All College Notices – 5th June 2026 – Uckfield College Bulletins

Parent/Carer Notices for all Year Groups

5th June 2026

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Carers

I would like to update you on some staffing developments from September. Firstly, sadly for us, but excitingly for him, Mr Bradley is retiring from his position as Deputy Principal at the end of this academic year. We shall miss him greatly, and I know too that he will be sad to say goodbye to our Uckfield College community. However, I am delighted to let you know that Ms Fassam will be taking over as Deputy Principal. Ms Fassam has an exceptionally strong track record of leadership, is highly experienced and skilled, and is wholly committed to high standards and securing the absolute best possible provision for our young people.

Sixth Form leadership team from September

Following Ms Fassam’s promotion from Head of Sixth Form to Deputy Principal, I am also extremely pleased to let you know that Mr McLachlan is becoming Head of Sixth Form in September. Mr McLachlan has been working in the Sixth Form leadership team for many years, is a brilliant English teacher, and very skilled leader. The Director of Sixth Form position will be taken up by Mrs Rennett, who has been working in the College as Curriculum Leader for Social Sciences. Mrs Rennett is an exceptional teacher and creative leader. Mrs Moxon and Mr Simmons will continue in their roles as Directors of Sixth Form. I am confident that our outstanding Sixth Form will continue to flourish under the team’s leadership.

Year 7-11 leadership teams from September

For students joining Year 7 in September, I can now also confirm that Mr Prichard will be the Director of Year, and Mrs Bennett will be the Pastoral Leader. Both staff have very significant experience of the vital transition period from Year 6 into Year 7, and are looking forward to meeting our new intake.

Year 8 will continue with Miss Wiltshire and Miss Woodfine; Year 10 with Mr Mitchell and Mrs Ogden, and Year 11 with Mr Buntain and Mrs Geer.

Mr Sambrook has made the decision to step away from the Director of (current) Year 8 role to spend more time with his very young family. However, we are all delighted that he is not leaving Uckfield College – instead, he is taking up some more teaching as a specialist teacher of SEND, Maths and Computing. I am delighted to let you know that Miss Taylor has been appointed as the new Director of Year 9, and she will be supported by Mr Stonebanks (who will start working with the year group from the 15th June this year) as the Pastoral Leader. Miss Taylor has extremely strong pastoral skills, and already knows many of the year group well from her PE teaching. She is a very caring, passionate, organised leader, and I have no doubt will take the year group from strength to strength. We will, of course, ensure that there is an excellent handover, and all members of the pastoral team will, in any case, continue to work collaboratively to support all of our students.

Best wishes

Sara Marshallsay

Principal

A Night to Remember for Year 13!

On Friday 22nd May, our Year 13 students stepped away from their revision to celebrate their Prom. It was a spectacular and well-deserved evening, honouring the immense hard work, dedication, and resilience they have shown throughout their time in Sixth Form.

We are incredibly proud of the wonderful young adults they have become. Wishing them all the very best of luck, we look forward to celebrating with them all over again on Results Day this August!

Important: Safe Parking Practices Near Uckfield College

We regularly receive very reasonable concerns from local residents about parking practices during drop-off and pick-up times on the roads surrounding the College. The cold and wet weather has also meant even more traffic than usual at the start and end of the day. Ensuring the safety of our students, pedestrians, and other drivers is of utmost importance to us.

Safety Concerns:

Parking on Pavements and Junctions: cars have been observed using Oak Tree Court, pavements, and junctions as parking areas, which poses a danger to pedestrians and other vehicles.

Blocking Driveways and Visibility: some vehicles are blocking driveways and reducing visibility at junctions, creating potentially hazardous situations.

We kindly urge you to consider using the nearby parking facilities:

Luxfords Car Park

Hempstead Lane Car Park

Both are just a short walk from the College and provide a safer environment for everyone.

Please consider using the alternative car parks mentioned above. Please also adhere to Traffic Laws: avoid parking in ways that block driveways, pavements, or create visibility issues at junctions.

Please also be reminded that parents/carers are kindly asked not to drive down the Drive to drop students off or pick them up please unless there is an agreed medical reason for doing this. With very large numbers of young people arriving and leaving at the same time, we respectfully ask that everyone plays their part in reducing the number of unnecessary vehicles in the area at these times.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Enrichment Week 2026 - Mr Webster

Enrichment Week this year is Monday 6th July – Friday 10th July.

