I have been delighted with the start students have made to the new academic year. The year ahead will be an extremely important one for students as ultimately their efforts will enable them to build upon the progress made in the last two years. With the GCSE RE exam now complete, student’s attention now turns to their other GCSE and BTEC subjects.

As we come to the end of another busy and productive half-term I want to reflect on the positive start to the new academic year the vast majority of students have made. It was particularly wonderful to witness so many of our Year 8 students supporting the Open Evening in September with such maturity. It was clear to parents that so many of them take a real pride in our school and went to great lengths to let prospective parents have an insight into what a great school we have.

I hope this communication finds you well and you are looking forward to any summer holiday you may have.

It has been another superb term in the NLS Sixth Form – with many events underscoring what a privilege it is to work with a great group of students.

Year 12 Work Experience
Thanks to the collaborative efforts of parents, staff and students, we are delighted that every student in Year 12 sourced a Work Experience placement. Nearly all of these were off-site and covered a range of areas such as:

• Medicine at Warwick Hospital
• Mechanics at a local garage
• Animal Management at Hatton Country World
• Marketing and Finance in local companies
• Teaching – at NLS and also other settings in Coventry and Warwickshire - it will be great to see these terrific students as the next generation of educationalists!

These experiences will prove vital for applications to future pathways given that UCAS, for example, cite the evidence base which shows quality work experience is in the top two areas admissions tutors point to in terms of determining offers – as you might expect, the key area is projected grades.

Visits ‘in the field’ (both literal and metaphorical!) were a personal highlight but also, it would seem fair to suggest, for the students. Witnessing students thrive in a real-world setting, deploying the skills and knowledge they have developed is surely what it is all about: whether seeing students engaging so well with colleagues, children and animals (as illustrated in the image above) or hearing a student say such a mature and genuinely touching thing as “I wanted to work in a nursery in order to understand the practice of the child psychology theory I have been studying and to better-understand my younger sister”. Wonderful stuff!

Well done again to all who have made this such a great opportunity.

The Mock General Election

We were really pleased that the Sixth Form Politics Team drove a very well-received Mock General Election in the week of the real thing. With students doing their democratic duty and representing the range of parties the main televised hustings gave a voice to, the Year 12 Politics students gave students all they needed to make an informed decision as to who they might vote for.

In what proved to be an interesting reflection of the national picture on the Thursday, results, images and more detail can be found here. 

Curriculum, Data and Rewards

In terms of the tutor time curriculum, recent coverage has focused on Work Experience, follow-up on the Future Pathways Launch and preparation for the Progression Exams. Elsewhere, and with reference to the discrete P.S.H.E. lessons offered, students have continued exploring health and wellbeing.

For efforts in tutor time, across lessons and in school in general, students are accruing many rewards points in Sixth Form – which is great to see. With their College affiliation noted, here are the Top 10 in year 12:

Well done to these students and to all of those who are so committed to their studies and to school life here at NLS.

It was genuinely terrific to see so many of our Year 12 and outgoing Year 13 attend the recent whole-school Rewards Evening event. Some lovely photos can be seen here:

Year 12

Year 13

Whole School

Students were rewarded for their outstanding contributions on a subject and faculty basis but also on a wider level – including the Headteacher’s Award which went to Tayla.

Well done all – a wonderful whole-school event with Sixth Form very well represented!

Careers in Year 12 – Managing next steps.
Our careers team are excited to share with you the career-focused activities that have been a part of our school's career education program for Year 12. Our vision is to support students in making informed choices about their futures and to provide them with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the world of work.

Year 12 are starting to make things happen as they forge their path into are taking the lead on managing their next steps into the world of careers through their Tutor Time and PHSE curriculum. Some of the careers based learning they have discovered are:

• Managing the transition into post 16 learning (Manage career.)
• The pros and cons of a gap year (Grow through life.)
• Considering personality types (Grow through life.)
• Considering potential future careers (See the bigger picture.)
• The rights and responsibilities in different types of employment (Balance life and work.)

Year 12 are managing their Post 18 options, and how they can lead to a range of different types of careers through:

• Work experience.
• A careers fair that included a range of twenty plus education, employer and training providers.
• Their subject curricula where subject teachers have shared information and real-life stories of a range of careers and routes to those careers that link to their subject.

