Why Whickham Sixth Form?

Why Whickham Sixth Form – Pupil Voice

Whickham Sixth Form is a positive and vibrant place for students from various backgrounds to grow and develop into confident, mature and caring young people. The support from Tutors, Subject Teachers and Heads of Year is fundamental in encouraging this growth. Within Sixth Form there are an array of opportunities to get involved in the wider school community such as Reading Mentors, Bus Monitors, Charity Week and the Student Leadership team. 

No matter whether students choose A-levels and/or BTECs, they are fully supported by all teachers across the school. Students are treated as young adults which makes it easier to work alongside Subject Teachers to maximise academic potential and gain the necessary qualifications to help us move onto the next stage of our lives whether that is going to university or applying for an apprenticeship or full-time job. 

My favourite part of Year 12 was Charity Week as it allowed me to be part of the Charity Week Committee and work with many students in the year. Within my role, I helped to plan and organise different activities and events to raise money for well-deserving charities whilst being able to develop my confidence, listening and communication skills.

During my time at Whickham sixth form I have been inundated with opportunities to develop both my character and skills. These have included taking part in charity week, events both in and out of school time and now having the chance to be a part of the student leadership team.  I believe that this is a prime example of how we are treated like mature students, yet are also thoroughly supported by teachers and peers to ensure we can fully develop a wide variety of necessary skills which can be applied throughout life.

A big change from lower school to sixth form is the amount of free time you are given, and it is really important that as young adults we are allowed this time to learn how to use our time effectively. These free periods can be used for a range of things, from catching up on homework, revising for upcoming exams or even meeting with friends. These study periods are extremely beneficial when learning how to manage time effectively as they also teach us the importance of finding balance between work and socialising – these are skills we will rely on in later life. 

As a student here, one of my favourite experiences so far has been planning and participating in charity week. This was fully coordinated by year 12; each student took up their own role in order to make a difference for charity. I feel this really gave us a chance to develop communication skills, push ourselves out of our comfort zones and improve teamwork and leadership skills whilst also allowing us to make a difference for our chosen charities. In particular, I love that us students got a say in every step of the process.