This year, our annual Enrichment Week of engaging and fun activities, trips and courses for Years 7-9 are designed to enhance and enrich our curriculum is Monday 7th July – Friday 11th July.

Offered as an extension to our Supercurricular provision, Enrichment Week will provide students with exposure to new subjects / interests and opportunities to further enhance their soft skills, knowledge and well-being. It has always proved to be hugely popular amongst the students, with many memorable experiences, new friendships and moments for them to be really creative.

We really want students to be aspirational and try new things, think hard, work collaboratively and have opportunities to practise their skills in oracy. Research shows that exposure to these types of varied experiences can contribute positively towards future health, wellbeing and employability.

We have already advertised and informed you of some residential trips which many of you have already signed up to. However, we are aware that some families continue to face difficult financial situations and we therefore want to offer a week of enrichment activities that are within the financial reach of our families. As such, we have asked our staff to devise and offer a wide range of activities and courses, many of which will be local and free or of low cost.

Please review the Enrichment Booklet with your child. It can also be found on Google Classroom. See page 3 of the booklet for further advice and guidance. Form Mentors will be supporting students with their choices from next Tuesday, during PDT sessions.

Intermediate Maths Challenge - promoting a love of problem solving

The Intermediate Mathematical Challenge encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems. The problems are designed to make students think. To recognise the highest performers in the Challenge, they awarded the top-scoring 60% of participants Bronze, Silver and Gold certificates in the ratio 3:2:1. The thresholds for certificates this year are 61+ gold, 46+ silver, 35+ bronze. At Uckfield College we achieved gold (3), silver (12) and bronze (10). We are very proud of the outstanding results for our Year 9, 10 and 11 Maths Supercurricular and particularly proud of our Gold Certificate Winners : Finley H-B, Holly Z and Jamie F.

Finley, Holly and Jamie all qualified for the Kangaroo round which is a pan-European competition. Holly achieved a gold certificate with both Finley and Jamie achieving a silver. To put this in context, a silver award places you in the top 3% of all students who entered the Maths Challenge, while a gold award places you in the top 1%.

This is a fantastic achievement by these three outstanding mathematicians!

A Level Art and Photography Summer Exhibition - Wednesday 10th June

We would like to invite you to our annual A Level Art and Photography Summer Exhibition. Our Year 13 Fine Art and Photography students have been hard at work and created another excellent array of work ranging from painting and sculpture to film and installations. This year we are excited to be exhibiting our A Level Textiles work alongside.

All are welcome on Wednesday 10th June 16:30-18:30 I Block

Music at Uckfield College - Vanessa Wilson-Best

Music isn’t just a subject at Uckfield College; it’s a creative, collaborative, community. From building deep emotional intelligence, great skills to fostering teamwork, our ambitious dual-route curriculum challenges our young people to achieve personal excellence and make some wonderful music.

Whether taking up an instrument for the first time or continuing with an instrument, we have choices for you. There is a busy super curricular culture all year, with lots of performing opportunities. You can learn an instrument here at Uckfield College with Red Butler Music School, who are based here now and part of the Uckfield College community. We also have lessons provided by Create Music if you wish to continue with them too.

Watch our department film to find out where your musical journey will take you.

What will your story be?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aC4PFkXgrv-QPyIJOJLbYvdSqWtqZRoI/view?usp=drive_link Comment end

New resources about online hate and misogyny on the ‘Kids online safety’ website - reminder

Together with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), we have published new resources on the ‘Kids online safety’ website to help parents and carers understand and get support dealing with online misogyny.

This new section is designed to help families and give them more confidence in talking to their children about what they’re doing and experiencing online.

The updated content includes:

what misogyny is
why you should talk to your child about misogyny
spotting the signs of misogyny
how you can support your son or daughter

We continue to link to trusted charities and expert organisations where families can find specialist support, including helplines and further advice.

Please share the updated Kids online safety website with parents and carers

Changes to Free School Meals - reminder

As you are probably aware, the Free School Meals eligibility criteria will change from 1 September 2026, and the transitional protection rules will cease at the end of this academic year.

