July 2017

Volume 2, Issue 2

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

BMAT/UKCAT Workshops ........... 1

Year 13 Leavers’ Assembly ............ 1

Sixth Form Prom Night ................. 2

Journalism Masterclass................. 2

Sixth Form Activity Leaders .......... 3

Safer Schools Assembly ................. 3

Royal Geographical Society ........... 3

Psychology Conference .................. 3

Luke Orros & Harley ..................... 4

UCAS Exhibition Visit ................... 4

Alumni Association News.............. 5

Chaimaa Chekairi .......................... 5

Rashawn Grant .............................. 5

Franklin Sado ................................ 6

Year 12 Work Experience .............. 6

Forensic Science Visit .................... 6

Cambridge University Visit ........... 7

Fashion Show ................................ 7

SIXTH FORM NEWSLETTER BMAT/UKCAT Workshops On Friday 30th June and Monday 1st July, Year 12 students aspiring to study medicine at university attended four BMAT and UKCAT workshops at our Sixth Form Centre. They were joined by students from eight other schools in Enfield. The sessions were led by Robert Hickman who had studied medicine at Cambridge and is now undertaking his PhD at the university. Beyza Akgun who participated on both days found the support she received extremely beneficial and it improved her confidence and ability to sit the tests, which are a requirement of studying medicine, veterinary science or dentistry at university. Students were given support and advice in how to complete practice questions and wrote two essays, as the completion of an essay is a requirement of the Biomedical Admissions Test. The intensive workshops gave the students a head-start in the preparation for sitting the tests and improved their confidence enormously.

Year 13 Leavers Assembly On Thursday 29th June, Year 13 students attended their Sixth Form Leavers’ Assembly. The assembly was led by members of the Head Team and certificates were awarded to students after nominations were collected from the year group by Head Girl, Sila Kilinc. Deputy Head Girl Lucy Fleming created a great film which encompassed memories of the students’ time at Winchmore and contributions from both staff and students.

We are extremely proud of the numerous and varied achievements of our Year 13 students and wish them all the best of luck with their results and plans beyond Sixth Form. We have asked them to maintain their contact with the school by joining our Alumni Association, in order that they can provide valuable advice and guidance to our students.

Head Girl & Boy – Sila Kilinc & Yusuf Panah

Sixth Form Prom Night On Thursday 29th June, the Sixth Form celebrated their Prom at Crews Hill Golf Club. The students were entertained by D.J. Starzy. There was a superb turn on the night with all of the students looking wonderful. It was great to see Year 12 and Year 13 students partying together and it was an opportunity for staff to say a final farewell to Year 13 before they leave us.

Journalism Masterclass On 28th June Year 12 student Dimi Dyakova attended a ‘Journalism Masterclass’ led by Professor Angela Phillips, who teaches Journalism and Journalism Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London. Students were given an in-depth analysis of journalistic trends in both print, TV and online media. A discussion was had in relation to the manipulation of the truth and how this can distort the news audiences receive. Dimi received excellent advice about her plans to study journalism at university and the different pathways available to her in order to follow a career in the field. Dimi recently undertook her Year 12 work experience at ‘Exposure’ the multi-award winning youth media enterprise based in north London. She continues to write for them and has recently had two articles published which are available to read at Exposure’s online magazine. Her superb article ‘Feminism is not just about females’ argues that feminism means equality for all. Her second article highlights the bravery of the teenage survivor who took her GCSE exam the day after escaping from the Grenfell Tower fire.

Dimi Dyakova

Sixth Form Activity Leaders During their time in the Sixth Form students are given the opportunity to apply for a paid role as Sixth Form Activity Leaders. Successful applicants receive training before being given the responsibility of organising activities for students and monitoring the corridors during lunchtime, alongside members of staff. We have been especially pleased with the contributions that our students have made this academic year. They have been punctual, reliable and responsible and had a very positive effect on the younger students. Jimmy Adamou has also been running a very successful Drama Club for students twice a week. We would like to say a very special thank you to all of our Sixth Form Activity Leaders for the fantastic job that they have done this year and for the commitment and real dedication they have demonstrated in their role.

