As we come to the end of a long and busy term,

there is much to celebrate within the Sixth Form.

Christmas is approaching and we hope that

students, staff and families are preparing for a well

deserved rest.

Year 12 and 13 have been busily working towards

their goals, with a huge number of assessments,

tests and coursework deadlines over the last few

weeks. In January, revision will start in earnest as

both years have mock exams following half term.

We have been incredibly proud to see the

students in the Sixth Form developing into

successful learners, confident individuals and

responsible citizens.

Year 13 now have 18 weeks left of their school

education and have been working incredibly hard.

Many students have completed their University

applications and can now focus on their studies

and preparing for the exams in the summer.

Interviews for some courses have taken place and

we’ve had excellent reports back on the students’

performance, professionalism and confidence.

Some students are making plans for gap year

travel and applying for jobs and apprenticeships.

Overall, lots of very exciting plans for next year.

The commitment and dedication of our Year 13

students is so pleasing to see and we wish them

all the best of luck as their studies continue.

Year 12 have settled in brilliantly to Sixth

Form life and the vast majority are now

adopting the successful work ethic required

for studies at this level. There is a real buzz

of focus in the Sixth Form Centre and it is a

joy to see students so focused and

motivated.

They have been completing their Active

Citizenship projects and contributing to the

school and wider community with some

excellent schemes. We are very proud to

see them giving their time in such an

altruistic way.

Trackers will be coming out towards the end

of this week for Year 13 students, and after

Christmas for Year 12 students. We hope

they will spend the time going through these

comments, celebrating their successes and

reflecting on areas which need

improvement.

We hope that all students will take some

time over Christmas to relax, reflect on the

successes of 2016 and look forward with

excitement to the coming year. We wish

you, your families and all who support Tring

School, a restful and enjoyable Christmas

break.

Welcome

Sixth Form Team:

Sally Kay—Head of Sixth Form

Jennah Alder—Deputy 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

December 2016

Highlights:

Welcome

Year 12 Achievement Awards

Christmas Celebration Assembly

Attendance

Work Ethic

Study Hours

Tracking and Monitoring

Interventions

Bursary Fund

Driving on School Site

Careers Advice

Top Ten Skills for Business

Job and Apprenticeship Opportunities

University Advice

Head Boy/Girl Team

Charity Events

Trips

Key Dates

Final Words

Sixth Form

Year 12 Achievement Awards 2016

Biology & Chemistry—Rebecca

Nam

Drama—Matthew Wake

English & Philosophy and Eth-

ics—Niamh Lawlor

Maths & Physics—Jack Lloyd

Geography—Naveen Mehta &

Jasmine Booth

Film Studies—Natalie Beards-

ley

French—Elizabeth Wilde

History—-Philip Marriott

Media Studies - Seb Farrow

Music—Imogen Pledge

Physical Education—Oliver

Beeny & Freya Michalski

Psychology—James Thirkettle

Sociology—Ellie Williams

Textiles—Rozi Lane

Travel & Tourism—Jemma

Davies

At the GCSE certificate presentation evening last month, the following students were recognised for

their outstanding performance in their subjects in Year 12. Well done to them all:

Page 2 Sixth Form

Year 12 and Y13 Christmas Celebration Assembly

Emily Dalton

Jemma Davies

Carys Doyle

Sammy Evans

Sasha Gilbey

Jacob Hurkett

Rozi Lane

Niamh Lawlor

Jack Lloyd

Timothy Neal

Lucy Roberts

Nicole Smith

Karolina Solarska

John Thirkettle

Caleb Thompson

Michael Turnbull-

King

Emma Van

Rhee

Ellie

Williams

Michael

Winn

Each of the teaching departments nominated students for their excellent achievement this

term as “Outstanding Owls” (students excelling in all areas) and “Super Squirrels” (always

working hard to collect enough ‘nuts’ for future success)

APPLIED

SCIENCE &

FORENSICS

Outstanding

Owls: Y13:

Catriona

Openshaw,

Sasha Gilbey

ART

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Ella Morris-

Skingley, Eve Bullard Y13: Rozi Lane, Adam

Kelly, Will Atkinson, Beccy Webb

Super Squirrels: Y12: Scarlett Wager-Leigh,

Elizabeth Gidney Y13: Samina Josefsberg,

Ruby Lloyd

BTEC BUSINESS

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Owen Hillair-Brady

Y13: Maiya Alladice

Super Squirrels: Y12: Ella Dixon

Y13: Connor Breen

BUSINESS

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Ryan Coney Y13:

Victoria Tuff

Super Squirrels: Y12: Honor Baker Y13:

Frankie O’Brien

BIOLOGY

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Kate Richardson,

Tom Hood Y13: Amy Grocock

Super Squirrels: Y12: Joe Bowman Y13:

James Thirkettle

CHEMISTRY

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Maisie Bradfield

Y13: Becky Nam

Super Squirrels: Y12: Joe Bowman Y13:

Adam Kelly

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Edward Skeith

Y13: Chester Williams, Cally Munro

Super Squirrels: Y12: Too many to list!

