now be
returned to until year 13, and so thorough notes and regular revision are necessary.
For those year 12s studying phase 2 and 3 subjects, there is far less time left until the
AS examinations, and all students should ensure significant revision is taking place over
the Easter holidays. BTEC students have had many deadlines and should ensure they
fully utilise second draft deadlines to ensure work is tweaked and perfected before any
final deadlines.
When we come back after Easter, year 12 students have 23 days left until their mock
exam period.
Year 13 found the mock exams to be challenging and revealing and we have been
particularly impressed to witness the studious and mature approach adopted by many.
Teachers are offering many opportunities for revision and all students should be taking
advantage of these. After Easter, year 13 are only in school for lessons and should
therefore be creating full and thorough revision timetables in order to ensure that no
study opportunities are missed. We would recommend that parents go through these
with their children and a friendly call on the landline at 8.40, when students should be
out of bed, wouldn't go amiss!
As always, students in both years who require further support and intervention will be
provided with information regarding this. For some students who are underachieving,
we know that study in school during all free lessons is preferable and we would like to
remind you that all students are welcome to attend this.
Welcome Sixth Form Team:
Sally Kay— Head of Sixth Form
Alison Moore—
Student Support Manager
Helen Holmes-
Higgin—Sixth Form Administrator
Nicky Hubble—UCAS
Coordinator
Lucy Monger—
Strategic Lead for Sixth Form
March 2016
Highlights:
Welcome
Diary Dates
Before the exams
Interventions
Revision tips
Year 12 timeline
Year 12 into Year 13 Entry Criteria
Year 12 Higher Education
University & College Open Days
Year 13 University guidance, including finance
Student Achievement
Senior Sixth Form Students
Active Citizenship
EPQ
Extended Learning Day
Community hours / Charity days
Leavers’ Day 2016
Final Words
n e w s l e t t e r
Page 2 Sixth Form
Wednesday 22 June Year 11 into year 12 Sixth Form Induction Day
Wednesday 29 June Year 11 into year 12 Induction (for those external students unable to attend on 22 June)
Friday 22 July Last day of Summer term
Year 12:
Friday 13 May Last year 12 teaching day
Monday 16 May Study leave begins
Monday 16 May First year 12 exam
Year 13:
Last teaching day Thursday 26 May
Friday 27 May Year 13 Leavers’ Assembly, Champagne Reception and May Ball (see above)
Study leave begins after Half Term
Wednesday 8 June A2 exams start (one Further Maths exam on Wednesday 18 May and resits beforehand)
Examination time-tables have been given out in COOL sessions. This can also be found on the school website under parents/exams
http://4dlla52h0g1u3fws8s25nzsb.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Summer-2016-Exam-Timetable-V070316.pdf
When we come back after Easter, Year 13 students have 32 working days left of their school careers!
In addition to the many examinations, revision sessions and lessons taking place, students' learning has
been enriched by a range of events this half term. Our extended learning day on 8 March saw year 12
students cover a range of sessions including wider subject knowledge development, work experience
health and safety and careers and university talks. Our year 13 students took part in a range of fantastic
trips including the V&A museum, Natural History Museum, Olympic Park, Go Ape and Science Museum.
In the penultimate week of term we hosted the Higher Education Evening on 16 March which marks the
official launch of our university programme for year 12. The presentation is available on the post 16 area
of the school website and we would encourage all students and parents who were unable to attend to
view this. On 17 March 150 students and 6 staff went to the Higher Education Convention at Brunel Uni-
versity and students returned brimming with enthusiasm and laden with prospectuses! The hard work now
needs to go up a gear in order to get those all important grades.
We know that some students have already decided that they do not wish to pursue the university route,
and Mrs Atherton will shortly begin her work with this group to explore other options available, particularly
Apprenticeships and other work based training opportunities. We will be holding an information evening
later in the year regarding alternative pathways other than university.
On 18 March we hosted our Head Boy and Girl charity day which raised money for Hector's House, a local
charity supporting young people with mental health difficulties. We were thrilled to welcome Robert and
Belinda Stringer and Donna Wright from the charity; who delivered a COOL time session to year 13 re-
garding the charity and its work and encouraging students to seek help and advice when they are facing
difficulties. Here at Tring School Sixth Form, we know students' mental health is of primary importance
and we wish to encourage all parents to discuss the topic openly with their children.
We will be saying goodbye to our year 13s on Friday 27 May and details of the Leavers' Assembly, Cham-
pagne Reception and May Ball can also be found on the last page of the newsletter. Further details will be
sent out to parents and students.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our students the very best of luck with their revision
and exams and remind them that we are always here to offer support and advice through this challenging
period in their education. Thank you for taking the time to read our very busy newsletter. Please do let us
know if you have any queries or comments.
Diary Dates
Page 3 Sixth Form
We offer an intensive and controlled intervention group that runs every year prior to the
summer examinations. It is open to year 12 and year 13 with some students opting in and
others strongly advised to attend. This group is the final push with regards to intervention and
is a structured approach to revision and exam preparation. Students register daily in the Sixth
Form Centre and use the registration time to carry out revision activities, looking at different
revision techniques. They sign in during all their frees and follow a personalised revision plan
and have one-to-ones to review progress and identify areas of support needed. Students also
complete an intervention plan on Google Classroom. We hope that this provides additional
support and guidance for students in a positive environment.
We spend a great deal of time working with these students and very positive relationships are
built to support them in the final run up to the exams.
Throughout the year, a number of students in both years have been following this intervention
plan. Support will continue during study leave and students are welcome to attend right up
until their last exam.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us should you require any further information.
Making the most of your time before the summer exams
In order to maximise potential, students need to adhere to a few basic guidelines.
Ensure they are putting in the
required number of study
hours per subject. This means
at least 15 hours per week (3
subjects) and 20 hours per
week (4 subjects). All
students should by now have
both their in school and out of
school study plans firmly
organised and be using them.
S t u d e n t s s h o u l d b e
completing additional work
for each subject and not just
the set homework. This
should include wider reading
(from class text books and
journals), completing past
papers from the exam board
websites and making revision
resources.
If needed, students should be
seeking help outside of
lessons, this may be emailing
staff, seeing them at breaks
a n d l u n c h t i m e s a n d
organising times to catch up
on topics which they don’t
fully understand.
Students must ensure they are
organised! Keeping a diary for
homework and coursework
deadlines, keeping lesson
notes up to date and well
organised for revis ion
purposes.
Students should also be
regularly visiting “Moodle”.
Subjects have lesson
resources and revision
materials for students to
utilise.
Working too hard?
