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Week 38 - Key Student Messages

Please read through the following key messages for Week 38: 

A message from Mrs Clare

A huge thank you to all of you involved in the Taster Days on Monday and Tuesday last week. There was a great ambience throughout the two days and because of your commitment, all events went according to plan. We are so grateful for your hard work and enthusiasm when showing off the 6th Form in its best light. Many staff and LT have commented on how well you carried out your tasks and the welcoming atmosphere that prevailed. 

Well done to you all for managing to get through the Y12 exams. It wasn’t quite as warm but I know that some of you went to considerable lengths to fit in the exams on what had been planned as a half day before the heatwave. There are no central mop up sessions and so we are very grateful for your cooperation in ensuring that the exams were completed and can be marked before reports are due. 

Finally, the Champions of Enterprise was a great event on Friday. The business partners who judged the event were really impressed by your ideas, team work and confidence in delivering your presentations. Super well done to you all!

For those of you going on the Biology Field trip, have a great time!

Mr Wilder’s Quote of the Week

"You cannot cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore." — André Gide

Year 12 Celebration Day -1st week 

We look forward to celebrating all of the tremendous achievements of our Year 12 students on Wednesday 15th July for the annual celebration day. This is a fun filled day where we host a formal Awards Ceremony during period 3 in the main hall followed by our traditional Karaoke Special in the common room 12:10-1:10. The day will close with Pizza, Ice Cream & Games on Wormestall Field at 2:10pm. We would like to see everyone getting involved. You’ve all had an excellent year and this will be a great way to recognise your achievements and how far you’ve all come in just a year.

Year 12 Curriculum Days 2026 -1st week

Please check the below arrangements and any questions or concerns please get in touch directly with Mr Wilder. 

Thursday 16th July 

The following students will be coming into school to set up their UCAS profile and begin their application. Students will come to the Common Room at the time stated below.

Period 1 (08:50-09:50)

C1 & C2

Period 2 (09:50-10:50)

D1 & D2

Period 3 (11:10-12:10)

Apprenticeship Workshop with West Berkshire Training Consortium

12:10-1:10

Drop ins with Sixth Form Team - Common Room 

Period 4 (1:10-2:10)

D3

The following students will be attending the University of Reading experience day on Thursday 16th July. Please meet at the Sports Hall at 8:30am. 

University of Reading Experience Day

E1, E2, P1, P2, P3

Monday 20th July 2026

The following students will be coming into school to set up their UCAS profile and begin their application. Students will come to the Common Room at the time stated below.

Period 1 (08:50-09:50)

E1 & E2

Period 2 (09:50-10:50)

P1 & P2 

Period 3 (11:10-12:10)

Apprenticeship Workshop with West Berkshire Training Consortium

12:10-1:10

Drop ins with Sixth Form Team - Common Room 

Period 4 (1:10-2:10)

P3

The following students will be attending the University of Reading experience day on Monday 20th July. Please meet at the Sports Hall at 8:30am. 

University of Reading Experience Day

C1, C2, D1, D2, D3

Early Entry- 1st week

If you are intending to make an early entry application, please ensure that your draft personal statement is uploaded onto Google Classroom (the Oxbridge or medicine classrooms). If you have not uploaded a personal statement and yet intend to apply, please let Mr Castel know ASAP (ecastel@stbarts.co.uk). We will aim to provide you with feedback before the end of the summer term.

Medics

On Tuesday 14th July, Annabelle Grant, a St Barts alumnus and 3rd year medical student, will be talking to anyone applying for medicine about the application process and providing top tips. The talk will take place at 12.10pm in W110.

Careers Office- new notice

Please note that Mrs Garrety is back in W050. (The office that leads off from the Robinson Rooms.) 