Y13: Charlie Barker

CREATIVE MEDIA PRODUCTION

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Ben Woods, Sam

Hansford, Elizabeth Gidney Y13: Oliver

Dimes, Tommy Burge

Super Squirrels: Y12: Anne-Marie McArdle

Y13: Amy Halliwell

DRAMA

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Phoebe

Greenstreet Y13: Jess Burckhardt

Super Squirrels: Y12: Michael Adu Y13:

Beth Marsh

ENGLISH Outstanding Owls: Y13: Maddie

Neill, Lauren Perry

Super Squirrels: Y12: Brad Elson

Y13: Katie Pert, Jenny Fox

ETHICS AND PHILOSOPHY

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Sam Bettridge

Y13: Niamh Lawlor, Tegan Davis

Super Squirrels: Y12: Harry Fox Y13: Tara

Doyle, Sasha Gilbey

FILM STUDIES

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Liam Bell, Grace

Elvins Y13: Natalie Beardsley

Super Squirrels: Y12:

Tara Raeburn-Cowell

Y13: Millie Lloyd-Hunt

On 19 December, the whole Sixth Form came together to recognise the fantastic

achievements of individual students during the autumn term. Subject teachers gave

their nominations for “Outstanding Owls” (students excelling in all areas) and “Super

Squirrels” (working the hardest to deliver the most improvement).

There were also nominations from the Sixth Form Team, Form Tutors, Heads of

House and other staff, to recognise the outstanding contribution that some of the

Sixth Formers make to the life of the school.

Everyone who received a nomination was entered into a prize draw.

Fabulous achievement—Super green tracker (3

grades + above ALIS prediction)

Page 3 Sixth Form

ECONOMICS

Outstanding Owls: Y12:

William Darraugh Y13:

Ella Holmes-Cowan,

Laurie Garner

Super Squirrels:

Y12: Michael

Renkel, Tomas Pierleoni

Y13: Timothy Neal, Jamie Rudin

FOOD TECHNOLOGY

Outstanding Owl: Y13: Sammy Evans

Super Squirrel: Y13: Sian Gill

GEOGRAPHY

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Holly Ashall,

Thomas Hood, Kate Richardson Y13: Jemma

Davies, Sammy Evans, Oli Johnson, Naveen

Mehta

Super Squirrels: Y12: Daniel Simmons,

Will Darraugh, Y13: Max Beckley, Amy

Grocock, Harry Sargent

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Annabel Edwards,

Sam Bettridge Y13: Emma Van Rhee, Matt

Wake, Tegan Davis

Super Squirrels: Y12: Alex Lashley,

Hannah Mitton Y13: Holly Hadland

HISTORY

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Phoebe

Greenstreet, Ella Dixon, Elliot Warren,

Michael Renkel, Jak Spencer-Williams, Katy

Colwell, Joe Bowman, Georgia Williams,

Lorna Piggott Y13: Phil Marriott, Naveen

Mehta, Ella Holmes-Cowan, Emma Van

Rhee, Tegan Davis, Freja Edmonds, Ffion

White

Super Squirrels: Y12: Lewis Lambourne,

Liam Bell, Jonny Forster

Y13: Max Beckley, Beccy Webb

MATHS

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Lucy Weston,

Georgina Haddock Y13: Laurie Garner

Super Squirrels: Y12: Sam Hansford,

Owen Payne Y13: Vicky Tuff, Ollie Johnson

FURTHER MATHS

Outstanding Owls: Y13: Nikhil Jha

MUSIC

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Tom Lovatt Y13:

Nathan Gunaselvam

Super Squirrels: Y12: Charlotte Clark Y13:

Ella Hart

PHOTOGRAPHY

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Ben Hartley,

Natalia Cox Y13: Oli Cullimore, Freya

Michalski

Super Squirrels: Y12: Charlie Wright,

Daniel Hearn Y13: Amy Sampson, Karolina

Solarska

PHYSICS

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Harriet Grout,

Paddy Dunphy, James Burkhalter, Georgina

Haddock Y13: Nikhil Jha

Super Squirrels: Y12: Matt Cowan, Matt

Lindars Y13: Tim Neal

PSYCHOLOGY

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Maisie Bradfield,

Kate Richardson Y13: Phil Marriott, Sammy

Evans, Sadie Fewster, Matt Wake

Super Squirrels: Y12: Adam Coombs,

Callum Brooks Y13: Sam Gough, Isabella

Fuff

PE

Outstanding Owls: Y13: Oli Beeny, James

Thirkettle, Haydn Impey, Freya Michalski

Super Squirrels: Y13: Sam Gough,

Jasmine Gutsell

PE BTEC

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Anna Lane Y13:

Eleanor Barham

Super Squirrels: Y12: Helen Jennings Y13:

Neve Corcoran

PRODUCT DESIGN

Outstanding Owls: Y12:

James Burkhalter Y13:

Connor Breen

Super Squirrel: Y13:

Toby Andrews

SOCIOLOGY

Outstanding Owls: Y12:

Lily Juchau, Maisie Bradfield Y13: Freya

Michalski, Ellie Williams

Super Squirrels: Y12: Scarlett Wager-

Leigh, Hollie Webb Y13: Sophia Collier, Amy

Halliwell, Lucy Roberts, Charlotte Wright

TEXTILES

Outstanding Owl: Y13: Rozi Lane

Super Squirrel: Y13: Karolina Solarska

TRAVEL AND TOURISM

Outstanding Owls: Y12: Anne-Marie

McArdle Y13: Jemma Davies

Super Squirrels: Y12: Harry Perrin, Hollie

Webb Y13: Sarah Griffiths

Lizzie Wilde - Consistently outstanding work with younger students in the form. Lizzie shares well-grounded values and regularly

gives up her own time to support them.

Alex Cox - for settling in very well with his transfer from South Africa and having taken every challenge available. Alex also vol-

unteered to be part of the School Council for the form.

Haider Maqsood - approaches his responsibility as a role model for younger years in a very mature way, and is always so

friendly and generally lovely. Thank you for showing off your kind nature in form time - A13 and Miss Fleming really appreciate

it!

