• I hope everyone has an opportunity to enjoy the bank holiday weekend and the weather. Some rest is very much needed, including Y13 (although not long to go before they will get a very long break!). 

• When we return we have just over 7 weeks of school before the summer holidays. During this time Y13 will be finishing their exams and will have their prom, and Y12 will be reflecting on their recent gradesheet, preparing for Y13 and exploring progression options. 

•  As soon as Y13 have finished their last exam they need to see reception to complete a clearance form which begins the process for organising repayment of the deposit.

• Also be aware as it is the exam season can students try to keep noise to a minimum when walking through corridors. There might also be room changes but all the details will be Bromcom timetables so students will know where to go instead. 

• Exam season can obviously be a stressful time for many students, with pressure to perform potentially taking a toll on their wellbeing. The NHS has put together a helpful guide for parents during exams, with practical advice on building healthy routines and spotting signs of stress: Help your child beat exam stress - NHS

• During the first two weeks in June the University of Law will be coming into Sixth Form during lunchtimes to run a series of careers sessions to help students with their HE options.

• Careers in Computer Science: Wednesday 3 June

  Careers in Business: Thursday 4 June

  Careers in Psychology: Monday 8 June

  Careers in Law: Tuesday 9 June

• All the talks will be in G10 from 12.30pm to 1pm and I would encourage all students to grab this opportunity if they are interested in exploring one or more of the careers above.

• PhysFest is the University of Bristol Physics Society’s annual physics conference, where they show off some of the amazing research that takes place at the University of Bristol School of Physics. This year, PhysFest will be taking place from 10:45am to 4pm on the 30th of May, at the University of Bristol (UoB) Physics Building (HH Wills Physics Laboratory).

  The day will consist of 3 talks from academics at the university on their subject specialism and an alumni panel, with breaks for refreshments and lunch between. We will also be giving tours of the department. This event is an excellent opportunity to learn about the exciting research happening at UoB, network with current and prospective physicists, and hear about the various careers that physicists from UoB have pursued after their degrees.

  This event is open to the general public, and they encourage anyone with an interest in physics to join! More information can be found on our website. Tickets are completely free and are available here.

• Counsellor Drop In- Toria from Transforming lives for good, will be offering a counselling drop-off session for anyone who wants to speak to someone confidentially about anything worrying them, on a Wednesday between 12.45pm and 1.45pm in the meeting room opposite G10. Drop in when convenient, no booking required. Any questions see Mrs Apps or Miss Foster.

• CREATIVE YOUTH NETWORK have increased their capacity within their Wellbeing team to support young people at their youth hub The Station (BS1 2AG) with low-intensity cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). 

  They are currently accepting referrals submitted via the website here: Mental Health And Wellbeing Support  - Creative Youth Network . Referrals can be completed by a professional, parent or young person themselves.

  They support young people (aged 8-17) with mild to moderate mental health difficulties, like anxiety and low mood. They could meet weekly with a Wellbeing Practitioner at The Station for 6-10 sessions, focusing on current mental health challenges and learning techniques to manage and overcome them. 

• An updated enrichment timetable: Final Enrichment Timetable 2025.pdf

• 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.

• Please remember that although students are now on study leave and therefore off-timetable we will continue to be available to support students through the coming weeks, and the building remains open as normal for students to use to revise and prepare (apart from WK 25 May due to half-term). Students will then, once they have completed their last exam, need to hand back their locker and bike shed keys and complete a clearance form by Friday 26 June. 

• Students and parents/carers will be sent further details about the results day on Thursday 13 August and also the Ball on Wednesday 24 June on our return in June.

• Y13 Student and Parent/Carer Feedback- Thanks so much to all students and parents/carers who have already completed the feedback survey that was emailed to all parents/carers earlier in the week. If you haven't completed this yet it would be much appreciated if you could do this asap. This is an anonymous survey, with all individual responses remaining confidential, to gather your feedback on your experience as a student/parent/carer, to help us ensure that we are providing the best standard of education and care. 

• And thank you to everyone for a great leavers service last week! And particular thank you to all the students who performed and spoke.

Endings

Endings come in all shapes and sizes; for year 12 it is a soft-ish end of the year with some mocks and then one more term. For year 13, you folks are ending what has probably been a long 14 years in full-time education. Have you found yourself being more annoyed with your friends, or conversely more needy? That’s normal. We try to avoid the pain of endings by either forcing them too soon by falling out (it’s easier to leave if I hate everyone/everything) or avoiding them by pretending everything is going to be the same forever. We usually feel a whole mix of sadness, grief, loss, relief, freedom, happiness and everything else when we approach an ending. A healthy acknowledgment of all the feelings you have about endings (and talking to each other about them) will promote good mental health. 

All of our live progression opportunities from the Newsletter are accessible in our Progression Site at www.6thformprog.blogspot.com, including more detail on the items below, and if you would like an appointment with Steve James, our careers advisor, then please contact reception or speak to your tutor to book a slot.

Year 13 - Most of you have now replied to your UCAS offers, well done! A few of you have a later deadline to respond: 3^rd June. Here is a guide on what to do: https://www.ucas.com/applying/after-you-apply/types-of-undergraduate-offers/replying-to-your-offers. If you're not sure about which to pick have a chat to your tutor or Mr. Jones. Student Finance is still open! Though tiktok says the deadline to apply is the 15th May this is just to guarrantee your funding will be approved before you start your studies. If you have not, make sure you apply as soon as possible to avoid any delay in getting your maintenance loan. If there is a delay, speak to student services at your university as they will be able to help. Clearing opens on the 2^nd July and may be a useful way to plan around results day anxiety. If you have any questions or issues with any of the above see Mr. Jones.

Year 12 - Your teachers have begun writing your subject references that will be used in your references for UCAS, Apprenticeships, or any jobs you apply for in the future. You need to leave notes on Unifrog to make sure the reference is as good as possible.

If you've not yet secured work experience for activities week, you need to show your tutor a plan of the virtual WEX you'll do instead. There are lots on SpringPod.com If you do secure in person WEX, remember to add Work Experience to Unifrog for approval: Here is a how to guide.

On Tuesday 2^nd June, at 3.20, in room 102 there will be a Getting Into Medicine talk - all are welcome!

Opportunities:

Apprenticeships

Key Information for parents and students on apprenticeships, including first-hand experiences

NEW Higher and Degree Level Apprenticeships have been added: https://www.amazingapprenticeships.com/resources/higher-and-degree-listing/

Latest Apprenticeships on the blog (a full list can be found here):

• Construction

• Audit

University Taster Sessions & Support (more on the blog!)

• Quantum Physics & Engineering Summer School - Bristol University

• Summer Residentials at Bath University

• Medical Research Summer School - Cambridge University

• Architecture & Design Summer School

• Online Architecture Insight Event

Work Experience & Insight Events (more on the blog inc. paid!)

• Civil Engineering Work Experience

• Accounting Work Experience

• Art Work Experience

• Community Farm Work Experience

• Bristol Zoo Volunteering

• English Heritage Young Producers Opportunity

• Psychiatry Summer School

• FutureForAll - Useful tool to find work experience

• SpringPod - Virtual Work Experience

• Watershed Work Experience

• 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/