We are aware that we have many students who are working to their full capacity and also
taking part in huge amounts of extra curricular activities. For these students it is also
important that they have some much needed “downtime” in order to relax and recuperate.
The best starting point is to gather together all
your subject specifications; these can be found
on the exam board websites, or from your
subject teachers. The specification is an outline
of everything you should know for the exam and
is a document produced by the exam board.
Once you have hard copies of these you will
need three highlighters to start prioritising your
knowledge.
Firstly, go through the specification with your
‘green’ highlighter, identify all the topics/areas
that you have a secure knowledge and
understanding of and are hoping come up in the
exam! Next, use your orange highlighter to
identify topics you understand but are less
secure on. Lastly, using your pink highlighter, go
through and highlight the remaining topics which
should be your areas of weakness and that you
need to prioritise for revision.
For each subject you can now make a priority
revision list, starting with your pink topics, then
orange then green.
Next, set aside a revision file with dividers for
each subject, at the front of each section put
your highlighted specification and your priority
revision list. Now every time you go to revise
you will have a clear starting point and a tick list
to track your progress. So next, how to revise...
There are lots of different methods of revision and students
need to explore these techniques to see which work best for
them. When revising, always look at your revision priority list,
pick a topic and go from there, gradually working your way
down your list and ticking off the areas you have revised.
Effective note taking; using text books (providing they are
your own!) read the chapter related to your priority revision list
and as you read highlight key terms, techniques, dates etc.
Once you have completed the chapter go back through your
highlighted points and transfer these details to your revision
cards / mind maps / post its.
Revision cards; Using small postcards or index cards write out
key terms, dates and small chunks of information. Firstly it is a
good idea to carry out this task ‘closed book’ (from knowledge
you have retained) and then embellish these and fill any gaps
with additional information from the text book or lesson notes.
Mind maps: Take a topic and write this in the middle of the
page, then add as much information as possible on all of the
smaller sub topics around the page. Think of all the information
which links to your original topic and related areas. Try to do
this from memory ‘closed book’ before adding to your notes
from the text book / lesson notes. Consider images and use of
colour—there are many mind mapping tools online.
Post its; these are great for remembering key terms, equations
and dates for the exam. Simply write these on a post it and
stick around a mirror or on the back of a toilet door, so you can
read and reflect on them every time you look at yourself or visit
the bathroom!
Sixth Form Page 4
Now you know what to revise and how to go about it, you need to know when to revise. All students should have a
plan to follow. This ties in nicely with their revision lists and saves time procrastinating! Students should identify not
only when to revise but also what subject to revise. Students should also consider their actual examination dates
and think about how they prioritise their subjects. Whilst this can all be done manually an excellent revision tool is
getrevising.com
The website is very easy to navigate and is free to use. Once exam dates are entered and students have prioritised
their subjects they will need to enter their daily commitments, from school to extracurricular activities. Whilst this is
quite time consuming, it is well worth the effort. Once all data is entered, the website will generate a full revision
timetable up until all exams are completed.
With the exam season looming all students in Year 11, 12 and 13 should now have begun revision. Many students
have the right intention when it comes to revision, but are unsure where to start. In the following pages we have
provided a quick guide to point students in the right direction.
10. DON’T DESPAIR—All things will
pass—and so will you, if you revise
sensibly, don’t panic and don’t skimp.
Page 5
Mug up on your revision timetable—Andrew Baker from The Telegraph suggests 10 tips to get the best results from exam preparation
1. DONT PANIC—Sound advice from
the author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to
the Galaxy. Last-minute flapping will do
you no good at all, and the time to
prevent it is now. So...
2. PLAN AHEAD—Think of the relative
amounts of work that you need to do for
each topic. Only you will know this: be
honest. Don’t be tempted to spend more
time than you need to on subjects you
enjoy at the expense of those you don’t.
3. STOCK UP—Lack of supplies is a
feeble excuse. Have all the textbooks
and term notes that you need, but also
buy in the necessary pens, paper, folders
and so on. Don’t forget marker pens,
sticky notes and larger sheets of paper
(see 6).
4. HIT THE GROUND RUNNING—You
are at your most mentally alert first thing
in the morning. Start with the subjects
you find most challenging and aim to get
the bulk of the day’s hard work out of
the way before lunch.
5. THE KNOWLEDGE NIGHTCAP—If
you have planned carefully, the evenings
should be free. But many actors find
that lines learnt last thing at night stay in
the mind, and it may be useful to
commit a few quotes or formulas to
memory just before turning in. Don’t
overdo this: aim to build up a stock of
snippets a little at a time.
6. POSTER—AND POST-IT—
POWER—Use marker pens and A3
sheets to compile reminder lists of
verb endings, date sequences,
primes... Whatever needs to be
committed to memory, and stick them
around your room. Use Post-it notes
to apply the most stubborn to
cupboard and fridge doors. You can
programme mobiles and MP3 players
to flash up reminders in the same
way.
7. GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK—at
sensible intervals. Try 45 minutes’
work at a time, with 10 minutes off in
between.
8. REWARD YOURSELF—But make
sure you earn it. Have your favourite
biscuits or fruit for your breaks. Stock
up on movies, music or programmes
downloaded for the evenings.
9. GO OFFLINE—Switch. Your.
Mobile. Off. Texting and Twittering
about revision are no substitutes for
revising. Use laptops and PCs strictly
as required, and don’t drift off on to
Tumblr or Facebook.
Page 5 Sixth Form
Parental
Guidance
Try to
establish—in
consultation with
teachers if
possible—the
scale of the task
ahead, and
realistic
objectives for
your children.
If necessary,
and feasible,
book courses
and tutors. Talk
to parents of
classmates: you
could pool
resources to
share a tutor.
Provide copious
amounts of
comfort food
and sensible
amounts of
snacks. Try to
keep
distractions to a
minimum.
Advise,
encourage, be
available but
don’t loiter, lurk
or threaten.
Regular testing
(of limited
scope) is a good
way to keep in
touch with
progress.
Don’t bang on
about how it was
in your day.
Keep mum,
open the
biscuits and put
the kettle on.
Spring Achievement Trackers
Page 6 Sixth Form
Year 12 and 13 Achievement Trackers will be issued this week. These will have provided a good reflection of
students’ predicted grades and can assist with revision. If any parents have not seen their son or daughter’s Achievement Tracker please contact the Sixth Form Office and we will send a copy home.
Year 12 Timeline Monday 16 May - study leave begins. For many students this will involve revision for AS examinations as in
previous years. During this time of A Level transition, it is important that we ensure the needs of all learners are met. For some students (those on all Phase 1 or BTEC subjects) there will be no examinations during this time, as
they will not have AS exams.