Will Darraugh and Rowan McIntosh - for leading the recycled fashion project.

Will Darraugh and Vicky Millwood - for creating the Christmas Quiz.

Issac Burnett- for wanting to use tutor time to discuss charity activities.

Sasha Gilbey - for being involved in lots of different topics around the school.

Daniel Simmons - for being an amazing role model and the perfect school council rep.

Jimmy Andrews - has started teaching H3 students self defence and makes a wonderful contribution to form time.

Oli Cullimore and Freya Michalski - for helping at Year 11 options fair and generally being two of the most dedicated, keen and

enthusiastic Photography students we have ever had.

All the Y12 and 13 Art students - for being fantastic on the Paris trip: enthusiastic, energetic, dedicated and great company.

Zoe Wood, Dom Reynolds, Harvey Passingham, Ben Woods, Sam Hansford and Liam Bell for being Media Mentors to Y11.

Chloe Randall, Tara Raeburn-Cowell and Emily Leaver for running the KS3 Film Club.

Staff also nominated students for their outstanding contribution to many aspects of

school life;

Page 4 Sixth Form

Fabulous Halton House Captains for organising a very successful Charity Day: Ellie Williams, Tim Neal, Tom Baldwin, Laurence

Blundell, Sian Gill, Georgia McEnery, Katie Crombie, Freya Michalski and Toby Smith.

Fabulous Clayon House Captains for organising a very successful Charity Day: Izzy Kirwan, Jake Brooks, Becca Bowman, Holly

Hadland, Will Atkinson, Phil Marriott, Sarah Rogers, Becky Nam and Amy Grocock.

All our wonderful Year 13 musicians who continue to dedicate time to the department: Laurie Garner, Immy Pledge, Oli Johnson,

Emma Van Rhee, Lizzie Wilde, Ella Cowan, Josh Eccles, Emily Smith, Phil Marriott, Ella Hart, Tim Neal and Nathan Gun-

aselvam.

Well done to the Head Boy and Girl team for continuing to work hard in your roles and liaising with staff, students and the local

community to make things happen. You are stars! Emma Van Rhee, Laurie Garner, Jess Burckhardt and Matt Wake.

Well done to the Sixth Form Committee for all your work so far and for helping to organise the socials: Caleb Thompson, Maddie

Humber, Tatiana Simpson, Josh O’Neill, Tegan Davis, Iona Tomkins, Jasmine Booth, Ella Dixon and Ollie Cullimore.

Georgina Haddock, Library Ambassador for regularly assisting in the LRC at lunchtime. All your efforts are very much appreciat-

ed.

Outstanding contribution to the life of the school continued

Sixth Form Team Awards

We finished the assembly with some light-hearted fun awards, which included;

The Bouncer the Dog award— Anne-Marie McArdle and Lizzie Wilde, with thanks for

their infectious cheeriness and bounce.

The Buddy the Elf award—Tim Neal & Rowan McIntosh, who everyone loves, because

they are so cheerful, polite and generally wonderful!

The Mrs Claus award for the best dressed students—Natalia Cox and Jack Mustill.

The Kevin the Carrot award for perseverance—Katie Pert and

Ben Scranage-Harrison.

So many of our students are willing to volunteer to be school

tour guides, come to evening events and generally be helpful.

Our Santa’s Little Helpers award went to the particularly help-

ful Adam Coombs, Chloe Randall, Nathan Gunaselvam and

Izzy Kirwan.

The Persevering Penguins award went to Reid Davis, India

Gerrard, Catriona Openshaw, Taylor Phillips, Ben Sansbury

and Caleb Thompson, for continually just getting on and doing

what is expected of them.

Well done to you all.

Community Hours

Tring School is keen to develop active citizenship and community cohesion. All students are required to complete at least 20

hours of community help within the school and/or the community during their time in Sixth Form. In so doing students use their

skills to contribute to the wider community and gain valuable experience that will also benefit them in the future. There are many

opportunities highlighted to students throughout the year, including helping in lessons with younger students, volunteering at

local charities, helping at school events, peer mentoring, litter picking etc. Students work towards their Bronze (20 hours), Silver

(35), Gold (50) and Platinum (100+) awards. Students log the hours that they have worked on their community hours card and

hand them into the Sixth Form office once completed, when another card is issued.

We also run a Year 12 Active Citizenship programme which runs during COOL time. Students form working groups and devise a

project to collaborate on, with the support of a link tutor. Over eight weeks students plan and implement their project, culminating

in a final display of all the year group’s projects. Students are currently working on their projects and we look forward to updating

you on their activities.

Well done to all the students who are working hard to ensure they put something back into the community, in particular:

Platinum Award—Sarah Griffiths, Catriona Openshaw and Vicky Tuff

Gold Award—Jemma Davies

Silver Award—Jimmy Andrews, Jacob Matthews and Ben Woods

Sixth Form Page 5

Outstanding Attendance—Students with over 99% Lesson Attendance

Daisy Austin

Tom Baldwin

Marcel Boswall

Oliver Beeny

Joe Bowman

Callum Brooks

Eve Bullard

Isaac Burnett

Rachel Christie

Katy Colwell

Samuel Copleston

Reid Davis

Thomas Dawson

Oliver Dimes

Adam Dixon

Ella Dixon

Paddy Dunphy

Bradley Elson

Harry Fox

Jennifer Fox

Sophie Freestone

Samuel Gough

Curtis Green

Phoebe Greenstreet

Sarah Griffiths

Georgina Haddock

Jonathan Hudson

Jakob Hurkett

Clare Inglis

Iain James

Helen Jennings

Oliver Johnson

Alex Lashley

Matt Lindars

Jacob Matthews

Simon May

Anne-Marie

McArdle

Naveen Mehta

Tristan Murrell

Caleb Murrell-Smith

Toby O’Gorman

Joshua O’Neill

Owen Payne

Michael Renkel

Molly Renshaw

Catriona Scott

Callum Smith

Oliver Southam

Jak Spencer-Williams

Caleb Thompson

Scarlett Wager-Leigh

Lucy Weston

Michael Winn

Attendance is monitored closely throughout the year and has a direct effect on academic

achievement. Our expectation is 95% attendance, or above.

