Mobile Phones

This year mobile phones have been banned at break, lunch, before and after school. As Sixth Formers, we understand that mobiles can be very useful for study, recording homework etc and have therefore adapted the rules.

Sixth Formers can use their phones in:
L1, L2, C18

Mobiles are not allowed in any other area of the school unless you are asked by a teacher to use them.

Please do respect that you have been given special consideration here and do not flout your privileges in front of younger students.

Thank you!

Sixth Form Use of Brookes

Brookes have very kindly allowed Cheney Students to use their facilities over the last two years but due to general poor behaviour, smoking and using passwords of Brookes students on the computers, there has been a review of our use of Brookes. 

Brookes are happy for the Sixth Formers to continue using the facilities at Brookes but your MUST wear your ID Badge at all times on site, otherwise you will asked to leave.

 

Thank you for your support with this.

New School Timings

Changes to the school timings are:
Monday: no change
Tuesday: P6 2.30-3.30pm - no tutor
Wednesday: no change
Thursday: no change
Friday: no tutor, home at 2.30pm

Mon and Thurs timings:
P1: 8.30am - 9.30am
P2: 9.30am - 10.30am
Break: 10.30am-10.50am
P3: 10.50am - 11.50am
P4: 11.50am - 12.50pm
Lunch: 12.50pm - 1.30pm
P5: 1.30pm - 2.30pm
Tutor: 2.30pm - 3pm

Tues timings:
P1: 8.30am - 9.30am
P2: 9.30am - 10.30am
Break: 10.30am-10.50am
P3: 10.50am - 11.50am
P4: 11.50am - 12.50pm
Lunch: 12.50pm - 1.30pm
P5: 1.30pm - 2.30pm
P6: 2.30pm - 3.30pm

Wed timings:
P1: 8.30am - 9.30am
P2: 9.30am - 10.30am
Break: 10.30am-10.50am
P3: 10.50am - 11.50am
Lunch: 11.50am - 12.30pm
P4: 12.30am - 1.30pm
Tutor: 1.30pm-2.30pm

Fri timings:
P1: 8.30am - 9.30am
P2: 9.30am - 10.30am
Break: 10.30am-10.50am
P3: 10.50am - 11.50am
P4: 11.50am - 12.50pm
Lunch: 12.50pm - 1.30pm
P5: 1.30pm - 2.30pm
Tutor: 2.30pm - 3pm OR
P6: 2.30pm - 3.30pm

Access to Chemistry Review and Biology Review Archives

Good afternoon,

If you need to access the Chemistry Review archives for your summer bridging work, or for further reading around the subjects, you should be able to self-register for Dynamic Learning or access the archives directly using this link:

Chemistry and Biology Review Archives

If it doesn't work for you then please email me.

Yours
Ms Elias

Chromebooks in the Lapsafe

A letter was sent out on Friday - via parentmail- informing you and your parents of the new lapsafe that has been installed in L2. It has been in there for a while  but is now ready for use!

However before using the Chromebooks you will need to have signed a contract and paid £20, this covers the maintenance,  All of this is explained in more detail in the letter that accompanies the contract.

If you haven't received a letter yet there are spares int the sixth form office.

Once you have returned your contract the IT department will activate your ID card allowing you access to the Chromebooks.


Thank you

Interesting Article about value of work experience

I think that this is worth reading and reflecting on.  Surveys should be read with a critical eye - I am sceptical about whether work experience really trumps the other activities mentioned in paragraph four - but clearly it is important. 

DGi

Secret to a university place revealed

Work experience and volunteering were valued far more than other types of extracurricular activity in a survey of university admissions officers

Greg Hurst Education Editor, The Times

 

It is the holy grail of all ambitious teenagers and conscientious sixth-form tutors: inside knowledge on how to submit a perfectly crafted university application.

The answer, it seems, is simple. In addition to good grades and an interest in their chosen degree course, applicants should try to get work experience linked to the subject they want to study.

If this proves too difficult, regular voluntary work is the next best way to stand out.

Work experience and volunteering were valued far more than other types of extracurricular activity in a survey of university admissions officers. They trumped the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, playing in a sports team, learning a musical instrument, acting in a school play or travelling overseas.

University staff also predicted that the “soft skills” gained from extracurricular activities would become more important in helping them to choose between applicants after A-level reforms are introduced.

Admissions tutors said that the “decoupling” of AS levels from A levels and the switch to end-of-course exams after two years would make it more difficult for them to rely on grades alone.

The study, based on responses from 63 university admissions teams, was conducted for World Challenge, a company that organises school expeditions abroad. It also surveyed 350 students and interviewed heads of sixth form and university directors of admissions.

When asked which three things they looked for in a successful applicant, 92 per cent of university staff cited academic grades, followed by an interest in the course or university (60 per cent) and the core subject (25 per cent).

Almost all, however, said they looked for evidence of a candidate’s extracurricular activities in their personal statement and 58 per cent said this had become more important in the past decade, especially when choosing between applicants with similar grades on oversubscribed courses.

Asked which types of activity added most value, the most commonly cited was work experience, at 92 per cent, followed by regular volunteering, at 68 per cent.

Tutors said that applicants should devote between 70 and 80 per cent of their personal statement to their academic interests and experience, and the remaining 20 to 30 per cent to extracurricular activities.

When describing these, they said, candidates should take care to describe the skills or personal development they had gained rather than simply listing activities or achievements. The qualities they rated most highly were communication skills, organisation and independence.

 

Something of interest for you - an article about which students earn the most on leaving Uni.

The University of Sheffield, which ranks 26th in the university league tables, comes in at number seven in terms of graduates salaries, whereas Durham University is ranked 5th in the UK by the Complete University Guide, but its graduates appear in 12th place in the Rich List, averaging salaries of £45,000.

Here is the top 20 universities on the Alumni Rich List, and how much graduates can expect to earn within five years of completing their degrees.

1. London Business School: £69,000

2. Oxford University: £54,000

3. Warwick Business School: £53,000

4. Cambridge University: £52,500

5. Cass Business School: £50,500

6. LSE London School of Economics: £50,000

7. University of Sheffield: £49,000

8. Edinburgh University: £48,500

9. Imperial College London: £47,000

10. University of Birmingham: £46,500

11. University of London: £45,500

12. Durham University: £45,000

13. University of Bath: £43,500

14. Aston University: £43,000

15. Warwick University: £42,500

16. Bristol University: £41,000

17. UCL University College London: £40,500

18. Loughborough University: £40,500

19. University of Leeds: £40,500

20. University of Nottingham: £40,000