We would like to make the expectation clear to students that this period of time is to be used for study. Phase 1 and
BTEC subjects will be setting work during this time and revision will need to take place for the internal Phase 1 mocks at the end of June.
Monday 6 June - students return as Year 13. Some subjects will still have examinations, however the majority will
be finished by this point.
Monday 13 June - students will go on work experience week. We wish students to use this week to gain a really
good understanding of the careers they wish to pursue. The week should act as a motivating catalyst for hard work for the remainder of the A Level course.
Week commencing Monday 20 June - students return to school and Phase 1 subjects continue thorough revision
for the internal exams.
Monday 27 June and Monday 4 July - Phase 1 internal examinations will take place. These exams will indicate
the students' ability to progress to the next phase of of year 13. Any students not achieving a D in these exams will not be permitted to continue with that course into year 13.
All students studying four subjects are expected to continue that study until they receive their final results in August for both phase 2 and 3 AS and Phase 1 internal exams. Although students can seem adamant about the subjects
they wish to pursue in Year 13 and those they wish to drop, the results always throw up many surprises; therefore it
is in a student’s best interest to keep all their options open and continue with all subjects until results.
We realise that over the next half term, students are under considerable pressure but would urge them to take every
opportunity over the next few weeks to see teaching staff and get any additional support that they may need before the exams begin. As ever we are always here to help.
Higher Education and Careers: The Year 12 Careers Day, UCAS Convention at
Brunel University and the Higher Education Evening have hopefully got students thinking about life after Tring School and their next steps. This programme of support will continue after the summer examinations when we
deliver a number of assemblies. All the students have been encouraged to carry out the following actions: Research universities and courses using ucas.co.uk and Unifrog
Browse prospectuses in our Sixth Form careers corner, the Learning Resource Centre or Connexions
Start planning university open days (see below)
Start thinking about their Personal Statements – what have they done that is relevant to the course they wish
to study? Register for the UCAS card to ensure they are kept up to date, receive a quarterly UCAS publication and
receive discounts at outlets such as Topshop and Dominos
Our programme will continue through the Summer term and this will include Personal Statement workshops as well as all the necessary support for completing UCAS applications and thinking about options for Higher Education.
Centigrade Online: Some students may already have an idea of the subject and even the universities that they may wish to study at, others may have no idea. A useful start is Centigrade Online (All year 12 students have been
given this information). It is a higher education selection programme which matches a student’s abilities and interests to a degree or HND course.
Sixth Form Page 7
Year 12 into 13 Entry Criteria We want to draw both parents' and students' attention to the subject entry criteria for Year 13.
The aim of the entry criteria for students is not to shut any doors but to ensure we are setting
students up to achieve in Year 13. From prior data, we are all too aware that achieving particular grades at AS in some subjects means that students will struggle to attain a grade in Year 13. For
Phase 1 subjects it is imperative that students are achieving the D grade equivalent, with any
coursework where relevant. We want all of our students to be successful and we also hope that the entry criteria will help motivate them to achieve as highly as possible in this examination period.
In order for students to continue into Year 13, they must be studying 3 subjects. It is imperative
that students put the time into revision for ALL their subjects to make sure that they reach the Year 13 entry requirements. Students will not be able to stay at Tring School with only 2
subjects.
To allow sufficient time for moderation of the marking of the internal phase 1 exams, results for these examinations will be issued on results day, 18 August, alongside AS results.
Should students or
parents require any
further clarification or details
please do not hesitate to
contact either the Sixth
Form Office or individual departments.
Subject Subject Requirements to study in Year 13
Art Grade D or above in the internal exam.
Biology Grade D or above in the internal exam.
Business Studies Grade D or above in the internal exam.
Business BTEC Pass in all Year 12 modules.
Chemistry Grade D or above in the internal exam.
Creative Media Production BTEC Pass in all Year 12 modules.
D & T – Food Technology Grade E or above in the internal exam.
D & T – Product Design Grade E or above at AS and within 2 grades of ALIS+ grade.
D & T Textiles Grade E or above at AS and within 2 grades of ALIS+ grade.
Drama Students need to achieve a D grade or above to continue onto A2, however given the nature of the course, a lack of commitment to the group work element could result in you being asked to leave the course.
Economics Grade D or above in the internal exam.
English Grade D or above in the internal exam.
Film Studies Grade D or above at AS, however if a student consistently fails to apply themselves and fails to achieve ALIS target they will be asked to leave the course.
Further Maths Grade B or above in AS Maths.
Geography Grade D or above at AS.
Government & Politics Grade D or above at AS and within 2 grades of their ALIS target.
History Grade D or above at AS.
Leisure Studies Grade E or above at AS. Any student achieving an E grade will be placed on contract with regular meetings to monitor progress.
Mathematics Grade D or above in AS Maths
Music (HHS) Grade D or above at AS.
Philosophy & Ethics Grade D or above at AS.
Photography Grade D or above in the internal exam.
Physical Education Grade E or above in the internal exam.
Physical Education BTEC At least a pass in all year 12 units.
Physics Grade D or above in the internal exam.
Psychology Grade D or above in the internal exam.
Sociology Grade D or above in the internal exam.
Travel & Tourism Grade E or above at AS. Any student achieving an E grade will be placed on contract with regular meetings to monitor progress.
Year 12—Higher Education
We were delighted to see so many parents and students at our Higher Education Presentation Evening on 16
March, we hope that you found the presentation informative.
The full presentation can be viewed on the Post-16 area of the school website under “University Advice”.
http://4dlla52h0g1u3fws8s25nzsb.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Higher-Education-
Presentation-for-Parents-and-Students-March-2016.pdf
Parents—if you haven’t received the UCAS Parent Guide, please ask your child to collect one from the Sixth Form
Office, or download it from the parents’ section of the UCAS website. There you can also sign up to the Parents’
UCAS Newsletter.
Students— You should all have received The Little Guide to HE—again extra copies are available in the Sixth Form
Office.
The UCAS HE Convention on 17 March was excellent and we are sure it really got the students thinking about fu-
ture pathways. Research carried out now is vital to help decisions that need to be made over the next couple of
terms. We will be supporting the students next term with COOL sessions on the UCAS process, Personal Statement
writing and completing UCAS applications. This support will continue into Year 13. Subject Teachers and Form Tu-
tors will also start writing paragraphs for student references from the start of May!
Sixth Form Page 8
For many students, thinking about Higher Education whilst still in Year 12 is daunting and something that many of the students
feel unprepared for. In light of this, we have run our Higher Education programme over the last term. We are encouraging our
Year 12 students to start some independent research now and to ensure that they start attending university open days from April
onwards.
Securing places in Higher Education continues to be very competitive and we want to ensure that our students are fully prepared.
If your son or daughter doesn’t know where to begin, the Centigrade Test (£20 at www.centigradeonline.co.uk) is an excellent
starting point. If they have some idea, the course search at www.ucas.co.uk is a really useful and informative facility.
UCAS have also just launched a new career finder tool—visit https://careerfinder.ucas.com/ It offers a searchable database of work or training opportunities for students in school, or applying to HE, including:
Employer sponsored degrees
School leaver opportunities
Apprenticeships
Work experience
Placement schemes
Insight days
The programme that we run includes the following:
Careers Day Wednesday 8 March
Higher Education Convention on Thursday 17 March
Four COOL sessions covering the UCAS process, personal statement writing and UCAS applications
Berkhamsted Higher Education and Gap Year Fair on 26 April
UCAS Website
One to ones
Researching universities and Open days
Use of careers corner and Connexions
Advice, guidance and support for writing Personal Statements
Mock interviews
Oxbridge Convention 22 March
Unifrog https://www.unifrog.org/
This support and intensity of focus on life after Tring School will increase throughout the next eighteen months. In addition, we run extra sessions to support those students wishing to apply to Oxford or Cambridge. If your son or daughter hasn’t either been identified by us or identified themselves for this process and is thinking of making an application to either of these universi-ties, please let us know.
Advice & Guidance: Interviews in Connexions with a Personal Advisor can be arranged to discuss career plans. Students need to
see Mrs Griffiths in Connexions to arrange an appointment, or email satherton@tringschool.org
Higher Education Evening 16 March
Page 9 Sixth Form
All students have access to a tool the school utilises to help them compare courses and Universities as well as apprenticeships. Unifrog helps students to widen their horizons through its intelligent course suggestion tool. For example, when a student types in ‘History’, Unifrog suggests ‘History with French’ and also 'Archaeology and Anthropology'. Unifrog also matches universities' entry requirements to students' likely performance, and encourages students to consider universities which are in the top, middle, and bottom of their range. The result? Sensible university choices! Students can see how every course in the UK ranks against each other on 17 factors - everything from Fees to Distance from home to Accommodation cost to the Average starting salary of graduates from that exact course. Students can easily see how courses compare to each other, which means they can work out exactly which courses suit them best. Students can also book University Open Days, an essential part of the decision making process, directly on the site. It should save students a lot of time when researching and comparing universities and courses so we would recommend utilising this tool as soon as possible. The apprenticeship tool on this site also enables students to investigate the kinds of opportunities available in different industries. They can search for vacancies and filter these by distance and salary etc. This is a live job search site and is updated daily so it is an incredibly useful tool if students are interested in an apprenticeship.
Year 12 Study Leave and beyond.... Expectations after exams
Due to the variation in exams, with some students having them all in a very close time frame and others having them spread through the entire exam period, there are some expectations for those students who find themselves with additional spare time. Some students will have no exams within this time and Phase 1 subjects will be setting work.
When they return as Year 13 students, we will capitalise on the summer term with no imminent exams and get ahead with the UCAS process. Working hard on UCAS through the summer term will set students up for September and reduce lots of stress as the deadlines get closer. Below are the tasks which would really benefit students and we would advise them to start completing these as soon as their exams finish;
Research on Unifrog (please see below)
Organise open days, either whilst still on study leave or on Saturdays if possible to reduce the amount of curriculum time lost.
Research different universities and courses – UCAS
University and Colleges Open Days
Page 10 Sixth Form
How many open days should I
attend?
I’d advise attending as many open
d a y s a s p o s s i b l e . E a ch
establishment has its own unique
atmosphere and customs—and
size matters too. It is only by
visiting that you can gauge what
might suit you best.
How do I know when open
days are taking place?
Dates of open days can be found
on the Ucas website at
www.ucas.com in the “List of
universities and colleges”. You
can contact universities and
colleges directly for more
information.
Do I need to book in
advance?
Once you’ve decided which
universities or colleges you want
to visit, you’ll probably need to
register to attend. This is done
through the university or college,
usually via its website.
What can I expect on the day?
Study the planned schedule of the
day on the website; deciding in
advance will ensure you make the
most of your time. You’ll be given a
tour of the campus and a chance to
see lecture theatres, libraries and IT
suites, laboratories, and sports
facilities. Student halls or
residence, bars and the Students’
Union are a must.
A variety of talks will be on offer,
including subject-specific talks and
others covering more general issues
such as fees and financial support
or accommodation.
All of this will give you a feeling for
what life at that particular institution
might be like. You will also meet
current students. Ask them any
questions you have about your
potential course and about student
life outside lecture theatres and
laboratories. No doubt this will give
you a vital behind-the-scenes
perspective on what life is really like
and may be rather different from
the marketing messages on its
website.
Get to know the area.
Spend some time exploring the
city or town, away from the
campus. Can you imagine
yourself there for three or four
years?
What next?
After the open day, review all
the information you’ve gained
from the visit. If you have any
further questions, contact the
university or college again.
They’ll be happy to help and it
shows you have a genuine
interest in studying with them.
Most students agree that
attending an open day enables
them to make an instinctive
decision as to whether or not a
university or college would suit
them. It helps them gather
information on all aspects of
university life and find out what
it’s really like to live and study
there.
Open Days: Universities have already begun to run Open Days. There are many in April and May and also numerous in June, July and September. We recommend that students visit as many universities as they can over the summer term, then visit the remainder or revisit over September and October. Please check individual university websites and also www.ucas.com/students/beforeyouapply/opendays. University and college open days offer a snapshot of student life, says Trudi Woodhouse from The Telegraph’s Education Supplement (see below).
Above all, remember you can actually visit universities at any time. If it’s impossible for you to attend
specific open days, you can always drive to a university or college on another day. You can look
around, speak to students, porters, even a tutor if contacted beforehand.
Any day can be an open day with a little determination and planning.
Please note that no student may take more than four days off school to visit universities and where
possible students should try to visit on a Saturday, but if this isn’t possible, please try to visit on a day
when you have a lighter timetable and avoid missing the same subject several times.
At the start of March we delivered information and guidance to all Year 13 students who have
made applications to universities through UCAS. They should all now be receiving offers/replied
from their chosen institutions. These offers are only official once students have received an email
or letter from UCAS. The following decisions can be made:
Interview: The University will contact you directly.
Conditional Offer: This means that the student has been offered a place if they meet certain
conditions. For example Tariff points (e.g. 200 points from three A levels) or grades in named
subjects (e.g. B in Chemistry etc).
Unconditional Offer: This means that the student has met all the entry requirements and the
university is happy to accept them.
Unsuccessful application: The University has decided not to offer a place.
