Beckfoot Sixth Form Bulletin 4 1 st October 2018

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1 Beckfoot Sixth Form Bulletin 4 1 st October 2018 Thanks for a great week! EBuzzes were bountiful last week for all the fantastic Year 12 and 13 students who helped with the Year 7 Team Building day and then the Beckfoot Open Evening on Thursday. It was great to see so many of you get involved and help your community. Make sure you log your VCOPS hours for these events. Dates for your diary 28 th September Beckfoot deadline for submission of early entry personal statements 12 th October Beckfoot deadline for submission of all other personal statements 15 th October UCAS deadline for submission of early entry applications Year 12 Notices Signing in For your safety and to comply with safeguarding requirements, students without a timetabled lesson P1 must sign the register in the study centre at the start of the day. Those students who fail to sign in will not only be marked as absent, but the absence mark will trigger a phone call home. The same procedure applies to P5. Please sign in on the register on the noticeboard, and not in the folder at the door. Paired reading Those students who signed up to do paired reading are required to attend an introduction session in E13 (in the LRC) on Wednesday the 3 rd of October. There, you will be shown how best to coach and help the younger students to read better and hopefully become a mentor and buddy to them. The paired reading sessions with the students will commence the week beginning 10 th October and will run up until Easter. Please be prompt to all sessions. Subject changes Requests for subject changes will no longer be considered, as we are now in the fifth week of the half-term. If you would like to discuss any difficulties you are having with any of your subjects, please see your teacher, tutor, or a member of the 6 th Form team.

2 Year 13 Notices UCAS Deadlines The Beckfoot deadline for early entry applicants (Oxbridge/Medicine/Dentistry/Veterinary) was the 28 th of September. All students should be nearing completion of the first draft of their personal statements and handing them in to tutors, with the deadline for all personal statements to be handed in being the 12 th of October. William Akroyd Foundation Essay Competition If you would like to enter an essay-writing competition to win an Akroyd University scholarship, please register your interest with Dr. Wright as soon as possible. You can get more information by asking your tutor, or by seeing someone in the 6 th Form office. Both science-based and humanitiesbased pupils alike are encouraged to apply to and to participate in this competition. Students not going to University Please ensure you have informed your tutor that you do not intend to go to University, so that we may put appropriate support in place. Even if this should be the case, we strongly recommend that you complete a personal statement and UCAS application, in the event that you change your mind close to the deadline. If you are sure you do not want to complete a UCAS application, you must see Dr. Wright or Mrs. Marklew. University admissions tests BMAT, TSA and HSPSAA examinations will take place on Wednesday the 31 st of October at 9:00am in E5 and E6. You must arrive at the venue no later than 8:30am. Please ensure that you wear your lanyards for identification purposes. If you do not have a lanyard you will not be allowed to sit your test. For those students who need to sit LNAT or UKCAT, you must ensure that you have registered to sit these independently. Beckfoot School is not a registered centre for these tests. STEP candidates need to register in April as these exams are held within the summer exam session. Please call into the exams office at the beginning of April to register for STEP. If you have any questions, call in to see Mrs Bailey. An important note: if you are sitting an admissions test, you must make sure that revision for this does not interfere with your regular studies. Managing your time is an important skill that you must learn in order to be an effective and successful student. It is not acceptable to fall behind with deadlines or homework because you are revising for admission tests.

3 Enrichment and VCOPS Debating If you are interested in entering the Oxford Schools Debating Competition, please see Miss Lowde directly or at Debate Club is being held in H4 after school on Thursday. Mental Health First Aid Limited places are available for anyone interested in attending a course in Mental Health First Aid training being held on Thursday the 18 th of October from 3pm to 6pm. This will be particularly useful for anyone who is considering a career in health and social care and has always been a well-attended and popular course. The cost (which has been subsidised by the school) is 15 per student. Please express your interest by Tuesday 2nd October by submitting a short paragraph to Mrs Marklew explaining why you would benefit from this course. Apprenticeships, University and Careers Apprenticeships Students interested in apprenticeships after their A-Levels will find the following websites useful: Don t forget to also use the Unifrog website, where the apprenticeships section is updated daily. University Open Days Students wishing to go on a University Open Day during a school day should collect a form from the Sixth Form office, and have it signed by their tutor and subject teachers. A grant of up to 50 is available for all students to pay for travel costs to attend two Open Days. A form must be completed, and receipts shown to obtain this grant. Futures drop-in sessions These sessions for Year 12 and 13 are being held at break and lunch time on Wednesdays and Thursdays, as well as every Wednesday between 1:45pm and 3:45 pm. Sessions are held by Liz Palmer, careers adviser, and you do not need to make an appointment. Just call into SR5 in the LRC. Careers appointments If you would like a careers appointment, you may book one through Sarah Wilson (becsaw@beckfoot.org) or put your name on the list on the Careers office door. Mrs Palmer, the careers advisor, will be available on Wednesday and Thursday only.