All families in receipt of Universal Credit will now qualify for free school meals. However, there will be two categories of benefits-based free school meals:

Targeted FSM– This will continue to be based on the existing threshold and will cover pupils from households receiving Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less. In addition to receiving free meals, pupils eligible for targeted FSM will attract pupil premium and other disadvantage funding for their schools.
Expanded FSM– This is a new category covering pupils who do not qualify for targeted FSM, but who are in households receiving Universal Credit. Pupils eligible for expanded FSM will receive meals only and will not qualify for pupil premium or other associated benefits.

What do I need to do?

My child currently receives Free School Meals and is in Year 7 to 10 and Year 12

From 1^st June East Sussex County Council will be checking the eligibility of all students against the new criteria. ESCC will only contact parents if they no longer meet the criteria or to check personal data so please keep a look out for e-mails from them. Please DO NOT reapply as this will delay the process.

My child currently receives Free School Meals and is in Year 11

Your student’s Free School Meal eligibility will be cancelled at the end of the school year. If your student is rejoining our 6th form, please reapply using this link. If your student is joining another +16 education setting, please contact the admissions department of that school or college for information.

My child does not currently receive Free School Meals

If you believe your student may be eligible for Free School Meals under the Expanded FSM programme, please apply using this link. from 1st June. Please DO NOT apply before then as your application will be rejected.

If you believe your student may be eligible for Free School Meals under the Targeted FSM programme, please apply using this link. at any time.

If you have any questions, please contact the finance team at finance.info@uckfield.college or the East Sussex County Council FSM team on Phone: 0300 330 9472 (10 am to 3 pm)

Summer Hamper Raffle

Uckfield College Presents 'Little Shop of Horrors'! - reminder

Tickets for the Uckfield College production of Little Shop of Horrors are OFFICIALLY ON SALE!

Don’t miss out on three nights of exceptional talent, laughs galore, and one very hungry plant.

24th, 25th & 26th June

Tickets available here: https://www.ticketsource.com/whats-on/uckfield/uckfield-college

Essential Online Safety

Easy Fundraising for Uckfield College

Art of the Week

We are back with more incredible landscape art, this time from our amazing 8M.

Once again, the students took on the challenge of channeling Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and Abstract Art.

Here we have vivid, fiery sunsets, dreamy textured hillsides, and bold, geometric abstracts that look ready for a professional gallery.

Did You Know?

Refectory Weekly Menu

Useful Links for Parents/Carers

Year 7 Notices

Key Dates

Wednesday 24th, Thursday 25th and Friday 26th June – College Musical, 6pm – 7.30pm

Friday 3rd July – Rock The Weald Festival – 4.45pm – 8pm

Wednesday 8th July – Year 7 Celebration Evening, 6pm

Wednesday 22nd July – End of Term 6 (College closes to students 12.20pm)

Welcome Back Year 7 - Miss Wiltshire

As we begin the final term of Year 7, it’s a lovely opportunity to recognise how far the year group has come since this time last year when they were gearing up for the Year 6 to Year 7 transition days.

Our focus last term was on curiosity and a huge congratulations goes to 7U, who gained the most curiosity achievement points. This fantastic effort means they have now won our mentor group competition for two terms in a row!

In addition, the race to 10,000 achievement points was won by 7I after a brilliant collective effort. Their success made a massive contribution to the total of 84,000 achievement points reached by the entire Year 7 cohort by the end of Term 5. Looking forward, we are setting a new aspirational challenge to reach 100,000 achievement points by the end of the academic year.

We are also pleased with how well the students applied themselves during their assessments just before the half-term break. They demonstrated great resilience and focus and the Year 7 reports will be sent home to you later this term.

I’m sure you have received our recent communications about uniform expectations, particularly as the weather gets warmer and uniform standards can start to slip. We kindly ask for your continued support in reminding your child to wear their uniform correctly each day. This includes saving things like nail varnish, false eyelashes, and new ear piercings for the summer holidays. To ensure everyone is classroom-ready, students will spend Period 1 on Monday 15th June with their form mentors. During this hour, mentors will be conducting full uniform and equipment checks. Please help your child prepare by checking that they have their correct uniform and a complete pencil case on Monday morning.

This term, there are plenty of opportunities to celebrate the students’ success. Please note that our Year 7 Celebration Evening will take place on Wednesday 8th July, and we will also be hosting other reward events for the students. Finally, July will bring Enrichment Week, a fantastic chance for students to step outside their comfort zones and try exciting new activities. Students will be making their activity choices during PDT in the coming weeks.