Safer Schools Officer - Assembly This term we have been delighted to welcome our new Safer Schools Officer, PC Donna Roberts to the school. PC Roberts visited the Year 12 assembly on 28th June to provide students with excellent advice about how to stay safe over the summer and if they go out in the evening. PC Roberts was accompanied by her colleague PC Odong and together they provided us with valuable insight of their roles and shared their years of knowledge and expertise with the students. We look forward to welcoming PC Roberts to our assemblies in coming weeks with her next one focusing upon traffic and safe driving advice.

Royal Geographical Society Visit On Tuesday 4th July Year 12 geography students visited the annual geography conference ‘Going Places with Geography’ at the ‘Royal Geographical Society’. The conference was a fantastic opportunity for our students to visit the Society and engage with all aspects of studying geography at university, as well as hearing from geographers in the workplace. Sessions included dissertation myth-busting, seminars on the study of human and physical geography and related career pathways and a talk from an admissions tutor. Year 12 student

Kesavan Sivanesan found the visit extremely beneficial in relation to the information it provided on studying geography as an undergraduate and possible career pathways. It also assisted him with his study of the subject at A Level.

A Level Psychology Conference On Wednesday 22nd March, Year 13 A Level Psychology students attended a very special student Psychology Conference at the ‘Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre’ in Westminster. The conference focused on a range of strategies to maximise student achievement in relation to the new A Level questions and the skills required. There was a particular focus on areas that students have found challenging based on previous national examiners’ reports. Students were given support with their application and evaluation skills and tackled a variety of exam questions.

Luke Orros & Harley This summer term the Sixth Form were delighted to welcome Harley, the new guide dog of our Year 13 student Luke Orros. Harley joined Luke at home after the Easter holiday, prior to them spending a week together at a hotel in Euston where Luke was trained in how to handle Harley and for them to get to know one another. In their assembly on 19th April, Year 13 were visited by Dave Kent, ‘The Community Engagement Officer’ for ‘The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association’. Dave shared his many years of experience in working with guide dogs and provided the students with valuable advice about how they could help Harley settle into school life smoothly. Harley has since been accompanying Luke to his lessons and will be joining him in September, when he plans to begin his degree in Textiles Design at Derby University. Luke loves having Harley by his side and said, “Harley has boosted my confidence to be more independent and enabled me to complete my work more effectively by helping to relieve my stress”. Luke has been very complimentary about how all of the students throughout the school have responded so sensitively and maturely to Harley’s presence in the building.

UCAS Exhibition Visit On 28th March Year 12 attended the annual UCAS convention at London Dockland’s ExCEL Centre. The visit was a unique opportunity for students to explore the wide range of opportunities available beyond Sixth Form. Whether they were interested in applying to university or looking at alternative options, the exhibition provided them with a wealth of information, advice and guidance. During the day, in addition to visiting the multitude of stands students were able to attend seminars on how to apply to university, student life and student finance. Seminars were also offered on studying a variety of courses including medicine, midwifery, engineering, criminology, biomedicine, chemistry, geography, teaching, politics, and computer science.

Alumni Association News The Sixth Form has an active and growing Alumni Association. Students who have studied with us are able to join our Alumni Association on the ‘Future First’ website. We have been visited by Alumni members throughout the year who share their experience and expertise with our current students. In their assembly on 19th April, Year 13 students were visited by Sharif Dibba who left the Sixth Form in September 2008 after studying A Levels in Psychology, English Literature and History. Sharif went on to study a degree in History & Criminology at Essex University then a Master’s Degree in Organised Crime, Terrorism and Security. Sharif currently works for H.M. Revenue and Customs. He provided the students with invaluable advice about how to succeed in their Sixth Form and university

studies and insight of his current and previous role at ‘The Financial Ombudsman Service’.

Chaimaa Chekairi On the 18th May we were visited by Chaimaa who joined the Sixth Form after coming to live in London from Italy. Chaimaa left us with A Levels in Art, Maths, History and Italian together with two Level 3 CTEC D* grades in Media and Digital Media. Chaimaa has just completed the first year of her history degree at Brunel University and is undertaking the second year of her degree in Lisbon. Chaimaa has ambitions of becoming a sport’s journalist and she has been gaining experience by writing sporting articles for Brunel University’s online newspaper ‘Le Nurb’. One of her articles reports on the need for UK Sport to increase the number of women in sporting bodies. This summer Chaimaa has been working for the ‘Tour De France’ in Germany, she is then travelling to Norway in September to work at ‘The World Cycling Championship’.