4 Student council This section will be available for notices from the student council and student leadership. If you wish to join the student council, please contact Mrs Marklew. Students leaders are key in shaping Sixth Form policy, and in liaising with both the Sixth Form and Ms Halls and the leadership team. We will always listen to you. General Lanyards As discussed in assembly in Thursday, it is essential that you wear your lanyards at all times while in the school building. Your lanyard should be clearly visible, and should not be kept in your pocket. We have asked the student council to look into this and try to find a way that ensures that all students can abide by this important safeguarding policy. If you wish your views on this matter to be known, please talk to Jana Braun-Wilson of the student council. s s are the main way in which the 6 th Form team, tutors, teachers and support staff communicate with you. It is essential that you are checking them on a daily basis for important information and updates. If you cannot access your , or you do not know how to, please let us know as soon as possible. Furthermore, if you are sent an that is directed to you personally, please ensure you reply, at the very least so the person sending it knows you have received it. Absence procedures If you are ill and are going to be absent, a parent/carer must do one of the following: phone in on send a text to the absence team at absence@beckfoot.org ing the sixth form team or your teachers yourself to say you won t be in is not acceptable, as we have to adhere to safeguarding procedures. Use of the Sixth Form study centre It s great to see so many students using the study centre to complete their homework, carry out research, work on their personal statements and UCAS applications, or carry out other independent study. However, it is really important that we respect everyone s right to a quiet and tidy space to work, so please adhere to the following rules with using the study centre: Mobiles can be used in the common room section only, so as to not disturb people who are studying quietly. Students are not permitted to move the tables in the study area, including during break and lunch times.

5 Laptops must be signed out, and then returned and plugged in when no longer being used. The laptop lockers should always be locked after use. It is not acceptable for members of the 6 th Form team to be collecting laptops at the end of the day. All rubbish should be taken with you or put in the bins provided. Students should not be playing cards during lesson time this time should be used for independent study. By following these rules, we can ensure that the study centre remains a pleasant place to work and relax. Teacher absence If your teacher is absent for a particular lesson, you must register in the 6 th Form office, then go to H1 on the top floor. Please stay in this room throughout the lesson, to complete the planned work your teacher will have set for you, and it is to be used as a quiet study area. All Sixth Form students have access to this room throughout the day and I know you will find this a useful study area alongside the LRC provision. Mobile phones A reminder that you are not permitted to use your phones outside of the 6 th Form study centre, including in school corridors or when moving between lessons. This rule applies to all students in our community, and as you are role models to Years 7 to 11, it is especially important that you abide by it. Dress code As set out in the student planner, the Sixth Form dress code is smart/casual. We do not have a uniform, and trust you al to dress appropriately, more in line with our staff. Please note, however, that the following items of clothing are not acceptable within the school environment: tops with thin straps short tops that show the midriff ripped jeans hats In addition, outdoor coats and jackets are not to be worn inside school. Bursary applications Please hand in completed bursary applications, along with the required evidence to the 6 th Form office as soon as you can. If you think you might be entitled to the bursary, but have not yet applied, please pick up an application form. Twitter We have a new twitter account, so follow for up-to-date news and information about the Beckfoot Sixth Form.

6 Sixth Form contact details Faculty Leader Post-16 Dr Wright Head of Years 12 and 13 Mrs Marklew Quote of the week Excellence is a continuous process and not an accident. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam