• Congratulations everyone for making it to the end of this very long first term of the year! 

• We now have one week of holiday before we return on Monday 2 November and we return on a week 2. 

• The first we back we have extended tutor on Tuesday 3 November and then the final Sixth Form Open Evening on Wednesday 4 November. Thanks in advance to all students for their support at the open evening.

• Thank you to all students that contributed to the Black History Month celebrations (especially those who led on the amazing assemblies to Y7-Y11) and also the Breast Cancer Awareness Day on Friday.

Key Events This Week

• On our return we have the final Sixth Form Open Evening on Wednesday 4 November between 4.30pm and 6.30pm. We need lots of helpers again particularly as we received so much positive feedback from visitors and staff last time about how great our Sixth Form students were in subject rooms and also working as guides. If interested in helping in subject rooms please let subject teachers know and arrive to the room for 4.30pm. If you would like to be a guide please head to the Common Room for 4pm.

• On Tuesday 3 November, students are off timetable P1. Y12 are meeting with a youth worker and Y13 are meeting with Brook. All the details are provided in the year group specific sections of this newsletter below. Lessons continue as normal from P2.

• Remembrance Day- As Remembrance Day is coming up, reception will be selling poppies through the first week back.

• All students and parents/carers should now have received an attendance report for this term this week. 

• GCSE Maths and English Lang Resits- On the following dates the students who been entered are sitting GCSE Maths and/or English Lang Resits: Tuesday 3, Wednesday 4, Thursday 5 and Friday 6 November, with more on Monday 9 November. The students involved will have been given a copy of their timetable.

• Noticeboards- You will find student noticeboards on each of the floors in the back stairwells. Please use these to promote club/societies and other events, and see Ella or reception to unlock them for you. Please don’t stick posters up in the stairwells outside of these noticeboards. 

• 6th Form Rising Stars- Once again we will be running our Rising Stars rewards system in 6th form and are keen to acknowledge the fantastic effort, progress, and achievement of our young people.  This will work by each subject/faculty writing a short commendation for one student in their department per week, with Y12s & Y13s nominated on alternate weeks.  Parents/carers will receive these commendations via email. We will be maintaining a log of the commendations, and they will be celebrated in assemblies and there will be prizes for those receiving multiple nominations over the course of the academic year. 

• Access to Bristol- We know lots of Y12s and some Y13s will have found out if they have been successful for their application for Access to Bristol (67 students in total). For those that have been accepted you don’t need to complete an absence form, but you do need to let your teachers know so you don’t miss out on the work. 

• For those interested in finding out more about the Art Foundation option after A Level there is an Open Day at SGS on 14 November: Open Days | SGS College

• Basketball Club- This will now be on Tuesday lunchtimes in the sports hall. 

• Parents and Carers – do you know someone who works at a University, or has experience of Oxford or Cambridge University or works in a profession such as Law, Engineering, Veterinary or Medicine which are taught at University and who might be suitable and willing to help us out? Every year we have a large number of students who apply to Oxford and Cambridge and we give them all a mock interview with someone outside the school who can stretch them academically in their chosen subject area. We are always in need of new volunteers for our pool of interviewers. They do not need to be local as interviews are done online in early December. If so, then check with them they would be willing to consider it and then contact Mr Wheeler at the 6^th Form with their details at wheelerr@smrt.bristol.sch.uk . Feel free to volunteer yourself if you feel you think you are a good fit for this.

• Please remember that if students are ill or absent we do expect parents/carers to phone or email and tell us or leave a message BEFORE the start of the school day where possible. Have the 6th form number (0117 3532073) and the attendance officer direct line (0117 3773465) on your phone. Also call if you are significantly delayed in traffic. If it is easier then email 6thform@smrt.bristol.sch.uk . Absences known in advance require a form to be completed which is available from reception.

• Y12 have registration on Monday (Group 1) or Tuesday (Group 2).

• Assembly now happens fortnightly and all Y12 together on a week one Wednesday.

• Here is a link to the subject mentor powerpoints from the sessions a few weeks ago. Hopefully this link works for students but if not students will find the folder in the student hub on sharepoint...

  ​Subject Mentoring Support from Year 13

• On the morning of Tuesday 3 November, Y12 have a session with a youth worker, who is an expert in drugs and alcohol education. For this session Y12 is divided into the normal two groups. Reg Group 2 are in the Common Room for 8.30am-9.10am before they then have tutor reg from 9.15am-10am. Group 1 then arrive to the Common Room for a 9.15am start (remembering they had tutor reg on Monday at 8.30am). At 10am there is break as normal before lessons continue from P2. 

• Thank you to all the Parents and Carers that were able to attend the Y12 Parental Briefing a few weeks ago. You will find a recording of the presentation and a copy of the slides on this section of our website: St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School - Parent/Carer Information Evenings

• Y13 have registration on Wednesday (Group 1) or Thursday (Group 2).

• On our return, on the morning of Tuesday 3 November, Y13 are meeting with Yuno (previously known as Brook). For this Y13 are divided into the normal two groups. Reg Group 1 have their session with Brook from 8.30am-9.10am. Reg Group 2 then have their session with Brook from 9.15am-10am. These sessions are happening in the main school gym. Students should gather initially in the Street. At 10am there is break as normal before lessons continue from P2. 

• Folder Checks- There will be a Y13 Folder Check this first week back after half-term.

• UCAS message- (Also in Miss Kerby's progression notices below)- For those of you who are applying for the UCAS equal consideration date in January, you will need to show your tutors a full draft of your personal statement on Unifrog after the half term. This is to ensure your teachers have adequate time to provide feedback before the internal UCAS deadline of the 11^th December. 

• Thank you to all the Parents and Carers that were able to attend the Y13 Parental Briefing a few weeks ago. You will find a recording of the presentation and a copy of the slides on this section of our website: St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School - Parent/Carer Information Evenings

• Save the date- The Y13 Leavers Ball for students will be happening on Wednesday 23 June. More details coming soon.

Resilience  

We will all experience times of stress, loss or failure in our lives and our ability to be resilient will ebb and flow depending on our ever-changing situation. While we cannot always control what is happening to us, we can choose our attitude and response. We can learn how to strengthen our resilience in the more challenging times with practice and an ability to look at the bigger picture. For example, if you feel you have failed at something recently, put it in the context of the rest of your life, that one failure isn’t going to make you a bad person or a failed student. When you learn to look for the whole context, you can probably also find the many other facets of your life that are going well.  Choosing to find ways of being more resilient promotes good mental health. 

Well done for making it to the end of a very busy term. As always, please continue to check the Progression Blog for more opportunities at: https://6thformprog.blogspot.com/

Year 12 and 13:

• Future Leaders - the deadline to apply for Future Leaders UK has been extended to 31 October 2026. This is a free leadership programme that helps build skills, and provides opportunities such as work experience and attending workshops. Apply directly at www.futureleaders.uk

• Pathways to Veterinary Medicine with University of Nottingham - YR12 only - an initiative for students interested in a career related to Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science; providing opportunities to experience the sector and receive ongoing application and transition support. Apply here: https://www.suttontrust.com/our-programmes/

• Pathway to Bath - Yr12 only - an enrichment opportunity at the University of Bath, where students can study an undergraduate subject of their choice during an optional residential, whilst being mentored by current students. Students would also become eligible for a guaranteed conditional offer. Applications close 7^th January. https://www.bath.ac.uk/campaigns/pathway-to-bath-programme/

• Knowle West Media Centre is offering work experience (Yr12 only) in June and July for students interested in: design, architecture, climate change and engineering. Applications close on the 11th Dec. Apply here: https://kwmc.org.uk/get-involved/young-people/

Year 13: 

• For those of you who are applying for the UCAS equal consideration date in January, you will need to show your tutors a full draft of your personal statement on Unifrog after the half term. This is to ensure your teachers have adequate time to provide feedback before the internal UCAS deadline of the 11^th December. 

Apprenticeship highlights:

• KPMG Apprenticeships - In areas including audit, tax and corporate services. https://www.kpmgcareers.co.uk/search/vacancies/?experienceLevels[0]=Apprenticeships&intakeType=null&searchText=Apprenticeships

• Apprenticeships with Hazlewood - An apprenticeship in Audit, Tax, Accounts, Corporate Finance with Hazlewoods Bristol. 

• Legal Apprenticeship with Burges Salmon. If you are interested in working in the legal sector, this is for you! Application deadline is the 9th November. Apply here: https://www.burges-salmon.com/jobs/legal-apprenticeship-2027/

• Super-curricular is different from extra-curricular (hobbies and activities) in that it is about stretching yourself academically beyond the narrow A Level syllabus, and it is something all the best A Level students will be doing. You can find our recommended reading list on our website at: St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School - Study Links (smrt.bristol.sch.uk) 

• If you are a science A Level student you should absolutely be flipping through the New Scientist magazine every week to keep up with research. We have a hard copy in the library and a login you can access with the email address 6thformlibrary@smrt.bristol.sch.uk and the password Redcliffe.  

• Bristol University have produced lots of resources, including online lectures, to support students in exploring HE options or super-curricular research, You can sign up for access to these at Virtual resources for students | Study at Bristol | University of Bristol 

• Bristol Festival of Ideas rumbles on, which the full index of talks at https://www.bristolideas.co.uk/attend/?pageNumber=1  

• Another fantastic reservoir of free on-line lectures to add power to your University personal statement can be found through Gresham College at https://www.gresham.ac.uk/  

• Swansea University has a great range of webinars related to the full range of Uni course they offer and wider issues at https://www.swansea.ac.uk/study/webinar-series/  

• Speakers for Schools run an excellent series of online talks relating to particular areas of work through the year. The full list is at Upcoming Broadcasts - Speakers for Schools.  

Key support information 

• Mental Health support page on our website - Health-and-Wellbeing-Sources-of-Support.pdf (smrt.bristol.sch.uk) 

• For really well pitched advice on mental health for young people check out this podcast, recommended by the Senior Students - https://linktr.ee/unboxedpodcast  

• Another great resource on Self-Care with loads of suggestions and ideas to try out to help build new habits which can support our wellbeing is here: https://www.annafreud.org/on-my-mind/self-care/  

• The Centre has sanitary products available if you ever need them. We try and keep a stock in toilets, with mentors and Millie and at reception if you need anything. 

• Condom Cards: Redcliffe Sixth Form have now been linked onto the C-Card scheme because practising SAFE sex is important. C-Card is a free and confidential condom distribution scheme for young people aged 13-25 living in Bristol. Once signed up you can collect condoms and lube for free from several outlets. Millie will be your C-Card representative in the Sixth Form, and you can collect them from her at any time during the day. Collecting condoms will be private, free, and completely confidential. Please drop her an email at feldmanm@smrt.bristol.sch.uk  or just pop by the office opposite G10 to have a private chat.  

• Remember you can always speak to our learning mentors, and Millie, for help or visit the Brook website for more information about sexual health, contraception, pregnancies, counselling, PREP (help with HIV) and more. https://www.brook.org.uk/