Please could we politely remind parents that the school should be contacted on the morning of

any absence. You can contact us by phone, text or email:

Sickness line: 01442 821052

Absence alert text: 07860 027724

Email: attendance@tringschool.org

N.B. These phone numbers have recently changed. Please ensure that you have made a

note of the updated numbers. Thank you.

Students should try, wherever possible, to arrange any necessary appointments for when they

do not have lessons. If this is not possible, they need to complete a yellow “Leave of Absence

Form”, which are available from the Sixth Form Office. This must be signed by their parent/

carer, Form Tutor, teaching staff and returned to the Sixth Form Office. Students must ensure

that they sign out at the Sixth Form Office.

Driving lessons should not be arranged in school hours, they may be taken after 1:20pm if the

student has home study that day for period 5. We appreciate that with driving theory and the

actual test that students may have to take time off during the school day.

Holidays should not be arranged in term time.

Students play a vital role in vertical tutoring and are also role

models to the rest of the student body. It is therefore vital that

students are in tutor time every day.

Students must also be on time to school every morning. If stu-

dents have no period 1 lesson, they must be on site by

8:35am and signed in by 8:40am. This is excellent prepara-

tion for the workplace. Students who arrive late will receive a

lunch time detention, in line with the lower school.

Sixth Form Page 6

We would like to reiterate the study hours to remind parents and students of the expectations for successful Sixth Form

study. The most important thing a student can do is put in the required amount of study. This sounds very simple but it is

surprising how many students fail to meet this expectation. On average a student should complete 5 hours per week per

subject. For most students, this is 15-20 hours per week. Students SHOULD be making revision resources on a weekly

basis in order to be successful in the summer.

The extra study may include; coursework, homework, extended reading, revision or past examination papers. Many students

may have free periods on their timetable which allow them to complete some of these hours at school. The rest should be

completed outside of school. Please note that our two week school timetable totals 50 hours per fortnight. If a student is

taking 4 subjects, plus COOL, they will only get approximately 7 hours per fortnight free (each A level = 8 hours teaching).

No student should be going home and saying that they have “No work to do” or “Have completed their work at school”.

We actively encourage our students to become independent learners and to manage their time effectively. Not all students

find time management easy and we work in small groups with those students, to help them create a study timetable for both

in and out of school. If you would like your son or daughter to access this, please let us know.

5. Students should highlight topics on the specification as they complete them. Ideally three different coloured highlighters should be used, green for topics they understand, amber for topics they are a little unsure of and red for the areas they really struggle with.

Work Ethic There are a number of strategies that students need to be applying to their daily and weekly study habits to ensure long term success. Most fundamental changes are made by small increments. In the Sixth Form we use the motto of success coming from "The aggregation of marginal gains". All students can benefit from thinking that all the small changes they make to their study will make a big difference in the end.

Here is our top 10 list of tips, which all students should be embedding into their weekly academic work:

1. Ensure they have a planner or reliable electronic device to record all homework and coursework. Logging work should

obviously include hand in dates. Use “Show My Homework” to help support organisation.

2. Students should have a study timetable, which should outline when they plan to work and what subject they will be studying. 15 -20 hours study a week does not just happen, it should be planned for!

3. Ensure that they have a file for each subject, with dividers to separate work for different teachers or topics.

4. At the front of each file should be the subject specification, which can be downloaded from the exam board website. Students should check with their teachers that they have the correct one! With the changes to A levels, it is imperative that students have a copy of this.

6. Complete all set homework, in a quiet, uninterrupted study area (yes—turn off your mobiles /facebook /twitter etc!)

7. Read around topic areas covered in the text book as you go along. This should be part of your homework.

8. Make revision resources from lesson notes and wider reading (mind maps/post it notes) – these should include trigger words. Again this should be done on a weekly basis.

9. Completion of past papers (use mark schemes to self-assess strengths and weaknesses). Again this should be a weekly activity, not necessarily completing a whole paper but picking particular sections/topics to answer and mark. Ideally keep a box of all past papers and mark schemes that you download from the exam board website. Those students in Y13 who are retaking exams should have a regular slot to revise for these on a weekly basis.

10. Students must see their teachers independently to seek help if they are unsure or struggling.

Our Sixth Form summary of marginal gains is: Consistency

Hard work

Organisation

Responsibility

Resilience

If students can apply these to both their daily and weekly work they will increase their chances of success.

Sixth Form Study Hours

Year 12 students are aware of their ALIS target grades for their subjects. ALIS (Advanced Level Information System) is a well established system used by Durham University to generate reliable predictions for individual students in their post 16 study and is designed for both A level and BTEC qualifications. The targets are based on the performance of similar students nationally. Please note that ALIS grades are a minimum expected target.

Alongside developing as an individual, the primary aim of most students is to leave the Sixth Form having reached their

full academic potential. It is our aim to assist students in this process and we therefore have a comprehensive tracking

and monitoring system. Our colour coded student photo board and individual files allow us to provide the necessary

intervention for each student.