Rashawn Grant On 6th July we were visited by our old Head Boy Rashawn Grant, who left us in 2016 after studying A Levels in Economics, Spanish and English Literature and completing his Extended Project Qualification. This September, Rashawn is commencing a degree in Law and Business at Warwick University. During his gap year Rashawn has been working for the Statistics Department at The Bank of England, where he has been processing statistical data, working with economists and even undertaking a regional visit with the Bank’s Chief Economist. Through his role Rashawn met many interesting people and was given exposure to a variety of different career paths in the financial industry. Rashawn is returning on 27th September to share his knowledge and insight with students at our Sixth Form assembly.

Year 12 Work Experience From the 19th-23rd June our Year 12 students undertook a week’s work experience finding a variety of excellent placements. They were able to experience what it would be like to work in professions ranging from law, media, medicine, finance, and film amongst others. For many students the experience confirmed that they had selected the correct career pathway and allowed them to plan their next steps realistically and with relevant information and guidance. In many cases students had carefully selected their placements to support their UCAS or apprenticeship applications next year and the insight they gained at their placements, will enable them to produce focused statements for these applications. Work experience is also a great addition for our students CV. Many are looking for part-time employment and the skills they developed during their placements will help to make their job applications competitive. Comments from employers included, “It feels like he has always been part of the team” and “Excellent. I would offer them a job”. Students offered equally positive praise about their placements. “I have really enjoyed my placement and feel inspired by the profession” and “I love it here. It would be great to come back”.

Forensic Science Visit – Kingston University On 26th June, Year 12 A Level chemistry students took part in a forensic science day at Kingston University. The visit was designed to give students an insight into the application of science in criminal investigations. The students were introduced to a case study and then given the opportunity to explore a crime scene (forensic house) on campus and collect a variety of forensic evidence types including blood samples.

The students were then escorted to the labs and shown how to use a range of industry -standard equipment such as gas chromatography and infra-red spectroscopy, used in the analysis of forensic samples. Students were then given the opportunity to discuss their observations in groups and use their analytical skills to interpret the data collected and to decide the cause of death of the victim, Mr Henry Hobbit. Finally, students were taken on a tour of the university campus to find out about student life. The class really enjoyed the visit as it enabled them to see the application of science in everyday life. They also got to see equipment and use techniques that they need to know about for their course.

Franklin Sado Franklin visited on 7th July to share his experience of work and university. Franklin left us with A Levels in English Literature, Business Studies, the Extended Project Qualification and a Level 3 CTEC in Media. Franklin has just passed with a 2:1, the first year of his accounting degree at Roehampton University. Franklin is also working part-time in the Finance Department at the technology recruitment firm ‘Gattaca’. He will be visiting us next term to support our current Sixth Form students.

Cambridge University Visit On 8th February, Year 12 students made a visit to Newnham College, Cambridge University. The day began with an introduction to the university where students were given information about the university’s collegiate system, extra-curricular activities and methods of teaching. Students were then introduced to some current undergraduate students and had an opportunity to ask them any questions that they had. The Cambridge undergraduates then took Year 12 on a tour of the college. After a lovely lunch, they were given a choice of lectures to attend, facilitated by Cambridge PhD students, followed by a tour of the arts faculties. The students found the visit to be extremely beneficial as it improved their insight and confidence if they decide to apply to the university. A previous visit led to our Alumni member Kathryn Akers applying to Newnham College and taking up a place to study a degree in history there.

Mrs Hughes & Year 12 Students - Newnham College

Fashion Show On 6th July, Sixth Form students showcased the garments that they had researched, designed and created as part of their Level 3 BTEC Fashion & Textiles course. The garments were stunning and the show was a huge success. Many of the students studying the course have been offered places at university to study degrees including Fashion Buying and Merchandising, Fashion Communication and Styling, Fashion Design and Textiles Design.