3rd July 2023
Year 12 Bulletin
Morning all,
I hope that you had a good weekend; just three weeks to the summer break; time to make sure you’re up to date with your studies and have booked any Open Days that are happening over the next few weeks.
A reminder that the criteria to come back into Year 13 is:
- Achieve passing grades in at least three subjects
- Ensure the completion of all WBQ work
- Have sustained excellent attendance throughout the year
We are now beginning the process of you reducing your academic studies to 3 ALevels and WBQ for next year so please use the link below and complete the google form. https://forms.gle/H8xmTJvd4eC3CCUg7
If you have any concerns about returning to Year 13 or would like a chat about which three A Levels to continue with then please come to the office and speak to me.
Shoutouts to the following pupils for receiving Praise Postcards:
- Tess (GDO)
- Ashmi (12ECO)
- Ananya (12ECO)
- Ruby W (12ECO)
- Joe (ECO)
UCAS is the platform that you apply to university through.
The 2024 courses are now live on UCAS so you can begin looking carefully at the entry requirements for them. Use the link here. You can also use https://www.whatuni.com/ - it has some really good tools which allow you to add your top three predicted grades and see what courses might be available.
There is a general site for exploring Universities’ Open Days, which you can use to find dates for the universities you are interested in: https://www.opendays.com/
If you would prefer to get a taste of specific subjects at universities, whether through in-person or virtual events, have a look at Unitasterdays for an amazing array of opportunities: unitasterdays.com
For those of you interested in University League tables or Rankings, use The Complete Uni Guide.
Weekly
‘Ted Talk’: The case for a decentralized internet
BBC Ideas: Can you spot digital lies...?
Opportunities/Events
NEST STEM scholarships UKNEST promotes engineering, science and technology on behalf of the Naval sector and is committed to supporting and inspiring young people, students and early career professionals. They are offering 12 scholarships to students studying STEM subjects at UK universities and colleges during the academic year 2023/24. The scholarship scheme offers a range of benefits including:
Applications can be made via this link. The closing date for applications is 22nd September 2023. For information about the wide range of scholarships and bursaries available at UWE Bristol for new students and applicants, please see this link. |
The Entrepreneurship Lab at King's Cambridge have a new essay competition. The purpose of the competition is to encourage Sixth Form students to pursue entrepreneurial aspirations and understand better how to launch an enterprise. They are particularly keen to foster an entrepreneurial spirit among students who might not traditionally consider entering the businessworld. The competition is organised and run by the Entrepreneurship Lab (E-Lab) at King’s College, University of Cambridge. You should choose between one of the three essay questions, below, exploring the importance of entrepreneurism and the challenges that business-people face. This essay should be written independently but some input from teaching staff is advised. Students from all backgrounds and regardless of subjects studied are welcome to enter the competition. A winner, and two runners up, will be selected by an expert panel of judges: Deborah Meaden (Business Leader and TV Dragon), Lord Mervyn King (former Governor of the Bank of England), and Gillian Tett (FT Columnist and Editor-at-Large of the Financial Times USA). Winners will be invited to a prize-giving ceremony, to be held in King’s College, Cambridge, in late 2023/early 2024. The winner will share a £1,000 cash prize, to be split equally between them and their school, and two runners-up prizes of £500, again shared equally between them and their school. Essay Questions and Format Select one of the three questions below, and write a 1,000 word essay: Q1: Many businesses advertise themselves as ethical and sell environmentally friendly or ethically sourced goods. However, they often do this at a premium price. To some extent this is due to the higher price of their inputs but often they also enjoy a higher profit. To what extent is it ethical for a business to have excess profits from selling ethical goods? Q2: Why is learning from failure sometimes more effective than learning from success? Build upon examples of entrepreneurs (in the broad sense of the term) who were able to learn from failure. Q3: Generative AI technology, built upon Large Language Models, such as ChatGPT has allowed entrepreneurs to operate more efficiently. Discuss the impact of this technology for entrepreneurs and provide examples of how it is being used. Any format of essay is permitted, this can range from a more academic article to a blog article to a journalistic business type article. If footnotes are used, they will count towards the word limit. External references should be sourced in a bibliography at the end of the article, which will not count towards the word limit. The deadline for entries is 9pm on the 26th of September. |