In the final term, our Habits of Champions focus will shift toward gratitude, alongside preparing our students for their transition into Year 8. To support the transition, the entire year group will be reading the book ‘You Are Awesome’ to help them build the confidence and growth mindset needed for the next stage of their secondary school journey.

Year 8 Notices

Key Dates

Wednesday 24th, Thursday 25th & Friday 26th June – College Musical, 6pm – 7.30pm

Wednesday 1st July – Year 8 Celebration Evening, 6pm

Friday 3rd July – Rock The Weald Festival – 4.45pm – 8pm

Wednesday 22nd July – End of Term 6 (College closes to students 12.20pm)

Welcome Back Year 8 - Mr Sambrook

As we are approaching the end of another school year, in Term 6, “Decisions Decide Your Destiny” focuses on Gratitude. We will be reflecting on our Year 8 journey and helping the students to understand the science of Gratitude and celebrating the opportunities we have had this year.

Term 6 is full of exciting opportunities, from the Deep Learning Day (Take Your Child to Work Day) on June the 23rd, where they have the chance to see what a working day looks like much earlier than any other year group have had before, to Enrichment week where we can take part in an amazing number of different activities, both inside and outside school. We know our year group will continue to take on these challenges and reap the benefits.

Sticking with the theme of Gratitude, I want to thank you all as parents and carers for the unrelenting support you have shown this year, with the huge number of you attending parents evening, options evening and other school events, Year 8 have felt the support immensely, which I have no doubt will continue and sets our year group for a successful transition into GCSEs.

Year 9 Notices

Key Dates

Wednesday 24th, Thursday 25th & Friday 26th June – College Musical, 6pm – 7.30pm

Friday 3rd July – Rock The Weald Festival – 4.45pm – 8pm

Monday 13th July – Year 9 Celebration Evening, 6pm

Wednesday 22nd July – End of Term 6 (College closes to students 12.20pm

Welcome Back Year 9 - Mr Mitchell

Welcome to the final term of 2025/26! Time is whittling away to the start of Year 10 and we are busy behind the scenes preparing everything for September.

In the meantime, a few reflections are in order. We will spend PDT this term working on our powers of gratitude. Following the successful curiosity project of Term 5, we will undertake a similar project in PDT this term whereby we will recognise and celebrate those who have had a positive impact on the lives of our outstanding students.

We are also busy organising celebratory events with dates to be confirmed for those with the highest achievement points in the year group, our College Musical starts on June 24th which promises to be a fantastic spectacle as well as our Rock the Weald Festival on July 3rd which always has a strong Year 9 representation. Following that, Enrichment week (which students will sign up for next week) will take place week commencing July 6th and finally our Year Celebration Evening is scheduled for July 13th. A busy time to be a Year 9 student!

Finally from me, a heartfelt thank you for all of the support, humour and warmth you bring as a parent-body. Mrs Ogden and I feel lucky to lead such a truly special group of young people and we count ourselves lucky to love the jobs we do. A large part of that is down to your unwavering support and willingness to strike the balance between protecting our young people and pushing them to be their very best.

YEAR 9 TETANUS, DIPHTHERIA, POLIO, and MENINGITIS ACWY VACCINATION PROGRAMME

Important information for parents and carers from The Sussex Immunisation Service.

The Immunisation Service is coming into college to offer your child the Tetanus,Diphtheria, Polio (Td/IPV) and Meningitis ACWY (MenACWY) vaccination(s).

Attached to this email is the Td/IPV & MenACWY parent letter which contains information about the upcoming vaccination session and instructions on how to complete the online consent form. If there are any medical queries on the submitted consent form and we are unable to contact you to discuss them, we may have to delay vaccination and invite you to attend one of our clinics.

Please follow the links below;

For information about the Td/IPV & MenACWY vaccines and frequently asked questions:
https://www.sussexcommunity.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/resources/patient-resources/tetanus-diphtheria-and-polio-and-meningitis-vaccinations

To complete a consent form:https://www.susseximmunisations.co.uk/Forms/DTP

You will need the school code found within this parent letter to complete a consent form.

Year 10 Notices

Key Dates

Wednesday 24th, Thursday 25th and Friday 26th June – College Musical, 6pm – 7.30pm

Friday 3rd July – Rock The Weald Festival – 4.45pm – 8pm

Monday 6th July – Friday 10th July – Year 10 Work Experience Week

Thursday 16th July – Year 10 Celebration Evening, 6pm

Wednesday 22nd July – End of Term 6 (College closes to students 12.20pm)

Welcome Back Year 10 - Mr Buntain

A very warm welcome back to the final term of Year 10. I hope you all had a restful break.

As we enter this final stretch of the academic year, our Habits of Champions theme for this term is Gratitude and Respecting Others’ Contributions and Achievements. Within Year 10, our specific focus will be on how we celebrate people around the world, how we are thankful, and how we give our time to help others. This beautifully reinforces our core value of Respect for All, as we encourage our students to celebrate the community around them.

This is a critical term for our students. We are now entering the final 180 school days before their GCSEs begin. To ensure they achieve personal excellence, it is vital that they maintain their exceptional standards and high levels of commitment to their studies.

To help you map out the busy weeks ahead, please find the key dates for this term below:

Key Dates for Term 6

Monday 10th June: Year 10 Geography Trip to the River Uck
Wednesday 17th June: Food Technology Trial Exam
23rd, 26th, 29th, 30th June & 1st, 2nd July: MFL Speaking Trial Exams
Wednesday 24th June: School Musical
6th – 10th July: Year 10 Work Experience Week (Crucial action required below)
12th – 19th July: NASA Trip
Thursday 16th July: Year 10 Celebration Evening
Wednesday 22nd July: End of Term 6

Important Action: Year 10 Work Experience (6th–10th July)

Please ensure that your child has organised their relevant work experience placement and that all necessary forms—which have been shared via Google Classrooms—are fully completed. If you run into any issues or have questions regarding placement documentation, please contact Mrs. Aguilera immediately at s.aguilear@uckfield.college.

Thank you for your continued partnership, optimism, and support as we guide our students through this exciting and foundational term. Let’s make these 180 days count!

Year 10 6th Form Experience - Ms Fassam

We are very pleased to inform you that we are inviting all of our Year 10 students to join us on Monday 22nd June for our “Uckfield College 6th Form Experience”.

This event will run from 2.30pm-4.30pm and is designed to help students start thinking about their Year 12 options. There will be a chance to meet the 6th Form Leadership team and also to experience brief introductions to all the Level 3 courses on offer.

At the event, students will be able to take part in mini-activities in a range of different subjects (up to 8 different subjects) to help them consider their Level 3 options. This will be followed, when your child is in Year 11, by an opportunity to attend longer taster sessions in fewer subjects in January, and also attend our Sixth Form Open Evening in November.

This should be a very enjoyable event and we hope that as many of our Year 10 students as possible will be keen to take part, as a way of starting the exciting process of picking their options for their Level 3 study.

If your child would like to take part in this event, then please fill in their details on the Google Form linked here by Friday 12th June.

Important information from the Sussex Immunisation Service - Outstanding Td/IPV and MenACWY vaccinations

The Immunisation Service is coming into college for a Tetanus/Diphtheria/Polio (Td/IPV) and Meningitis ACWY (MenACWY) vaccination catch-up session on Friday 3rd July 2026 to offer these vaccines to students in years 10 and 11 who have not yet received the Td/IPV & amp; MenACWY vaccinations which are routinely offered in year 9.

If this applies to your child and:
– you have already completed and returned a consent form; the Immunisation Service will offer this vaccination at the upcoming catch-up session in school. Where a consent form was submitted in a previous school year, your local Immunisation Team will contact you prior to
offering this vaccination.
or
– you consented for your child to receive this vaccination at a different school, and it is still outstanding, please contact your local Immunisation team on 01273 696011 x 4931 so that they can update your child’s consent form.
or
– you have not yet consented and would like to do so, please see the information below.

To complete a consent form:https://www.susseximmunisations.co.uk/Forms/DTP

You will need the school code found within this parent letter to complete a consent form.