All students have their own colour coded photo card for tracking and monitoring purposes. We keep a record of all for-

mal assessment points and from this determine if they are on ‘red, amber or green’. Red is 3 grades below their poten-

tial across 3 or 4 subjects, amber 2 grades below and green within 1 grade. We also have ‘super green’ for those stu-

dents overachieving by 3 or more grades. Students who are underachieving in just one subject will work with the rele-

vant subject teacher. Students who are ‘red’ i.e. 3 or more grades below their potential across 3 or 4 subjects, will auto-

matically become part of the Tracking and Monitoring group; meeting regularly with the Sixth Form team who will work

closely with them to try to ensure that the student reaches their full potential. We operate a similar system for support-

ing ‘amber’ students.

Our Parent Consultation Evenings are an opportunity for parents to talk directly to subject staff about how their son or daughter is performing. We time the release of our Achievement Trackers within a week of the Parent Consultation Evenings. This will provide you with relevant and up to date data to discuss with the subject teachers.

Sixth Form Page 7

Tracking and Monitoring Achievement

Year 12 January Trackers issued — 13 January Parents Consultation Evening — 18 January Mock Exams — w/c 20 February March Trackers issued — 24 March

Year 13 December Trackers issued — 22 December Mock Exams — w/c 27 February Final Trackers issued — 31 March

Interventions

Whilst we are keen to afford privileges where possible, not all students progress at the same rate and some students respond much better to tighter parameters. For this reason, we have a intervention study programme for those students either preferring more structure for their free periods, or who are already showing signs that they are struggling.

All students who are on ‘red’ are required to follow our ‘intervention study’ programme. They will be required to sign in with the Sixth Form Team for each of their free periods and work either in the designated area in the Sixth Form Centre, within a subject area or in the Learning Resource Centre.

From running intervention programmes previously, the most significant feedback we received was the difference that working productively during free periods made. This system is a means of offering support and structure to help our students.

The Bursary Fund is designed to help young people facing financial hardship stay in full time education replacing the previous scheme known as Education Maintenance Allowance or EMA.

Sixth Form students whose household income is low may be eligible for financial assistance from this fund. We have run an assembly for students to make them aware of the support available. If you think you could benefit, please check for full details on the school website, where you will also find an application form. http://tring.herts.sch.uk/students/post-16/attendance-bursary-fund/

Bursary Fund—Financial Assistance

Driving on School Site

During students’ time in the Sixth Form the majority will learn to drive and many will use their own cars to get to and from school. Another privilege afforded to Sixth Formers is that they are allowed to bring their cars onto school site for parking. Unfortunately, this could pose a potential risk to other students, should they not drive responsibly.

We would like to make it very clear that at all times students must drive sensibly, adhering to the speed restrictions and one way system. Any student seen driving irresponsibly will be banned from bringing their vehicle onto the school site. We will not tolerate any reckless driving.

Sixth Form Page 8

Focus on—Careers Advice

All Year 11, 12 and 13 students have the opportunity to have an appointment with Sailesh Devani, an independent Careers Advisor who is working with us on Tuesdays this year. We chatted to him to find out more about his role and the support he can offer our students.

Mr Devani has had an interesting and varied career. Starting as Careers Advisor in his twenties, he went on to work in a number of management roles, including managing a team of careers advisors, working as a procurement manager for a local council, setting up and running his own nursery day care business, before returning to careers advice. He currently works with four schools, supporting students in Key Stages 4 / 5.

What sort of students does he see? Some students have a very clear idea of their career path and Mr Devani can help them to ensure that they maximise their chances of success in their chosen field. Mr Devani sometimes finds that students with a very fixed view of their future may end up slightly adjusting this view following a detailed discussion about their chosen career and may take steps to ensure that they do not limit their future chances by narrowing their options too early. Other students have no idea what to do in the future. Mr Devani gets to know the individual students and often works up a number of choices for students by considering their strengths and preferences and then going through a process of eliminating options to come up with a series of career alternatives.

What are the most unusual careers that Mr Devani has been asked for advice on? He has advised a student who wished to become a taxidermist. A couple of years ago, he met with a student who wanted to pursue a career in the Secret Service. He gave her advice on her degree choice and she was interested to find out from him that MI5 recruit graduates straight from university.

What are Mr Devani’s top tips? Stay open minded, do what you enjoy and what you are best at. Many students choose subjects that they think would be a “better choice” for certain careers, only to find that they jeopardise their chances by choosing subjects that they then struggle with. An example would be a student wishing to study medicine, who loves Chemistry and Biology and would really enjoy History as a third choice of A level. They think that Maths would look better on their CV, so they take Maths as their third choice. Their uni offer is for A A A. They achieve As in their sciences, but only get a C in Maths, as they have struggled with it and not enjoyed it.

Mr Devani’s other top tip is to start to really focus on extra curricular activities and work experience from Year 10 onwards. Having a good university degree is no longer enough for many employers and students are strongly advised to gain relevant experience for their chosen career.

If students would like to book an appointment with Mr Devani, they should email Miss Moore amoore@tringschool.org

Mrs Griffiths in Connexions has provided students with the opportunity to have ‘mock interviews’. Some of our students signed up for this valuable opportunity. The students are matched with an interviewer who will interview them and then provide feedback on the interview, the student’s Personal Statement or their CV. This programme has now closed, but our thanks go to those who volunteer to interview our students – you add so much value and your time is appreciated enormously by both us and the students.

If parents and carers would like to volunteer to get involved in this programme next year and use their skills in interviewing our students, please contact Mrs Griffiths on dgriffiths@tringschool.org The programme runs during September – October

If students have questions or queries they can call into Connexions at any time.

Sixth Form Page 9

Confederation of British Industry (CBI) research has highlighted a lack of key workplace skills in new recruits. So what are skills are employers looking for in school leavers and graduates? Research by the University of Kent has identified the top ten skills which are

deemed most important by businesses:

1 – Verbal communication The top most sought after skill was good verbal communication. Almost every job will involve talk-ing to colleagues or customers at some point and employees should be able to express them-selves clearly, confidently and concisely, tailoring their style to their audience. Communication is not all about talking, the best employees will be able to listen to what people are saying, process it and act on it. However, despite communication being a highly-desired skill, 33% of companies think their workers are lacking it, according to a survey by HR Magazine.

2 – Teamwork Many companies ask people to work in groups on projects, or in less hierarchical organisations, in self-managed teams. To succeed in these environments, employees should be able to cooperate with their colleagues, taking their share of the responsibility and putting forward their ideas in a confident, rather than passive or aggressive manner.

3 – Commercial awareness If workers have a good understanding of the wider environment in which a business operates and knowledge of its customer base then they can demonstrate their commitment to that particular sector. A survey by CBI and Universities UK found that over a third of employers were dissatisfied with the business acumen and customer awareness graduates displayed.

4 – Analysing and investigating Problems crop up all the time and you need employees who are able to deal with them in a logical and analytical manner rather than getting into a panic or simply ignoring them.

5 – Self-motivation Managers can’t spend every minute of the day monitoring their staff, so it’s important that employ-ees are self-motivated and able to use their initiative to prioritise their tasks, come up with better ways of working and take responsibility for their own projects.

6 – Drive Companies need employees who can get things done and are motivated to do the best job they possibly can. CBI research shows that over a third of employers felt that school-leavers lacked the right attitude towards work.

7 – Written communication Data from Skills for Life shows that 15% of adults don’t have basic literacy skills. It’s normally something which employers are made aware of straight away, as data from the Recruitment and Employment Commission highlights that around half of all CVs received by recruitment consult-ants contain spelling or grammatical errors. Being able to write emails, letters and reports with a clear structure and appropriate style and content is a valuable skill.

8 – Planning and organising For workers to be at their most productive, they need to be able to organise their workload and plan their daily tasks effectively. Being able to work to deadlines and set themselves achievable targets is a beneficial skill.

9 – Flexibility The workplace is constantly changing and the best workers can adapt to new circumstances and environments. Good employees should be able to take on new challenges at short notice and deal with altering priorities and shifting workloads.

10 – Time management Rounding off the top ten and edging out skills such as leadership, negotiation, creativity and stress tolerance is time management. Businesses want employees to be able to cope with the conflicting demands on their time, make the most of their hours at work and prioritise certain tasks.

Top Ten Skills for Business

Sixth Form Page 10

Career and Apprenticeship opportunities

Network Rail are now advertising their third year of the Finance Apprenticeship. The scheme will begin in September 2017 and they are looking for three more ap-prentices. The role will be based in Milton Keynes where the apprentices will be placed on rotational placements across our varied Finance teams. After two years in Milton

Keynes the apprentices will then have the opportunity to extend their placements nationally.

This will run alongside day release to Kaplan College where they will study for their AAT qualification.

At the end of four years the apprentices will have completed AAT, completed CIMA to therefore be a fully chartered accountant, all while earning valuable work experience as well as a competitive salary. They can then assess which areas of the business they preferred working in and apply for their permanent position.

For more information visit the Network Rail website using this link Closing date 3 February 2017

Morgan Stanley is one of the world's leading investment banks, and they have asked Pure Potential to invite bright, female sixth formers to apply to their 3-day Insight Programme this February.

The Programme comprises of many elements including case studies, group presentations, interactive workshops and networking opportunities. Successful candidates will also have the unique chance to take a tour of the trading floor and understand the range of roles across the Bank.

If you are interested in finding out more about the banking sector, this is the perfect opportunity! Having a prestigious firm such as Morgan Stanley on your personal statement or CV will be hugely beneficial when it comes to applying to university and looking for work experience when you are an undergraduate.

For more information about Programme, please visit this page on the Morgan Stanley website. When ap-plying, please mention Pure Potential in your covering letter. The application deadline is 2

nd January

2017.

UCAS Apprenticeship Information

Not all students are interested in higher education. In fact, a growing number of 16-18 year olds are look-

ing for more vocational opportunities, which is one of the main reasons that UCAS’ support for appren-

ticeships is growing.

UCAS have recently launched an Apprenticeship Section https://www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/

getting-started/apprenticeships-uk which gives invaluable information about the types of apprenticeships,

and what is involved. They also have a dedicated search tool, which lists opportunities for both higher

and degree apprenticeships – a helpful resource for students to see what’s available.

Employers and education providers are also driving demand: they want to recruit the best talent out there

as early as possible. And it’s not just small companies – large organisations like Ernst and Young (EY)

are taking on apprentices too.

Sixth Form Page 11

Year 13 and Year 12 should bear this in mind for next year

This has been a vital and sometimes stressful term for our Year 13 students who have applied to university (and probably for their

parents too). We began work on this process in March of Year 12, and the support continues until the students receive their exam

results in the August of Year 13.