No decisions have to be made until all universities and colleges have sent their decisions to UCAS.
We advise all our students to think very carefully before deciding to accept an offer, including an
insurance offer; they will be spending the next three of four years there!
Replying to offers: Students have to make two decisions – a Firm acceptance (their preferred
university) and an Insurance acceptance (in the event that they don’t get their preferred
university).
Firm acceptance (F): If accepting a conditional offer, the student is agreeing to attend the
course at that university, providing they meet the conditions of the offer.
Insurance acceptance (I): Students can accept an offer as an insurance choice. This acts as a
back up if they do not meet the conditions of the firm choice. Students should be sure that they
would like to go to their insurance choice as, if they do not meet the requirements of the firm
choice, but meet the requirements of the insurance, they are committing to that course. It is
probably safer to choose an insurance that has slightly lower requirements.
Decline (D): Once the student has decided which offer to accept firmly and which (if any) as an
insurance, they must decline all other offers. If they do not wish to accept any of their offers they
must decline them all. They will then become eligible for Extra or Clearing, depending on their
circumstances.
Students who have received all their offers by 31 March must ensure that they reply to those
offers by 4 May.
Page 11 Sixth Form
Year 13—University Guidace
Extra: UCAS Extra is available to students who have made their 5 choices, received decisions
from all those choices and have either had no offers and/or declined all offers. Extra will list
courses at universities where there are spaces available. Extra opened on 25 February and clos-
es on 16 July. Students may only apply to one course at a time.
National newspapers will publish vacancies throughout Extra every month.
Clearing: Clearing will open on 18 August.
Adjustment: Adjustment will open on 18 August. Additional information is available at the UCAS
website.
For more information for both parents and students on the above go to www.ucas.com.
https://www.ucas.com/sites/default/files/ucas-extra-flowchart.pdf
Page 12 Sixth Form
Every student going to university needs to complete an online application or they will not
get any financial support from the Government!
Applications are open and the deadline for completing applications is 31 May. It is the
students’ responsibility to ensure that they complete this application. Any
questions on student finance should be directed to Student Finance England.
Student Finance England will help work out the financial support that a student will
receive, they apply through this website for finance and it can then be tracked online.
Students are eligible for:
Tuition Fee Loan: Universities may charge a maximum of £9,000 for 2016/2017 tuition
fees. Students may apply for a loan to cover these fees (which will be paid directly to the
university). This loan must be repaid (see below).
Maintenance Loan: to help with accommodation and other living costs (how much
depends on where you live and study and your household income. The amount you can
borrow depends on your household income, where you live and when you start the
course. Please be aware that the Maintenance grant has been abolished!
The maximum Maintenance Loan available for students starting their course in
2016/2017 is:
Up to £6,904 if you are living at home
Up to £8,200 if you are living away from home outside of London
Up to £10,702 if you are living away from home in London
Up to £9,391 if you spend a year of a UK course studying abroad
The Maintenance Loan must be repaid by the student once he/she is earning more than
£21,000 a year if students start their course in September 2016 or later.
Some students may also be eligible for:
Bursaries: Bursaries may be available through your university to help with your tuition
fees. It is the student’s responsibility to contact their university to see if they are eligible
for a bursary. Bursaries do not need to be repaid.
Extra Help: Students may be eligible for extra financial help if they have a disability/
have a specific learning difficulty/the family are on a low income. Check ‘Extra Help’ on
the student finance website to see if students are eligible.
The calculator on the Student Finance website will help students work out what they
may be eligible for. https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator
It is essential that all students complete an application form: www.direct.gov.uk/
studentfinance.
We delivered a student finance presentation to all Year 13 students on 15 January which
included the full details and also issued them with a booklet to support them.
http://4dl la52h0g1u3fws8s25nzsb.wpengine.netdna -cdn.com/wp-content/
uploads/2016/02/Student-Finance-Year-13-2016.pdf
A booklet explaining student finance and completing the application is also available as
a PDF via the Student Finance England website.
Student Finance
Page 13 Sixth Form
Year 13
Year 13 have just under four teaching weeks left before their final study leave begins. Students are only required to come in for lessons for this half term, and can use their non teaching periods for additional study at home or indeed at school. It is essential that all students sign in and out using the books outside the Sixth Form Office every time they arrive at school or leave the premises. Their last teaching day is Thursday 21 May.
Important Dates: The main block of summer A2 exams start on Friday 5 June (NB: there is a Further Maths exam on 13 May) and finish on Wednesday 24 June. Results day is Thursday 18 August.
UCAS Offers: All students who have received all their UCAS offers by 31 March need to ensure that they have replied to their offers by 4 May. For details on replying to offers, please see the Post 16 area of the school website for the presentation that was delivered and shared with the students, or the UCAS website. http://4dlla52h0g1u3fws8s25nzsb.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Replying-to-university-offers-UCAS-Extra-Clearing-Adjustment.pdf
Results: All year 13 students need to ensure that they are available to collect their results on Thursday 18 August at 8.30am, or have made alternative arrangements for someone to collect them and be able to contact them. Students may need to contact universities when they open their results, so they need to ensure that they bring phone numbers and mobiles with them.
Extra: To use Extra students need to have: 1. Already made 5 choices, 2. received decisions from all these choices and 3. either had no offers or declined all the offers they have received. Students may apply to one university and one course at a time and universities have 21 days to respond. If an offer is made students are obliged to accept it.
Extra closes on 4 July and students should ensure that they reply to any offers within 3 weeks of the offer being made. Vacancies are published on the UCAS website and in The Telegraph, however, students should also contact universities directly.
Clearing: Clearing opens on 18 August at 12 noon (results day) for students who have been unsuccessful with their Firm and Insurance offers. Clearing vacancies will be published on the UCAS website and in The Telegraph on that day. Laptops will be available in the Sixth Form Centre for students to use and Mrs Hubble (UCAS Coordinator) will be available for any guidance required.
For more details on Clearing and Extra, please refer to the UCAS website.
Student Finance: All students should have logged on to www.studentfinanceengland by now and must ensure that they complete applications for financial support at university. If you are applying for student finance it is essential students complete the online application by 31 May. Completion by this date will ensure that students have their finance in place by the start of their course. All students have attended a COOL session outlining this process.
Careers: We have, and will continue to work with, students who have not opted to go to university. Most of these students now have a plan for life after Tring School. There are a small number that are still ‘work in progress’ and we are feeding opportunities/information to them as regularly as possible.