For information about the Td/IPV & MenACWY vaccines and frequently asked questions visit: Frequently Asked Questions | Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Polio and Meningitis (sussexcommunity.nhs.uk)

Year 11 Notices

Key Dates

Thursday 18th June – Year 11 Celebration Evening (Invitation only), 6pm – 7pm

Friday 19th June – Year 11 Graduation Assembly (students only) – 2pm (arrive from 1.45pm)

Wednesday 24th, Thursday 25th and Friday 26th June – College Musical, 6pm – 7.30pm

Thursday 25th June – Year 11 Prom, 5.45pm (Arrival) – 11pm

Friday 3rd July – Rock The Weald Festival – 4.45pm – 8pm

Wednesday 22nd July – End of Term 6 (College closes to students 12.20pm)

Welcome Back Year 11 - Mr Prichard

As we head into the final stretch of the GCSE examination period, I wanted to take a moment to write to you and reflect on the incredible journey our Year 11 students have been on.

First and foremost, I want to express my immense pride in our students. Over the last few weeks, they have shown an outstanding level of hard work, resilience, and sheer determination to achieve their very best. Sitting GCSE exams is a demanding experience, both academically and emotionally, and the mature way this cohort has approached every single paper is a true credit to them. They have faced the pressure head-on, supported one another, and given their absolute best.

We have two weeks of examinations remaining, and we know that maintaining focus at this final stage requires one last big push. We wish every single student the very best of luck for these upcoming papers. We have every confidence that their dedication will be rewarded.

Of course, our students would not be where they are today without you. I want to say a huge thank you for your unwavering support, not just over the last few weeks, but across your child’s entire educational journey. From helping with primary school homework and navigating the transition to secondary school, to managing the recent late-night revision sessions and providing endless encouragement—your partnership with the college has been invaluable.

We are nearly at the finish line, and we look forward to celebrating the end of this chapter with the students very soon.

Key Dates:

Thursday 18th June – Awards Evening (invite) 18:00 – 19:00

Friday 19th June – Graduation Assembly (all students) 14:00 – 15:15

Thursday 25th June – Y11 Prom – Amex 18:00 – 23:00

Finally, the students have very kindly been organising collections for a small gift to show their appreciation for the pastoral work of their Form Mentors. Should anyone like to contribute they are welcome to see myself or Mr Stonebanks in the Year Office.

Thank you once again for everything.

Donations of preloved PE Kit

As our Year 11 students prepare to move on to their next chapters, the PE Department is looking to replenish our stores of spare kit to support students across the school.

If you find you have any of the following items in good condition that are no longer needed, we would be incredibly grateful for your donations:

PE T-shirts
Skorts and Shorts
Football Boots
Trainers

Your generosity helps ensure that all students can participate fully in sports and physical education.

Where to drop off? Please send any washed items into school with your child to be dropped off directly at the PE Office.

Thank you for your continued support!

Important information from the Sussex Immunisation Service - Outstanding Td/IPV and MenACWY vaccinations

To complete a consent form:https://www.susseximmunisations.co.uk/Forms/DTP

You will need the school code found within this parent letter to complete a consent form.

For information about the Td/IPV & MenACWY vaccines and frequently asked questions visit: Frequently Asked Questions | Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Polio and Meningitis (sussexcommunity.nhs.uk)

Sixth Form Notices

Key Dates

Wednesday 24th, Thursday 25th & Friday 26th June – College Musical, 6pm – 7.30pm

Friday 3rd July – Rock The Weald Festival – 4.45pm – 8pm

Thursday 9th July – Year 12 Celebration Evening, 6pm

Wednesday 22nd July – End of Term 6 (College closes to students 12.20pm)

Welcome Back sixth form - Mr Simmons, Mr McLachlan and Mrs Moxon

Our Year 13 prom on the last Friday of term was a tremendous success. The students and staff who attended had a great time and we would like to thank all of the Year 13 students who made the Year 13 prom such a special evening. The Year 13 students are now well into their exams and will be finishing in the next two weeks. We wish all of them the very best wishes in whatever their future holds. The 6th Form team will be in college on the morning the students collect results (Thursday, August 13th) to congratulate the students and deal with any questions they may have (e.g. about the UCAS process).

This term promises to be a busy and incredibly important term for our Year 12 students. As they continue to navigate their 6th Form studies, this term is also pivotal for their future planning and personal development. We have a number of key events coming up that will significantly contribute to both their academic progress and their post-18 aspirations. The Year 12 Progression exams take place in the week commencing 15th June and will be used to assess students’ progression into Year 13, as well as helping to inform our UCAS predictions. For these reasons, it is important that students treat these exams as if they were public exams and prepare accordingly. Students must pass these exams with at least a D grade or Merit in order to be sure of progressing to Year 13. Two weeks after the progression exams is our Enrichment Week, which takes place from 6th – 10th July. This week includes our Model United Nations General Assembly on the 7th July, UCAS / Careers preparation, our Year 12 Celebration Evening on the 9th July and the trip to Thorpe Park on the 10th July. Finally, our Year 12 BTEC Level 12 students have now finished their course and we would like to congratulate them on their hard work and wish them well for the future.

Year 12 Progression exams: 15th - 22nd June

The Year 12 Progression exams are taking place between the 15th and 22nd June.

All Year 12 students will be off timetable for the whole of this period, including those on vocational courses (e.g. BTECs). This will enable all students to be focussed on the exams. These exams will be very important in guiding predicted grades for UCAS and will also be used to confirm that students are able to progress to the second year of their courses.

The curriculum specifications launched in 2016 have terminal examinations that are much harder and the content of the second year of the courses is more difficult than the first year. As such it is vital that we ascertain a clear view of every students’ likelihood of success next summer before they start Year 13. Students must achieve a minimum of a D grade in A level courses and a Merit in Vocational courses. It goes without saying that students should be preparing for these exams appropriately and methodically. Teachers will have given students feedback on their March exams and will be helping them prepare for these exams. Exam timetables have already been shared with students and we would expect all students to be revising for these exams from now onwards. Please encourage them to do so.

End of Term Events - Ms Fassam

I hope the exam period went really well for everyone. I am writing to let you know the arrangements for several key events happening in the rest of this term.

Year 12 Celebration Evening – Thursday 9th July

On Thursday 9th of July during Enrichment week, Year 12 will have an important morning of preparation for life after school involving financial capability and career planning. They will be allowed to leave college on this day at 13.20pm in order to facilitate them returning at 6pm for what we hope will be a lovely celebration of everything they have achieved this year, as well as a demonstration of the many talents that we have within the year group.

During the evening, a range of students will be receiving specific awards for their achievements this year; we will also be celebrating the successful candidates for our student leadership team and announcing the Head Student positions.

The parents of those students who have won one of the top awards will also be invited to attend. The rest of the seats will be available on a first come first served basis from Thursday 2nd July. We really hope that this will be a lovely way to end the year and we do expect that all Year 12 students attend this event unless there is an authorised reason that means this is not possible.

Model United Nations General Assembly (MUNGA) – Tuesday 7th July

On the 7th July, all Year 12 students will take part in the College’s annual Model United Nations General Assembly (MUNGA).

The students will be working in teams, role-playing the delegates of governments and they will represent their country in a series of debates about important global issues.

This is a hugely enjoyable event that teaches the students about current affairs and develops important skills such as teamwork and communication, as well as developing their confidence in public speaking.

Students must attend in smart dress as they are representing national governments. The invaluable experience that the students get from the day is often referred to in their UCAS applications and job applications.

Reminders

Just a few reminders for the remainder of the term.

Year 12 Progression Exams take place from 15th-22nd June
Enrichment week is from 6th -10th July and attendance at these days is compulsory for all students.
Students will receive a Year 13 pack in the penultimate week of term – please read this carefully. It contains information about the start of term, required books for specific subjects and a link to the electronic agreement form that needs to be completed before the 1st day of term in September. Entry into Year 13 will not be possible without this.
College finishes this year at 12.20pm on Wednesday 22nd July.

Please let me take this opportunity to wish you a very happy summer and that I hope all Year 12 students receive the results they need in their Year 12 progression exams.

The UniTasterDays Parents' Guide to University 2026

The Parents’ Guide to University 2026 has been created to help families support young people as they explore their university options. It covers everything from choosing a course and university, to student finance, applications, and preparing for university life.

It features contributions from more than 80 university representatives from across the UK, alongside expert voices including educator and TV personality Baasit Siddiqui.

Download the Parent’s Guide 2026 here.

What Next Webinar: University & Higher Education, 10th June, 6pm

Get Career Confident’s qualified careers advisors are holding a webinar on the topic of university and higher education. They will be covering:

What options there are for studying higher education
What place might be right for you
How, what and where you study connects to your future
How to apply

The webinar will start with a talk and then be followed by an opportunity for questions. It is free & open to everyone.

To register interest and receive a link to join, please complete the form by clicking here.