We set a number of deadlines to assist the students in this process to ensure that they get the best possible chance of receiving

offers. Our internal school deadlines were 25 September, 9 and 16 October, with the final deadline being 6 November. The reason

for this is to ensure that Tring School applications are all in to UCAS and the students’ chosen universities before Christmas, to give

our students the best possible opportunity to have their applications given the full attention of universities. To put this into context -

approximately 250,000 applications are submitted before Christmas and over 500,000 between Christmas and 15 January, so

whilst all students should be given fair consideration if their application is in by the UCAS deadline, Admissions Tutors will have

more time before that.

We are delighted that so many of our students have already secured offers from university choices. Once offers are made they

cannot be retracted by universities so we strongly advise students to take their time considering which will eventually be their Firm

choice and which will be their Insurance choice. Firm and Insurance choices do not need to be made until the 5 May 2017, so we

recommend that students make their choices in April when they have had time to review how they are doing in their subjects and

potentially attend visit days and further open days. Mrs Hubble will be delivering a presentation in the Spring term on Replying to

offers, UCAS Extra and UCAS Clearing. There will also be a session on Student Finance which will open for applications early in

2017.

We would like to thank Mrs Hubble for the invaluable support that she has given our students this term in making their university

applications. She rigorously checks every application and reference, which is extremely time consuming, but which ensures that

students maximise their chances of a successful application to their university of choice.

University Advice Year 12

It is never too early in Year 12 to start looking at future options. We will be talking to all the students in up coming assemblies about opportunities available to them. Many universities run taster courses on some subjects for Year 12 students and details of these are displayed in the Sixth Form Centre. The UCAS website also shows details of these opportunities. https://www.ucas.com/events/exploring-university

Our programme of university support for Year 12 students will begin in March 2017 with a Higher Education Convention on 16 March and Higher Education evening on 14 March. However, students can begin their research now! The school has made available to the Year 12 students a fantastic tool called Unifrog.

Unifrog helps students choose the best universities and apprenticeships, pulling data from many sources including UCAS, Unistats, HEFCE and HESA. Key benefits include:

Widening students horizons through its course suggestion tool

It will match university entry requirements to students likely performance and encourages students to consider universities

which are in the top, middle and bottom of their range

Compares everything from fees to distance from home, accommodation costs to % graduate jobs and much more

All Year 12 students can log on to the Unifrog tool by going to www.unifrog.org/code then entering the code: (form name)tring17. So

for instance if the student is in form C12 their code will be c12tring17

Our Careers Corner is a wonderful resource available in the Sixth Form Centre for all our Sixth Form students; it complements the

resources in Connexions and the Learning Resource Centre. There is information available on universities, gap years, further

education, careers and job opportunities. If parents wish to use the resources at any time they are very welcome.

Berkhamsted School—Law Day and Healthcare Insight Day for Potential Law Students and Medics

If you are interested in pursuing a Law or Medicine degree then the 2 opportunities below, which are hosted by Berkhamsted School,

are for you. Tring Students who have attended the events in the past have found the days invaluable and a very positive experi-

ence. They will also help support your UCAS application, when applying for the relevant subject. As per Mrs Hubble’s email sent to

students on 15 December, please express your interest to her by Thursday 22 December, as places are limited to two stu-

dents from Year 12 for each event.

The Law Day is being held on Tuesday 17 January 2017. The Lawyer Portal, the company running the day, aim to help you under-

stand the legal career options, with a particular focus on the practice of both barristers and solicitors. Items on the agenda include

key information on UCAS, university selection, LNAT and writing an outstanding personal statement. You will also take a look at the

new apprenticeship scheme and you will have the opportunity to participate in an interactive taster negotiation.

The Healthcare Insight Day for Potential Medical Students is being held on Tuesday 31st January 2017.The Medic Portal will be

running the programme. The day is intended for current Year 12 students who are intending to pursue medicine as their chosen

career.

Both events will take place at the Castle Campus. The day runs from 8.45am—3.45pm. Berkhamsted School will provide lunch and

break-time snacks. The dress code for the day will be smart casual.

Sixth Form Page 12

University Events and Opportunities

Brain Awareness at the University of Leicester – event for A-level students

We would like to invite A-level students to join us at the University for the afternoon on

Wednesday 15 March 2017, 12.30-3.30pm as part of Brain Awareness Week. Along with

presentations there will be live demonstrations and the opportunity to meet PhD students. The

afternoon will be relevant to anyone with an interest in studying brain research and neurosci-

ence, including biology, cell physiology & pharmacology, genetics, health sciences, medicine and psychology. Your

students are also welcome to attend the Brain Awareness Evening on 15th March 2017.

We want to inspire the next generation of researchers to get involved and contribute to brain studies. How do we think,

listen, what makes us move, feel, what is happening in our brain?

The event is free to attend, however we ask that if you book with us but are unable to attend that you let us know, as

there are limited spaces and this event is very popular. Spaces are limited, so register fast for this amazing day of sci-

ence and knowledge! Please contact Michelle Bingham on mlb43@le.ac.uk

The full programme and further information can be found at http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/npb/news-1/baw

Year 12 Sutton Trust US Programme: Applications now open!

The Sutton Trust and the US-UK Fulbright Commission are inviting applications from bright state school students for this once-in-a-lifetime higher education experi-ence in the USA. We have over 200 alumni, accessing $50 million in funding from US universities.

The Sutton Trust US Programme helps British state school students apply to American universities through support, advice and a one-week summer school in the USA.

It is free to take part in the programme.

To be eligible, students must:

Be in Year 12 (England and Wales)

Attend a state school of college

Have excellent GCSEs or S4 qualifications

Not hold US citizenship

We welcome applications from students who are:

Interested in US culture and higher education

From a low income family

In the first generation of their family to go to university

The student application deadline is 11:59 pm on 22 January 2017, and school references must be submitted by

11:59 pm, 24 January 2017.