Sue Atherton, our school Careers Coordinator, and Amanda Wickens, the school Connexions Personal Advisor are both available for students to book one-to-one appointments to discuss job search ideas and ensure that they also know where to get support when they leave us. Students should book the appointments with Mrs Griffiths in Connexions, or email Mrs Atherton on satherton@tringschool.org
Page 14 Sixth Form
Year 12 and Y13 Academic Recognition
Each of the teaching departments recognised their most improved students in a celebration
assembly on 23 March. The most improved students were celebrated as as “Bouncing Bun-
nies” and their students excelling in all areas as “Chirpy Chicks” . Very well done to:
ART
Chirpy Chicks: Y12 Rozi Lane & Beccy
Webb Y13 Glen Ogden & Charlotte Farrow
Bouncing Bunnies: Y12 Ellie Quirk & Ben Howes Y13 Howard Gray & Amy Johnston
BIOLOGY Chirpy Chicks: Y12 Beccy Nam & Beth
Hart Y13 James Child, Emily Easthorpe & Annabel Coppen
Bouncing Bunnies : Y12 Josh Herbert & Emily Dalton Y13 Charlotte Simmons, Fiona Elliot & Luke England
BUSINESS STUDIES
Chirpy Chicks: Y12 Maddy Neill Y13 Tom Kellard Bouncing Bunnies: Y12 Charly Freeman
Y13 Jack Hornsey
BUSINESS BTEC Chirpy Chicks: Y12 Beth Mander and George Sawh Y13 Alex Wilson, Megan
Collier & Carmen Chan Bouncing Bunnies : Y12 Tommy Burge &
Maiya Alladice Y13 Amy Moxon & Glen Ogden
CHEMISTRY Chirpy Chick: Y12 Nikhil Jha Y13 James
Child & Georgia Lindstrom Bouncing Bunny: Y12 Michael Turnbull-
King Y13 Michael Phillips & Emily Easthorpe
DRAMA Chirpy Chick: Y12 Ella Holmes-Cowan &
Matt Wake Bouncing Bunnies : Y12 Ben Kelly & Amy Paske
ECONOMICS
Chirpy Chicks: Y12 Jakob Hurkett, Cameron Salih, Laurie Garner & Toby Smith Y13 Jack Murphy & Olivia Parnell
Bouncing Bunnies: Y12 Jamie Rudin, Rosie Toner, Carys Doyle & Frankie
O’Brien Y13 George Taylor & Betsy Heasman
ENGLISH Chirpy Chicks: Y12 Laurence Blundell &
Ellie Williams Y13 Carys Reid-Davies & Abi Baldwin
Bouncing Bunnies: Y12 Maddy Neill, Holly Hadland & Grace Elvins Y13 Grace Boyes & Chloe Waight
FILM STUDIES
Chirpy Chicks: Y13 Emily Durrant Bouncing Bunnies: Y13 Harrison Hartfield
FOOD TECHNOLOGY Chirpy Chick: Y12 Sammy Evans
Bouncing Bunny: Y12 Callum Smith
FORENSICS Chirpy Chick: Y12 Callum Smith Bouncing Bunny: Y12 Georgia McEnery
GEOGRAPHY
Chirpy Chicks: Y12 Jasmine Booth, Caleb Thompson & Toby Smith Y13 Georgina
Lee Bouncing Bunnies: Y12 Michael Winn & Oliver Beeny Y13 Bethany Piggot
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Chirpy Chick: Y12 Ffion White Bouncing Bunny : Y12 Katie Pert
HISTORY Chirpy Chick: Y12 Ella Holmes-Cowan &
Phil Marriot Y13 Olivia Dawson, Betsy Heasman & Oliver Ayling Bouncing Bunnies: Y12 Emma van Rhee,
Jess Burckhardt & Cameron Salih Y13 Amy Johnston, Laura Gascoyne, Declan
Hall & Howard Gray LEISURE STUDIES
Chirpy Chick: Y13 Alisha Mazey Bouncing Bunnies: Y13 Carmen Chan
MATHS
Chirpy Chicks: Y12 Oli Johnson & Tom Waterhouse Y13 Jazmin Brooks & George Janeway
Bouncing Bunnies : Y12 Sam Gough & Ben Scranage-Harrison Y13 Harley Sear &
Alex Webb
FURTHER MATHS Chirpy Chick: Y12 Jack Lloyd
Bouncing Bunny: Y12 Libby Buttars CREATIVE MEDIA PRODUCTION
Chirpy Chick: Y12 Tommy Burge Y13 Emily Nielsen
Bouncing Bunny : Y12 Oliver Dimes Y13 Jack Youren
MUSIC Chirpy Chick: Y12 Nathan Gunaselvam
Bouncing Bunny: Y12 Jenny Lawes
PHILOSOPHY & ETHICS Chirpy Chicks: Y12 Niamh Lawlor & Beth Hart Y13 Tiggi Trusselle & AmelIa Court
Bouncing Bunnies: Y12 Jamie Glen & Sasha Gilbey Y13 Oliver Chenkin & China
Townsend
PHOTOGRAPHY Chirpy Chick: Y12 Ollie
Cullimore Bouncing Bunny: Y12 Georgie
Filleul PE
Chirpy Chick: Y12 Freya Michalski Y13 Annabel Coppen
& Sophie Williamson Bouncing Bunny: Y12 Jasmine
Gutsell Y13 Ant McCormack & Rob Jennings
PE BTEC Chirpy Chicks: Y12 Caleb
Thompson & Eleanor Barham Y13 Imogen Davies & Caroline Stark
Bouncing Bunnies: Y12 Harry Sargent & Robert Shepherd
Y13 James Gurnett & Jamie Vincent-Jones
PHYSICS Chirpy Chick: Y12 Jack Lloyd
Y13 James Child Bouncing Bunny: Y12 Freddie Foster Y13 Alex Webb
PSYCHOLOGY
Chirpy Chick: Y12 Matt Wake, Sarah Rogers & Phil Marriot
Y13 Charlotte Simmons, Grace Bullard, Nasya Addy & Olivia Dawson
Bouncing Bunnies: Y12 Charley Freeman, Sadie Fewster and
Izzy Fuff, Y13 Emily Durrant, Luke England, Vicky Gibbons & Jack Hornsey
SOCIOLOGY
Chirpy Chick: Y12 Sadie Fewster Y13 Lydia Brehm Bouncing Bunny: Y12 Jemma
Davis Y13 Anna O’Neill-Cook
IT BTEC Chirpy Chick: Y12 Cally Munro
Bouncing Bunny: Y12 Dominic Byrnes
TEXTILES Chirpy Chick: Y12 Amy Paske
Bouncing Bunny: Y12 Karolina Solarska
TRAVEL & TOURISM Chirpy Chicks: Y12 Jemma Davies Y13
Chloe Bundey Bouncing Bunnies: Y12 Oliver Beeny Y13 Mia Keough & Jack Youren
Students recognised by their tutors and Heads of House for their contribution:
Beth Hart– for dedication to her studies and involvement in mentoring (Mrs Tubbritt)
Ella Highton – for her involvement in school drama (Mrs Tubbritt)
Ellie Breakwell, Connie Barr & Sammy Evans – for helping out with the candyfloss machine at
Ascott and Halton’s Charity Day event even though they’re in Waddesdon. (Miss Stefan)
Sophia Fallan – She has a great sense of humour and makes time for everyone in form. (Miss
Wickens)
Emily Durrant and Lydia Brehm – for being absolutely fantastic and invaluable members of the form. (Miss Wickens)
Emma van Rhee– for leading music quizzes, taking a leadership role and mentoring younger students (Miss Cushion)
Sophie Draper – for mentoring and contributing to quizzes and Rachel Christie – for helping
younger students with English and her enthusiastic contributions to quizzes (Miss Cushion)
Joe Mayers, Laura Gascoyne, Fiona Elliot, Jordan Gray, Lauren Renshaw, Holly Potton, Helena
Green, Betsy Heasman and Lily O’Dell – for being brilliant House Captains and raising £727 for CLIC Sargent (Mrs Baiden)
Senior Maths Challenge Awards
Bronze Certificate: Nikhil Jha
Bronze Certificate: Grace Elvins
Bronze Certificate: Thomas Baldwin
Bronze Certificate: James Light
Silver Certificate, Best in Year 12 AND Best in School!!: Cerys Lipscombe
Silver certificate and Best in Year 13: George Janeway
Community Hours
The following students have completed 20 hours: Teagan Davis, Josh Eccles, India Gerrard, Bethany Hart, Rebecca Nam, Sera Roberts, Lizzie Wilde.