Fairfield Primary School is still looking for 6th form students to work at Bear Pak as School Escorts which involves assisting child care qualified staff in collecting children aged between 3 and 11 years from school and escorting them safely to the premises, where they help children to participate in various play experiences. The job description is attached to the Bulletin. If you’re interested please contact: Laura Williams Managing Director Bear Pak Fairfield Primary School Dryden Road Penarth CF64 2RT 07702873067 enquiries@bearpak.co.uk |
Careers Wales have a list of available Summer jobs for anyone who’s looking; https://careerswales.gov.wales/plan-your-career/features/summer-seasonal-jobs/summer-seasonal-jobs-wales-and-uk |
IGD have a range of virtual work experience opportunities coming up: next Monday 10th July from 10.30am-12pm, they have a Work Experience week with industry experts, showcasing a whole range of opportunities and careers - and you'll get skilled up ready for the world of work. This first session is called Industry Insights. Their Virtual Work Experience week is a set of live, interactive and engaging online sessions. Throughout the week you'll meet experts, gain skills and get a certificate as evidence of your participation for your CV. Sign up using this link. , |
Gresham College has a series of lectures by different Professors; This month, This month, Alan Turing: Pioneer of Mathematical Biology by Professor Sarah Hart, will highlight Turing's ground-breaking work in biology. Professor Ronald Hutton will question How Pagan Was Medieval Britain? Through Connecting the Dots: Milestones in Graph Theory, Professor Robin Wilson will examine the development of graph theory in the 20th century. Professor Joanna Bourke will complete her series on A Cultural History of Disease with a lecture on Sickle Cell Disease: A Cultural History, which will explore the importance of racial politics in understanding this disease. There will also be a celebration of her ground-breaking academic work. Rory Stewart OBE will deliver The Annual Sir Thomas Gresham Lecture 2023 in his exploration of Populism, Aristotle and Hope to suggest ways of re-energising the centre ground of politics.For other lectures which are at undergraduate level use the link here. |
Universities
The University of London has some fantastic new taster courses on their Taster Courses website, ranging from Optometry and Music to Linguistics and French Studies. Some taster courses are also open to students in Year 11 and Year 13 so be sure to check the requirements on their website. These are all taking place this July so apply now as there are still some spaces left. Even if you don’t aspire to their university it might still be worth seeing what studying those subjects involves. |
Cardiff University has a lot to offer; check out their range of subjects here: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/subjects |
Swansea University has their Medicine, Healthcare and Psychology Summer Conference this week on the 4 – 6 July. The Medicine, Healthcare, and Psychology Summer Conference, is an on-campus event showcasing their study opportunities in Medicine, Healthcare and Psychology. You will:
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The University of Law is not just about law. Their undergraduate courses in law, business, criminology, policing, psychology and computer science have been specially designed to give students an exciting, practical and academic experience, teaching students real-world skills so they can achieve their career ambitions. They have campuses in 6 locations including London, Birmingham, Bristol, Nottingham, Manchester and Leeds, as well as an online campus (courses vary depending on location). They have Open Days coming up; book here. |
Swansea University has a series of subject-specific webinars designed to support you as you begin thinking about which subject/s you might want to study at undergraduate level. Book your place on one here. Other opportunities they currently have:
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Cardiff Met have a series of Open Days and Campus tours available: |
Apprenticeships/Degree Apprenticeships
Dow Silicones have a Degree Apprenticeship in Mechanical Engineering. This is aimed at those with A levels in Maths and Physics, or are due to sit them. https://corporate.dow.com/en-us/careers/jobs/position.R2039560 |
RAF Apprenticeships are now open. Their upcoming webinar which will highlight the opportunities available. Register here. |
Support
For those of you who may feel you need support, as always we are always available to help. If you feel you need more support there are some useful support sites and links listed here:
- Young Minds
- Young Minds - muslim mental health campaign
- Young British Muslims talk Mental Health
- Mental Health Wales
- Mind
- TogetherAll
- Papyrus
There are also some useful techniques here for those experiencing feelings of anxiety:
- Breathing techniques to calm anxiety Visit now
- Yoga for Anxiety Visit now
Remember it is important that you keep an eye on your emails and our Twitter feed (@stcyres6th). I send out links and tweets regularly so there is a lot of information available, you just need to access it and let me know if there are any problems with you doing that.
As always, if there are any issues get in touch; we’re here to support you.
Take care,
Ms Jones