Year 10s Sixth Form Experience Week

The week of 11 May was a very exciting and busy one in the Sixth Form, with year 10 joining us for their Sixth Form Experience Week. Life in the Sixth Form at Sutton High School is both the culmination of our students’ school career and the preparation for the next stage of their life as an independent, confident adult. During the week, students in Year 10 became Sixth Formers.  They were able to wear their own clothes, have Sixth Form privileges of leaving the school site at break and lunchtime, or eating in Georgia’s and they were able to make full use of the facilities in the Sixth Form Centre, Suffolk House.

Monday – Fierce Futures

On Monday 11 May Mrs Lenaghan and guest speakers led a day of workshops to help our Year 10s plan for their future in the world of work, building on material covered this year within PSR lessons. Throughout the day, students participated in a wide range of workshops focusing on employability skills, interview preparation, work experience and higher education pathways. Sessions included “Upskilling your CV”, “Preparing for Work Experience”, interview practice activities and “The Uni Game”, helping students explore university options and develop confidence for future applications. Students also learnt how to make the most of the Morrisby careers platform to explore aspirations, strengths and future career pathways. After lunch students took part in a mini careers carousel, where students heard from a range of inspiring professionals, including SHS alumnae and parents, who shared their career journeys and insights into the workplace. Speakers included: Mrs Annabel Mackie, Marketing Director for Itsu; Mrs Juliana Pagot, Operations Support Manager at Subsea 7; Dr Narayana, Associate Director – Ethics and Compliance at Eli Lilly; Dr Zara Javed, Principal Dentist at Pine Dental and Aesthetics; and Daina Auzins who works a the German Embassy.

The day provided students with valuable opportunities to develop key skills, ask questions and begin thinking about the many exciting possibilities open to them in the future.

Tuesday & Wednesday – A Level Taster Lessons

On Tuesday and Wednesday Year 10 attended taster lessons in eight or more subjects that they are interested in studying at A Level and AS Level. There was great excitement in the Common Room after each lesson, as Year 10 discussed the lessons they had attended, what they had done, and whether they might want to continue with those subjects in Sixth Form. Students and parents will be able to find out more about each subject at our Sixth Form Open Evening, on Wednesday 16 September at 6pm.

Thursday – Trip To Sussex University, Brighton

On Thursday, a highlight of the week for many, was our trip to Brighton. We met in the Sixth Form Common Room at the start of the day and everyone was a little bit nervous about the weather forecast in Brighton. Staff were mostly kitted out with hats, scarves and waterproof coats, while most of the Year 10s had clearly been a lot more optimistic when they had been getting dressed! We boarded coaches and travelled down to our first stop at Sussex University. Once there we were taken into one of their lecture theatres and our students were amazed at how little space in the room 120 of them took up – this is when they realised just how many people there might be studying on the same course as them at university! After a quick sing-a-long while we waited for the talk to start, we then heard from some of Sussex University’s student ambassadors about their journey to studying at Sussex and what it is like studying at university and living away from home. Alongside lots of important advice about how to choose a subject and course, and how to manage your workload, came the equally crucial advice on what it is like sharing a flat with other people and how to manage a budget so that you can achieve a healthy balance of nights out while still being able to feed yourself! We then split up into smaller groups for a guided tour of campus which included, among other things, visiting the library food hall and student union. There was plenty of opportunity for questions throughout the visit and Year 10 left Success with a good taste for what university life is like.

From the university we then drove a little further, to Brighton beach. We were dropped off outside the i360, and had an hour on the beach to eat lunch and have fun! Unexpectedly, but very luckily, the weather stayed on our side all day so we also took this opportunity for the most important part of any trip to Brighton – buying an ice cream! Ice creams eaten we headed into the i360 for our flight time. Having a private pod meant that the volume could be turned up and the experience turned into a full disco, high above the streets of Brighton! The views were somewhat obscured by the one burst of rain we had all day – but at least we were inside and dry. Worn out (definitely the staff, less so the students) we boarded the coaches back to Sutton, and back into the rain.

Friday – EPQ Day & Tours Of The New Sixth Form Centre!

The final day of the week saw Year 10 back in Suffolk House again for EPQ in a Day. EPQ in a Day introduces Year 10 to the EPQ elective that we offer in Sixth Form, which you can also find out more about at September’s Sixth Form Open Evening. The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is an independent research qualification, on a student’s own selected topic, which 24 Year 12s have undertaken alongside their A Level subjects. In terms of UCAS points it is worth half an A level. Moreover, many university courses lower a student’s grade offer, required to gain a place on a degree course, on condition that they obtain an A in the EPQ. The taught element of the EPQ teaches our students a multitude of essential and useful academic skills in preparation for year 13 study and University education. Skills include: how to undertake effective research, honing a research question, referencing, organisation and time management, high quality essay writing and structuring.

After a short introduction to the day Year 10 got into small groups and decided on a topic to research, which was then checked and approved by Miss Hatchwell and Mrs Harvey. Next they had to go and find at least three sources of research for their topic and evaluate the reliability and usefulness of these resources – again checked over by Mrs Harvey and Miss Hatchwell. Then they had until lunchtime to finish their research and present their final product. The range of topics they came up with was brilliant and included things such as ‘To what extend is animal agriculture ethical?’, ‘The assumptions of neurodivergence’ and ‘Is space travel worth the money?’. The Student Leadership Team, with Miss Hatchwell and Mrs Harvey, judged the final products and the winning group was Melissa Stevenson, Alexis Chan, Sienna Hayhurst and Edie Rose with their topic ‘Does media accurately represent Homer’s Odyssey?’. Their final product was very well-researched and written analytically – truly exploring the question rather than simply stating facts. Furthermore, the presentations of the final product was excellent!

After lunch Year 10 had the very exciting opportunity to don hard hats and high-viz jackets for a tour of the new Sixth Form Centre, expertly led by Mrs Harvey! We entered the building through the exclusive Sixth Form-only entrance and headed up to the top floor, which will be home to the Sixth Form Art and Photography studios, EPQ and languages classrooms and silent study spaces. We then walked down to the middle floor, which will be home to more Sixth Form subject classrooms, group study spaces and the Sixth Form’s own café. From the middle floor, students will also be able to access the large balcony, with plenty of space to socialise and study in the fresh air. Finally, we headed down to the ground floor, and the only part of the building that will not be exclusive to Sixth Form, where the Maths Department will have a new set of classrooms in September that open up onto the newly landscaped grounds and restored pond. We cannot wait to move into the new building over the summer and start teaching in there from September – it is going to be a truly special place to be a Sixth Former, for years to come.