The following students have completed 35 hours: Sasha Gilby, Sarah Griffiths, Catriona Openshaw
The following students have completed 50 hours: Victoria Tuff
Prize Draw
Congratulations to all those whose achievements were celebrated at the assembly. Those who
had been mentioned were entered into a sweepstake to win an Easter Egg and the winners were:
Y12 Sarah Griffiths, Ffion White, Tommy Burge and Caleb Thompson
Y13 Caroline Stark, Ben Hogan, Lydia Brehm and Emily Durrant
Year 12 and Y13 Celebration Assemblies contd.
Sixth Form Page 16
In early March Year 12 students had an assembly
outlining the duties and expectations of all the Sen-ior Student Roles in school. Altogether, there are
over 40 positions for which students can apply in-cluding Head Boy and Girl and their Deputies,
House Captains and Heads of Sixth Form Commit-
tee. The first of these roles to be appointed is the Head Boy and Girl Team. We some fantastic appli-
cations for these positions and, following a rigorous interview process, we are very pleased to an-
nounce the new Head Boy and Girl Team.
Head Boy - Laurie Garner
Head Girl - Emma van Rhee Deputy Head Boy - Matt Wake
Deputy Head Girl - Jess Burckhurdt
Interviews for House Captain and Committee roles will take place after Easter and we will update you on the
successful candidates later in the year. Our thanks go to the previous Head Boy and Girl Team for all their hard work over the past year.
Senior Student Roles
Each year we ask Year 12 students to undertake a project that will make a difference to our school or local
community. We launched this year’s Active Citizenship before Christmas and many students used the festive season as a time to really make an impact. Students raised money for various charities, organised litter pick-
ing, organised activities in local primary schools and reached out to local people who perhaps needed some extra cheer at Christmas. At our final Active Citizenship COOL session in February, the students shared what
they had done. There were a lot of really fantastic projects and we’ve been extremely impressed with the way
the students threw themselves into their schemes. We did, however, pick some winning projects:
Sasha Gilby, Imogen Pledge and Beth Hart - Funky Dance and Netball at Bishopwood School
Naveen Mehta, George Sawh, Toby Smith and Ollie Johnson - started a Dodgeball club at Bishopwood School.
Tom Baldwin, Tom Waterhouse, Connor Breen, Michael Winn, Jamie Rudin and Ben Howes - cleared a section
of pavement that had become very overgrown so that pedestrians could use it again.
Will Atkinson and Ellie Williams - created 80 ‘joy cards’ with jokes and positive messages and distributed them
to local houses.
Hannah Alexander, Daisy Fermont, Vicky Millwood, Jess Burckhardt, Issy Foxley-Marrable, Emma van Rhee, Milly Weir - raised money selling cookies and cakes to buy prizes and run an afternoon tea/quiz/raffle at an
old people’s home.
Tegan Davis, Amy Sampson, Ella Hart, Ellie Quirk, Sadie Fewster, Emily Dalton, Charley Freeman, Caitlyn
Glynn and Olivia Gilbert - raised £140 in lots of different ways for the charity Thinking of Oscar, in memory of a friend who has recently died.
Active Citizenship
Sixth Form Page 17
Extended Project Qualification
The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is a great opportunity for Sixth Form Students to
conduct a project outside the curriculum. Universities support and value the EPQ as evidence
of a student’s ability to use a range of skills that are vital for successful study in higher
education. Students can choose their own topic and are made responsible for their own
learning and development. Undertaking the project develops students’ ability to undertake
research and to analyse material independently. Students can gain valuable UCAS points for
completing the EPA.
During the afternoon of 16 March the year 13 EPQ students showcased their projects in the
Desborough Hall and talked to students, staff and visitors about their work. The subject
matter was diverse and fascinating—from the evolution of the Disney Princesses, to Adolf
Hitler’s impact on the socio-economic climate in Germany. Well done to all the students who
took part.
Sixth Form Page 18
On Tuesday 8 March, a range of activities took place for all year groups, designed to extend and enrich learn-ing opportunities outside of the curriculum.
Year 12:
Year 12’s day was designed around preparing them for the next steps following Sixth Form. The first session
was about Wider Subject Knowledge Development and students were grouped into subject ‘teams’. Their aim was to write down all that they knew and enjoyed about their subject further than just that which is learnt in
lessons. Students enjoyed the competitive nature of this activity and found it useful to share their knowledge about, for example, interesting articles, notable figures in the field and relevant wider reading within that ar-
ea. These conversations will prove invaluable to students when they progress to work and university inter-views. We also discussed the format of interviews and how to deal with questions that you have no idea of
the answer to! Interviewers and academics don’t always expect students to know the exact answer, but they
want to see how your mind works!
Students then progressed to a session on Work Experience Health and Safety. All students will be undertaking Work Experience in week beginning 13 June and a statutory part of our preparation for this is that students
are aware of the dangers and risks when working in a professional workplace.