Y12 careers appointments continue this week. If you have been allocated an appointment, this will be added to your Arbor calendar on the Thursday or Friday of the previous week and you will get a reminder on the Friday to check your calendar. If you miss your appointment and do not let Mrs Garrety know in advance, she will not be able to offer you another slot so it's important that you take note of your appointment time and contact her immediately if you have an issue with it. Mrs Garrety will be offering more drop ins to help students with personal statements so please keep an eye on email to see when these slots become available. 

House Dance VOLUNTEERS WANTED - new notice

The dance department is looking for volunteers for the House Dance competition Tuesday 7th July. We require front of house and refreshment helpers. If you might be interested please come and see Mrs Hoult or Miss Parsons in the Expressive Arts office.

Absences- ongoing

If you are absent your parent should ring the attendance hotline to notify the school: 01635 576372. If you have any particular issues or concerns please email attendanceofficer@stbarts.co.uk. If you are requesting time off for work experience, please ensure this is recorded on Unifrog under ‘Add placement’. Mrs Garrety will then approve this.

World Cup Fantasy Football Competition- updated ongoing

Sam Smith has taken the lead in the Sixth Form World Cup Fantasy Football Competition with Harry Alston and Miss Bilcliff now in joint second place. Mr Wilder sits in 28th place. Still a lot of football left to play. Good luck to all the competitors. 

Looking for volunteers to help with end of year Library tasks- 3rd week 

We’re looking for enthusiastic sixth form students to help us with various tasks we need to complete at the end of this school year, between Tuesday 21st to Friday 24th July. Tasks will include helping with a huge stocktake of all our books; getting textbooks ready for the new academic year and organising our Tutor Time reads ready for tutor groups next year. (You don’t need to do all those days, but one or two would be great).

This is a great opportunity to develop your organisational skills, gain valuable work experience in a familiar setting and make a positive impact on the school community. It’s also a valuable addition to your CV or UCAS application. If you’re interested, please use this form to sign up or speak to the library staff! Payment will be in chocolate…

An opportunity for Creative Art students- 3rd week

The Art and Design faculty is planning a trip to the UCAS Create Your Future event at the London Excel Centre on Wednesday 14th October 2026.
This is an excellent opportunity for students who are considering a creative pathway beyond sixth form. The event covers a wide range of creative courses including Art, Design, Journalism, Music, Drama and Fashion.

There are opportunities to find out about apprenticeships as well as degree and foundation courses. A link to the event website is below. 

Create Your Future | The Creative Career Showcase | UCAS

The event is free to attend but there will be a charge per student to cover the cost of the coach.
Please could students register their interest in attending the event using the Google form below:

 https://forms.gle/sXUJxEkEWPVfCwSj7. 

The deadline for registering interest is Monday 13th July. Please see Mrs Clark for more information

Opportunities from Creative Arts work experience- 3rd week

• Young TV & Film Summer Experience

• Young Media Manager Summer Experience

• Young Architect Summer Experience

All three programmes begin on 27th July, and students can choose to join us for either one or two weeks. We also offer accommodation in the University of London's halls of residence for those travelling from further afield.

With summer fast approaching, registration for these programmes will close at the end of June. 

For more details please see Miss Brock or Mrs Clark

Don’t forget about our wider reading initiative- Five to Thrive- where you get rewarded for reading, whether it is for your A level subjects or reading for pleasure. Collect one of our Five to Thrive cards in the Library and when you have read/listened to five things (fiction or non-fiction books, newspaper articles, JSTOR articles/ journals, NEA research, even a Podcast eg PoliTips), get them signed off by a teacher or the Librarians. Then put them in the box on the Library desk and be in with a chance of winning some Amazon gift cards! 

We also wanted to remind you about the research resources available to you through RMUnify and in the Library- apart from all the fiction and non fiction books we have. Here is a brief guide about what is available at your fingertips and login details where necessary. Please remember to use your school login credentials where possible when accessing these resources/databases to ensure full access, even when working at home. 

Need help with tech? There are some very helpful student videos on RMUnify - click on this tile:

The Purple Press - first issue

More information here: MASSOLIT video essay competition