Year 13! Join our Alumni so we can keep in touch with you and your classmates after you’ve moved on to new adventures.

Week 26 - Key Student Messages

Please read through the following key messages for Week 26: 

Mr Wilder’s Quote of the Week

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." — Robert Collier

Year 13 Enrichment - Inspirational Guest Speaker

We are excited to announce that Year 13 students will have the opportunity to hear from the internationally renowned motivational speaker Steve Head during period 3 enrichment on Monday 23rd March in the main hall. Steve Head is an inspirational speaker, trainer and coach to the England Wheelchair Rugby League World Champions (2022). Over the past 25 years he has delivered over 3000 sessions to almost half a million people across the world, working with athletes, coaches, sportspeople, lawyers, accountants, doctors, nurses, construction workers and teachers. Steve specialises in helping individuals and teams maximise performance specifically under pressure. This is a really important enrichment for every single year 13 student to attend in helping them with your final preparations for examinations and looking beyond sixth form. I look forward to seeing everyone on Monday 11:10 in the main hall. 

Year 12 Assembly

Time2Talk will be in for Monday’s assembly to give helpful tips on getting through exams and how to get support. Full attendance - Monday 12:10 in the main hall. 

Year 12/13 Careers

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 me know in advance, I will not be able to offer you another slot so it's important that you take note of your appointment time and contact me immediately if you have an issue with it. 

Drop ins for Year 12 and Year 13 continue and are in any break or lunchtime or Monday or Thursday p3.

Study Spaces & Study Periods

As we head towards the business end of the year, it is vitally important that you fully utilise your study periods. There is always something productive you can be doing. The Common Room is a working space during lesson time. Please remember the top floor wormestall study space is a silent study space throughout the day. Staff will be monitoring the spaces. 

House Dance

Any Year 12 students who would like to help run this year’s House Dance competition please come and speak to Mrs Hoult in the Expressive Arts office for more information.

Sixth Form Football Update

Mr Wilder will let the team know the dates for remaining fixtures. Still trying to pin dates with a couple of schools. 

Year 13 Spring Task Tracker

Each Y13 student will have their own Spring Task Tracker: Year 13 Spring Task Tracker. In your AM tutor sessions you are going to write down your tasks each week and hold yourselves accountable with your tutors checking this. This document is designed to support you in breaking down the work you need to do over the next few weeks. Use it to record tasks and track progress. You must ensure that this document is available for your tutor to monitor - they will be checking in. Practice Exams are done, and the final goal is in sight. Let’s keep the momentum going in the run-up to the final exams. 

Update from the Library

Did you know many of our faculties subscribe to online Hachette Education magazines located here https://magazines.hachettelearning.com/ :

Business – Economics – Geography – Politics – PE – Psychology – Sociology – English

Students can access this directly at the Hodder website. The first time they log on, they will need to use a specific link (please ask the Library for a link). They then click on the relevant subject magazine to view the current issue and all past issues. We also subscribe to the print versions in the Library for the following subjects which have 3 or 4 issues every year and these can be used by all A level students:

Biology – Business – Chemistry – Economics – English – Geography – PE – Physics – Politics – Psychology - Sociology

These magazines are specialized academic resources for A-level students, featuring expert-written articles, exam-focused case studies, and updated content to improve grades.

Come and see us in the Library for more information.

House Art 2026 - Deadline Monday 20th April

• Year 12/13 - you can choose to create a new piece of work based on the lower school theme of Time or you can enter a piece of existing coursework.

• Your work will be judged alongside the work of your fellow students in your particular key stage group.

• Judges will decide on 1,2,3,4 places for each year group based on set criteria. 

• The judges will be a member of senior staff and Arts teachers.

• The winning pieces will be awarded trophies and points for their Houses. These point will go forward to be part of the whole school House competition.

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Sustainability Clubs - Get involved! - Mrs Barrett 

• Guardians of the Living the Realm - Tuesdays 12:10-12:50pm - Nature Reserve

Do you enjoy nature, wildlife, or specific species like fungi, birds, or insects? As a Guardian of the Living Realm, you’ll choose a species or ecosystem to focus on and become its observer and expert. We explore the Nature Reserve, documenting and categorising life found on our school grounds. This club is perfect for students who enjoy deep focus, careful observation, and learning about the natural world, especially neurodivergent students or anyone with strong interests connected to nature.

• Eco-Committee - Wednesdays - 10:50-11:10am - W110

Join the Mycelium Resistance! Like the intricate network of mycelium that supports and nourishes ecosystems, our group works together to promote eco-friendly practices, reduce waste, and create a greener environment. We are the driving force behind positive environmental change at our school.

• Kintsugi Club - Wednesdays after school - 3:10-4:10pm - D016

Kintsugi is based on the Japanese philosophy that something becomes more beautiful for having been broken. In our club, we take pottery, break it, glue it back together, and highlight the cracks with gold paint - turning imperfections into something unique and beautiful. A few details:

• Materials: Ideally, you bring your own pottery to smash (or that has been accidentally pre smashed), but I can also provide some if needed.

• Schedule: We usually alternate weeks - one week doing Kintsugi, the next helping around the school. Past projects have included putting things together for the PE department, and this year I’d love us to try fixing some of the sixth form chairs. It’s all about being creative and useful.

• When & Where: Wednesdays after school in D015.

Absences 

If you are absent your parent should ring the attendance hotline to notify the school: 01635576372. 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. 

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