The afternoon sessions were provided by outside speakers. Session 3 featured a speaker from the University
of Bedfordshire. He shared details with students on a wide range of aspects of University life, from how to choose a University, to some of the dangers and pitfalls students face when they get there. We always like to
see students hearing this information from outside speakers as it perfectly complements the provision given to them by Mrs Hubble and the team over the course of the next year.
Finally the last session had the format of a carousel, and students had the opportunity to listen to two differ-ent speakers discussing their careers and how they entered that particular career pathway. Students were
really engaged within these sessions and it was so kind of the external speakers to give their time to share their experiences with our students. If you or someone you know are willing to come in and speak to stu-
dents next year about your particular career, then please do get in touch with Mrs Atherton:
satherton@tringschool.org
Year 13
Year 13 had a range of activities available to them and many took advantage of these with
great enthusiasm. We had a range of trips going
out and students really enjoyed the opportunity to develop their knowledge beyond the class-
room.
Mrs Golla took a group of 20 students to Go Ape, where they engaged in some excellent
team building and resilience activities.
Groups of students visited the Leonardo da Vin-
ci: Mechanics of Genius exhibition at the Sci-
ence Museum, the Natural History Museum to
see the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibi-tion and the V&A to see the Contemporary Por-
traiture Exhibition. The boys at the V&A were so
enthused by what they saw that they sat down and started sketching there and then, observed and appreci-ated by many members of the public.
Finally, a group went to the Olympic Park to see the brilliant Olympics venues and sample their mountain bik-
ing course. Some students chose to stay in school and catch up on coursework, while some of our Biology
students were sitting their EMPA exams.
Overall, a brilliant day was had by all, with lots of opportunities to develop their knowledge and passion with-in their chosen fields. We would like to thank all staff who helped supervise students in Years 12 and 13.
EXTENDED LEARNING DAY
COMMUNITY HOURS
Sixth Form
Year 13 should all be working on their community hours—where each student aims to complete a
minimum of 20 hours community service. Many students go way beyond this. We will shortly be reviewing the hours the students have completed. Full details on the Community Hours programme
for 2016/17 will be available in future newsletters.
Current volunteering opportunities include:
Friends of Tring Church Heritage (FOTCH) - contact Helen Dunford—helen@dunford.uk.com
6 volunteers needed from 6:00 — 10:30pm on Saturday 30 April to help at their Barn Dance in
the Nora Grace Hall in Tring, with live music and a meal. Volunteers needed to run tombola stalls, the Mix96 slide and the beat the goalie game at the
annual Family Fun Day, in and around St Peter’s and St Paul’s Church in Tring, on Saturday 7
May 2016, 11:00am—3:00pm
Tring Lions—contact Saeed— saeedmoosa@icloud.com
Tring Lions are running their annual entertainment evening for around 80 local elderly people
at the Victoria Hall in Akeman Street from 7:30 – 10:30pm on 23 April. They are looking for
volunteers to support serving elderly people sandwiches and drinks and helping them to and from their seats.
Over the course of the last term, students have hosted the five charity days. In previous years the format of this has been a charity week, however this year it was decided to spread these days out more in order to
maximise the opportunity for raising awareness of all of the fantastic charities.
The house captains worked closely with the Heads of House and put on a range of activities at lunchtime for
students to come along and enjoy. The house charities were as follows: Ascott House - Breast Cancer Now - Raised £528
Claydon House - Water Aid - Raised £400 Halton House - Clic Sargent - Raised £630
Waddesdon House - Chiltern Dog Trust - Raised £570
On Friday 18 March, we held our final Charity Day, led by the Head Boy and Girl team. We held a non uni-
form day to raise money for Sport Relief, however the main charity the team wanted to support was Hector’s House. This is a local charity set up by the parents of Hector Stringer who attended Tring School and sadly
took his own life in 2011.
The charity has been set up in order to ensure that young people always feel there is someone there that
they can talk to and our aim was to raise awareness of the charity, and ensure that all of our students feel that they can talk openly and honestly about mental health without any stigma attached to the topic.
Robert Stringer led a COOL time session along with Mrs Kay, and shared his experiences along with pictures
and videos of Hector. All students left the session with a wallet sized card featuring a list of places and people they should turn to for help and advice if they are feeling low, anxious or just in need of some extra support.
At lunchtime the Head Boy and Girl team hosted a range of activities, from throwing wet sponges at Mrs Kay, Mrs Golla, Miss Monger and Carys and Vic (Head and Deputy Head Girl) chal-
lenged staff to a penalty shoot out and we had a tug of war competition against Sixth Formers in the hall. There was a raffle where squares on a huge Hector’s
House logo were sold and various raffle prizes awarded to the winners. Mr Otoo
even took a turn on the decks as our resident DJ!
Hector’s House had a stand set up and we spoke to students about the im-portance of discussing and managing their mental health in order to ensure they
are as successful and happy as possible in life.
In all, close to £500 was raised for this fantastic charity and all students know
who and where they can turn to for support. This was the last event run by the Head Boy and Girl team and we’d like to thank them for all of their organisational
efforts.
Page 19
CHARITY DAYS
Final Words
We would like to wish all our students the very best of luck with their upcoming exams and we will continue to offer our support and advice as they need it. We look forward to the rest of the Summer term and the excitement as Year 13 move on and Year 12 progress into their final year.
Once again thank you for your continued support.
Mrs Sally Kay Miss Alison Moore Mrs Helen Holmes-Higgin Mrs Nicky Hubble Head of Sixth Form Student Support Sixth Form Administrator UCAS Coordinator
Leavers’ Day 2016
With Year 13 fast approaching the examination season, the Committee and Sixth Form Team are also working hard to ensure that the year group get the send off from Tring School they deserve. The Leavers’ Assembly has become a great tradition of their final day at school. It lasts about an hour and a half and is packed full of teacher nominations, funny memories and awards. We have also collated lots of photographs from the students’ time at school and these provide a wonderful trip down memory lane. As ever, at this time of year we need to ensure all events are safe and the interests of fellow students sitting exams are not disturbed. We also have a duty to ensure any celebrations do not in any way impact on exams or other learning activities. Therefore we wish to provide the following guidelines in order to ensure all the events go smoothly; Students need to leave the school site on Friday 27 May as per normal after lessons, not returning until 12.00noon on Friday 27 for their Leavers’ Assembly which is being held in the Desborough Hall. After the assembly, students will need to leave the school site to go and prepare for the evening events. It is imperative that students are not on the school site other than for the times stated above: examinations will be taking place and we need to ensure the exam conditions to which these students are entitled are maintained.
Sixth Form Page 20
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