Sixth Form Update - Summer 1

I hope you are well and are looking forward to this Whitsun break! This term was of course marked by the onset of Exam Season and the start of our goodbyes to the outgoing Year 13…

Year 13 Leavers’ Day

On Friday 8 May, our year 13 students celebrated their last formal day here at North Leamington School Sixth Form as they start their study leave. With a now-established fancy dress theme of famous characters, we celebrated all the things our students have achieved during their time with us and all the many wonderful plans they have going forward. The Sixth Form Team set something of a standard dressing as the friendship group from The Wizard of Oz – though hopefully no-one feels that they lack brains, courage and a heart.

Final lessons saw a range of lovely initiatives: for example, Politics students created cakes with a subject-related theme.

Photograph showing two young men sitting at a classroom table with a red velvet cake decorated with a tall vertical photo strip of a person in various poses. Classroom background includes bulletin boards, a globe, and chairs Photograph of a person holding a decorated cookie shaped like a smiling sun with a face, sitting at a table with an open purple tin containing several decorated cookies. Background includes a window and a map on a brick wall,

A mid-morning get-together in the Common Room was followed by an extended assembly celebrating achievements past and present - the selection of photos, messages and student awards was met with nostalgia and amusement in equal measure.

Photograph of a group of ten people dressed in various animal costumes, posing indoors against a plain wall and door. Costumes include zebra, mouse, lion, giraffe, penguin, and others, with five individuals standing and five kneeling, Photograph of five people standing side by side wearing matching white tops with large black polka dots and red bows, along with headbands featuring black and white spotted ears. Photograph of seven people standing side by side wearing blue and white striped pyjamas and banana-shaped hats

Photograph of three people dressed in colourful wigs and costumes, posing indoors against a plain white wall and grey carpet. Notable details include a blue wig with a green dress, a red wig with a white shirt and red tie, and an orange wig with sunglasses, striped top, and brown shorts. Four people dressed in costumes stand against a plain wall, with three wearing yellow Minion outfits and one in black clothing. One person holds a cardboard sign reading "I'M WITH STUPID," while another wears an inflatable elephant costume. Photograph of two people standing side by side against a plain wall, both dressed in formal black suits, white shirts, black ties, and patterned flat caps. One wears brown shoes and a velvet jacket, while the other wears black shoes and a standard suit jacket, both with hands clasped in front.

Photograph of a large group of people dressed in various colourful costumes posing outside a modern building with "North Leamington" signage. Costumes include characters from cartoons, animals, and superheroes

We wish all Year 13 students the very best for their exams and their future destinations – we are very proud of them all.

Charity and Community

Photograph of a large group of students seated in an auditorium facing a speaker on stage. The setting features tiered seating with black and purple chairs, a wooden floor, and a purple curtain backdrop, As part of support as students prepare for Life Beyond NLS, we have linked in with the charity, Meningitis Now. We welcomed Angela Cloke in who gave a very informative discussion on keeping safe in terms of general health but with specific reference to Meningitis – which was especially apposite given recent sad news from the University of Kent. Students listened attentively and respectfully, hopefully now knowing even better how to safeguard themselves and their health.

Tutor Time, Assemblies and P.S.H.E Curriculums

Assemblies most recently have focused on British Values – an appreciation of all those qualities and attributes which help to make us a great nation and Sixth Form community of caring, respectful, hard-working people. Elsewhere, the P.S.H.E programme has complemented this focus by exploring community relationships (Y12) and an understanding of politics (Y13) and concepts such as democracy and citizenship.

Beyond that, Y12 have again focused in Tutor Time on securing Work Experience placements so vital to applications for their Next Steps destinations and Future Pathways – please see previous communications as to how to support with this. They have also explored effective learning behaviours – complementing their in-class work and our Tier 1-3 support systems. Y13, meanwhile, have continued to focus on planning for their departure from NLS – not just their academic planning and Next Steps actions but also on important things like Prom, Yearbook, Leavers Hoodies, Last Day Arrangements – again, please see previous communications. Beyond that, they have also (of course) been maximising their revision approaches.