Visit the programme website for more information and to apply.

Improve Your Chances of Becoming a Doctor or Lawyer

Epoc Careers organises careers conferences for students. Our next events are:

Improve Your Chances of Becoming a Doctor— 28 January

Improve Your Chances of Becoming a Lawyer—25 March

These one-day careers conferences run on Saturdays, 10:00am to 4:30pm, at UCL in London. They are principally de-

signed for students in years 11 and 12. Other students, staff and parents also attend, and find the events useful and

enjoyable.

For 2016/17 we have new sessions on preparing for university admissions tests: UKCAT, BMAT and LNAT.

For full details, including costs and to book places, see http://www.epoc.org.uk/

Sixth Form Page 13

Head Boy and Girl Team

Random Acts of Kindness has moved to Halton this month and we’ve had some really lovely ideas including an Advent Calendar with a Random Act of Kindness for every day of December, some flowers and chocolate to cheer up Miss Keeley after a leak in the Geography office and thank you cards for students who felt like they weren’t being appreciated enough. This is going down so well in the school, spreading positivity and cheering people up. We can’t wait for next year for Waddesdon and Claydon to have their turn. A massive well done to everyone who has got involved in this.

Mentoring Club has begun. We have Sixth Formers running sessions for younger students each week, however if anyone else would be interested in getting involved, then drop us an email! headboygirl@tringschool.org Each weekly session focuses on something different to talk to younger students about, offering them support and the opportunity to discuss different issues. Mentoring club has been running for two weeks now and will continue to run throughout the next term. Please let us know if you have any ideas or would like to contribute in any way. The mentoring scheme has also helped with encouraging less academic students to thrive in the school environment in creative subjects, which is another one of our initiatives as a team.

Current Affairs Sessions—The votes are in from Key Stage 3 and we can reveal that the first round of current affairs sessions will be on the US election! We're really looking forward to running these sessions in January and having some really interesting discussions on such an extraordinary topic. Sixth Formers - please let us know if you're interested in helping to run some of these sessions (especially politics students); this is something that will look really impressive in your personal statement!

Sixth Form Page 14

Student Achievement

Abigail Tilston, who joined us as a new student in September, attended a red carpet event in Leicester Square in November.

She had won an award at the Pauline Quirk Academy Film Festival for a 3 minute short film she which she had directed at her previous school.

Well done Abigail!

On 9th December, the Sixth Form Charity Captains organised for the whole school to take part in Elf day, an opportunity to support the Alzheimer's Society by raising money and awareness of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Using the fundraiser packs provided by the charity, the Charity Captains adapted their quiz to include more questions about Alzheimer’s. The quiz was done during form time, hopefully mak-ing people aware of the extent of these diseases and the importance of the charity around the UK. The students also sold boxes of candy canes at lunchtime to raise money for the charity. They were delighted to raise funds and awareness of this great charity - it also got everyone excited about Christmas! The students were shocked at some of the statistics they found about Dementia - Did you know that Dementia* (the umbrella term which includes Alzheimer’s) has overtaken heart disease to become the biggest killer in the England and Wales?

Our thanks go to Georgia McEnery and Rebecca Nam for leading on the event, support-ed by the other Charity Captains, Tegan Davis, Elizabeth Wilde, Sarah Rogers, Becky Nam, Katie Crombie, Sammy Evans and Ellie Breakwell. Thanks also to Amber Hawes and Eleanor Barham who helped sell candy canes.

*Definition of Dementia: The word dementia describes a set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language. Dementia is caused when the brain is damaged by diseas-es, such as Alzheimer's disease or a series of strokes.

Charity Events

Trips On 6 December, Year 13 English Students took a trip to Stratford Upon Avon to see the acclaimed Royal Shakespeare Company production of "The Tempest", starring Simon Russell Beale as Prospero. The use of cutting digital technology lived up to the reviews and it was a truly magical production.

Page 15 Sixth Form

Key Dates : December—March 2016—17 Thursday 22 December Year 13 Trackers issued

Last day of term. School finishes 12:15pm

Monday 9 January Start of spring term

Friday 13 January Year 12 Trackers issued

Wednesday 18 January Year 12 Parent Consultations

13—17 February Half term break

w/c 20 February Year 12 Mock Exams

w/c 27 February Year 13 Mock Exams

Monday 27 February Year 12 Work Experience Information Evening

Tuesday 14 March Higher Education Evening for parents and students

Thursday 16 March Year 12 UCAS Higher Education Convention—Brunel

University

Tuesday 21 March Extended Learning Day

Friday 24 March Year 12 Trackers issued

Final Words

Thank you for taking the time to read the newsletter and we hope you have found the content useful and enlightening.

Christmas can be a stressful and busy time of year for all of us, and students have been encouraged this year to find

the true meaning of Christmas by spending quality time with family and friends.

We are fortunate to have a full week after New Year’s Eve where students can take the opportunity to complete lots of

work and ensure they come back on January 9 feeling refreshed and on top of work.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank parents and staff for their ongoing support of all of the students in the

Sixth Form.

Have a lovely Christmas and New Year.

The Sixth Form Team.

Sally Kay Jennah Alder Alison Moore Head of Sixth Form Deputy Head of Sixth Form Student Support Manager

Lucy Monger Nicky Hubble Helen Holmes-Higgin

Strategic Lead for Sixth Form UCAS Coordinator Sixth Form Administrator