Future Pathways

As  Year 13 depart for pastures new, the current Year 12 have begun their “exit plans” for post-18. Wednesday, June 17 saw a terrific Future Pathways Launch Event. This tied in neatly with the Work Experience opportunities as quality work experience is so central to applications for university, employment, apprenticeships.

The purpose of this event was to equip students with better understanding as to what is available to them post-18. This can be crucial in terms of information, advice and guidance (I.A.G.) but also in terms of raising aspirations and incentivising. While the launch is steered towards UCAS and university applications (because that is what the vast majority of our students choose to go on to do), we recognise that this route is not the only Future Pathway. So, we offer I.A.G. on:

• University and UCAS
• Apprenticeships and Degree Apprenticeships
• Employment – including the uniformed and armed services
• Gap years

There is also attention paid to specific applications: for example, to high demand organisations (Oxbridge) or subjects (e.g. medicine, dentistry, veterinary science) as well as those which are more niche (conservatoires) or popular (law) – nearly all of these have an early entry deadline of October and most of them will require additional entrance examinations or processes which students and parents need to be aware of and to take a lead on researching and organising.

We are delighted we are due three successful Oxbridge with the outgoing Year 13 and are hopeful we can match this with the incoming Year 13. Likewise, we have a range of budding medics once more – which is evidence of high achievement and aspiration.

Ultimately, we are delighted that a range of universities are represented as well as a range of alternatives - including prestigious apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships.

We know Year 12 will be likewise successful with their planning (like their Y13 peers) and are sure they will make the most of all this IAG as they enter what the Year 13 who were at Prom will testify is a very exciting time considering future pathways

Celebration  Evening

On Tuesday 30 June we celebrated our students (Main School and Sixth Formers) at our annual Whole School Celebration Evening.  It was wonderful to come together and recognise their achievements after having to postpone the event due to the very warm temperatures the previous week.

Students were nominated in each year group based on their outstanding contributions at a Faculty level (CORE, Humanities and Performance), as well as their Year Group and Sports Personality of the Year Awards.

Students were recognised for their outstanding contributions for their leadership and commitment  in Careers, the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, our Eco and the International Schools programmes.

In addition, a range of Whole School Awards celebrated outstanding contributions and achievements across the school community. Whole School categories included: Equality and Diversity, Character and Culture, Overcoming Adversity, Charity and Community, Overall Academic Achievement in Year 11 and in Year 13, Michelle Mountifield IEN Award and the Head Teacher’s Award.

It was fantastic to see the array of talent and achievement on display across our school and a proud evening for the North Leamington School community.

Congratulations to all students nominated for their outstanding contributions and to the overall winner in each category.

 

 

All available photographs from the evening can be viewed in each of the year group tabs here: Celebration Evening 2026 Photographs

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:

• Medical placements in hospital settings
• Cyber solutions (a growing industry) at tech firms
• Veterinary Practice
• The Warwickshire Gin Company!

There are local placements, one in Scotland and then one in Milan and another in Austria!

Elsewhere, it’s nice to see that their experience at NLS has not put many off a potential career in the education sector – we had a record number (16) of students out in the educational field and it will be great to see these terrific students as the next generation of educationalists perhaps teaching our grandchildren! It was also great for our Multi Academy Trust (MAT) that 6 of our students supported in that setting for the week – gaining valuable personal insights but also cementing the links between the schools.

All of these work experiences will prove vital to applications to future pathways given that UCAS, for example, reference 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.

A number of off-site visits were made by members of the Sixth Form Team and witnessing students thrive in a real-world setting, deploying the skills and knowledge they have developed in school, is a real privilege. Great stuff!

Well done again and thanks to all those (staff, students, parents) who have made this such a great opportunity!

 New Year 12 Induction Event

Thursday, July 9th, saw our Induction Day event for those students who hope to form our new Y12 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 3 subject taster sessions plus an enrichment-based task. Linked for the day to the colleges they are likely to be attached to, the students also experienced an example of a Y12 Tutor Time session - where they explored the curriculum map outlining their planned experiences and undertook a ‘balloon’ activity. A closing assembly reminded them of some key messages ready for enrolment in August and the start to their Sixth Form life in September.

Our New to NLS students were warmly integrated into the day and will experience enhanced transition opportunities in September – though we of course look forward to greeting everyone into our increasingly popular, highly successful Sixth Form community.

While we want to accentuate the positives, if any prospective Y12 parent is reading this please remind your child to complete the Summer Work – or run the risk of being an early Tier 2 or Tier 3 student come September.

Year 12 Sixth Form Sports Day

On their return to school, the Y12 were involved in our alternative Sports Day on Wednesday, 15 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.

The ‘silly’ sports were great fun and all helped to cement a positive sense of community but we also gave opportunity to some of our uber-sporty types to show off their athletic prowess. The event was based on college affiliations and the winning team was TBC.

Student Leadership

We are delighted with the start that David and Claudia have made to their roles as Senior Student Leaders (essentially Head Boy and Head Girl). With support from Sixth Form Team, they have undertaken work in supporting with:

• The new Mobile Phone Policy and its implementation
• Ensuring a positive working environment in the dedicated Sixth Form spaces
• Student learning in Main School

We are pleased to confirm the appointments of their Assistant Senior Student Leaders (ASSL):

ASSL – Careers

• Ruairi S

ASSL – Charity and Comminity   

• Naomi M Binswood)
• Gabi A (Blackdown)
• Eva H (Blackdown)
• Georgie R (Blackdown)
• Sophie J (Croft)
• Esther V (Manor)
• Esme S (Park)
• Alice R (Park)

ASSL – Eco and International

• Lily P
• Beth K        

ASSL – Equality and Diversity

• Khushpreet K
• Nic D
• Kitty W         

ASSL –  Digital Literacy

• Dylan S
• Jesman G

 ASSL- Sports 

• Meg P
• Daisy G                        

ASSL – Transition

• Mae S
• Huw W
• Teagan S
• Hattie S
• Nadia Ruma

Well done to all – we look forward to all your achievements in the upcoming year!     

Online Safety Newsletter

A reminder our website contains a variety of online safety information within the Safeguarding tab. Recently, we added the July Online Safety Newsletter which contains information on a variety of areas – it is linked here also:

North Leamington School – Online Safety

July Online Safety Newsletter

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:

In the last assembly of term, we celebrated these students and those who had secured excellent attendance and strong progress and attainment in their studies. It was great to be able to include so many students in this because standards remain so high!

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

With no Y13 in school as they are out experiencing it first-hand, it has been Y12 only who have been exploring how to navigate Living in the Wider World. This ties in quite neatly with the Future Pathways work alluded to above as they begin to increasingly turn their attention to Life Beyond NLS. Assemblies and Tutor Time have all complemented this with reflections on exam performance but also thinking about how they can prepare for the challenges of the fast-approaching Y13, all that entails and what it equips them to do subsequently…       

Upcoming Events and Calendar

• Thursday, September 3 - start of new term for students
• September 28 – Grantchester Georgraphy Field Trip
• October 6, 13, 20 – Sociology Trip to Warwickshire Justice Centre
• Friday October 9 UCAS and Apprenticeship Expo @ Edgbaston

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, thanks for all you have done this year to support us in supporting your children and have a terrific break!

Mr Steve Taylor
Head of Sixth Form