NLS College Cup

This half term we have launched our new College Cup competition, which has been introduced to students through tutor time and assemblies.

logo for "The College Cup" featuring a central silver trophy against a blue background with stars. Surrounding the trophy are five circular badges representing different colleges, each with a distinct animal mascot and the motto "Commitment, Opportunity, Respect, Excellence" in blue banners. It encompasses all of the College events and scoring systems that we run in school. The College Cup is designed to celebrate and reward positive contribution, teamwork, and our CORE values across a wide range of areas including rewards, attendance, punctuality, charity events, competitions, Sports Day, and more.

Students have fed back to us that they want to feel more involved in their Colleges, and the College Cup will give them the perfect opportunity to do so. With so many ways to contribute, every student can play a part .

Extra-Curricular and Enrichment

Photograph of a group of young people standing closely together on a concrete balcony or bridge with a brick building and cityscape in the background. We are really pleased with the commitment shown by students (and staff) to extra-curricular opportunities. The DoE Gold candidates followed up on their Training Expedition in the Peak District, honing mapping and team skills as well as developing their own personal endurance in the perhaps more challenging environment of Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons).

Meanwhile, Geography A-level students explored the urban environment of Sheffield, applying learning to a real world context.

At the moment, we have 11 students from Year 12 working alongside Year 9 as they explore Poland. All are great examples of our students commitment to learning outside of the classroom…

Student Leadership

We are delighted to have appointed our new Senior Student Leaders: congratulations to David and Claudia!

Photograph of a person with long brown hair wearing a light pink sweater, posed against a mottled blue backdrop Photograph of a person wearing a dark grey sweater over a white collared shirt, posed against a blue mottled backdrop.

They will drive the student voice and representation within the school. Working under the Senior Student Leaders, we have representation for these areas from Assistant Senior Student Leaders:

Charity & Community
Eco and International
Equality & Diversity
Sport
Digital Literacy
Careers
Transition

These roles are in process of appointment. David and Claudia will work closely with them as well as staff in the school and other student leaders from the main school.

We look forward to all their initiatives and terrific work – they have big boots to fill left over from the outgoing Y13 but it is a challenge they will no doubt rise to…

Student Rewards

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 each year:

Year 12

Name	College
Teagan S	Manor
Toby V	Manor
Daisy G	Manor
Sofia Y	Binswood
Meredith C	Croft
Kushpreet K	Park
Dan C	Manor
Josh L	Blackdown
Harry B	Manor
Naomi M	Binswood

Year 13

Name	College
Avneet R	Park
Catherine N	Manor
Dhruv M	Manor
Ben F	Croft
Ewan D	Blackdown
Alicja N	Blackdown
Lola R	Croft
Kabistan M	Manor
Archie P	Croft
Sofia F	Croft

Online Newsletters

A reminder our website contains a variety of online safety information within the Safeguarding tab. Recently, we added the May Online Safety Newsletter which contains information on a variety of areas – it is linked here also: May Online Safety Newsletter. The June Online Safety Newsletter covers information on scams, digital footprints, privacy settings and app safety.

New Year 12 Induction Day

Year 11 applicants to join the Sixth Form have been emailed a conditional offer. Information regarding Induction Day which takes place on July 9 and enrolment, which will take place on GCSE results day, will follow shortly so please do look out for this if relevant to you.

During the Induction Day, students will have an opportunity to meet the Sixth Form Team and their prospective peers, experience taster lessons and team building activities. They will also be able to orientate themselves around some of the dedicated the Sixth Form areas.

In the meantime we wish Year 11 students all the very best for their GCSE & BTEC exams over the next few weeks. We are excited for those joining in September 2026 and supporting them through their final two years of study and helping them to prepare for their future after NLS.

Upcoming Events and Calendar

Southwold Geography Field Trip – June 8-10
Y12 Future Pathways Launch – June 17
DoE Gold Qualifying – June 17-21
Y12 Work Experience – w/c July 6
New Y12 Induction Day – July 9
Main School (inc. SF) Sports Day – July 14
Sixth Form Sports Day – July 15
Exam Season - LINK TO EXAM SCHEDULE

If you have any queries at any point, please do make contact via the usual communication sources.

On behalf of myself, the Sixth Form Team and the school, have a terrific break – whether the Bank Holiday Monday or beyond.

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