Through their Tutor Time and PHSE curriculum, Year 13 have prepared for selection through their careers based learning which included:

• How to prepare for Post 18 transition (Manage career.)
• Exploring the apprenticeship route (Explore possibilities.)
• Employment finance (Balance life and work.)
• How to support a positive mental health for university or work (Manage career.)
• Creating a personal statement (Grow through life.)

Year 13 prepared for their Post 18 options through:

• A careers fair that included a range of twenty plus education, employer and training providers.
• Their subject curricula where subject teachers have shared information and real-life stories of a range of careers and routes to those careers that link to their subject.

We very much value parent/carer feedback on our careers provision and would be grateful if you would complete a short survey  here as soon as possible. 
This will help inform us of our provision and shape working towards National Quality in Careers Award  

Sixth Form Sports Day

On a slightly lighter note, our alternative Sports Day for Year 12 took place Wednesday 17 July. A range of ‘silly’, fun sports were on offer and – to satisfy the more competitive urge of some – these were interspersed with some more traditional, ‘serious’ events like the 100m sprint.

A great deal of fun was had but we also got to experience the lightening quick capabilities of some of our uber-sporty types.

1. In tutor groups for ‘serious’ sports
2. In college groups for ‘silly’ sports

The ‘serious’ included: 100m, shot put and 4 x 100m & the ‘silly’ involved: a Plank Race, Egg & Spoon, The Wheelbarrow

While scores were calculated, College participants engaged in Tug-o-War with the Mighty Manor winning.

Well Done to our College winners - Blackdown

and to our winning Tutor Group 12-3                                       

New Year 12 Induction Event

Thursday 11 July saw our Induction Day event for those students who hope to form our new Year 12 cohort in September. Following an introductory assembly and some team building tasks – designed in particular to integrate those students ‘New to NLS’ – students engaged in three subject taster sessions plus a library-based task. Linked for the day to the Colleges they are likely to be linked to, the students also experienced an example of a Year 12 Tutor Time - where they explored the curriculum map outlining their planned experiences. A closing assembly reminded them of some key messages ready for enrolment in August and the start to their Sixth Form life in September.  We look forward to welcoming them.

Senior Student Leader Appointments

After an exhaustive process and some very high calibre applications to the Senior Student Leader Posts we are delighted to announce that Will and Millie have been duly appointed.

They have big shoes to fill to live up to the standard our outgoing post-holders set but we are sure that with collaborative support they will be every bit as high performing and skilled in representing the Student Voice.

Year 13 Prom

We were delighted to celebrate with our wonderful Y13 at their prom on Tuesday 2 July. It was lovely to reminisce about the past few years and to look forward to all the terrific things which await them in the future. After a (mercifully) brief set of speeches, students and staff alike enjoyed some great food in a plush setting – with so many staff as well as students there, the mood was a perfect blend of relaxed yet vibrant. Following food, it was time to hit the dance floor or to talk the evening away. It was a real privilege to be part of such a terrific send-off.

 Other images can be found here: here

The Year13 Prom was a fantastic end to the year and the Sixth Form journey. As we bid goodbye to those outgoing Year 13 we wish Year 12 all the best as they transition in to being the most senior students at NLS.

We wish all our students and their families a wonderful summer break and thank you all for making the Sixth Form at NLS such a great place to be.

Mr Taylor
Senior Assistant-Head-teacher (inc. Head of Sixth Form).

As we approach the end of an incredibly full and demanding year, it is a great opportunity to reflect and celebrate the accomplishments of Year 10 students. This year students have been provided a number of opportunities to enrich their school studies with a number of subject-specific trips, music and dance performances as well taking part in their final Sports Day here at NLS. The experience students have gained preparing for, and sitting, their RE GCSE, and Progression Exams will stand them in good stead as they prepare for the terminal exams next academic year. It has been a pleasure to observe and hear how students have displayed superb levels of maturity, determination and perseverance throughout this year, which has allowed them to progress not just academically but personally too.

As we conclude another academic year, I want to take this opportunity to reflect on the outstanding achievements of our Year 8 students. This year has been filled with growth, learning, and memorable experiences. Our students have shown remarkable resilience and adaptability, and their progress has been extremely commendable.