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Tel: 01938 552014    Email: office@welshpool-hs.powys.sch.uk

Raising Achievement By Raising Expectations | Codi Cyrhaeddiad Trwy Godi Disgwyliadau

WHS Head Students

 Applications for our Sixth Form are NOW OPEN!

You need to make sure you get your online application in quickly by visiting:  Chweched Powys Sixth
Find out more about Chweched Powys Sixth by viewing the video on the Powys Sixth Home page

If you have any queries about the Sixth Form, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Jones – wendy.langford@welshpool-hs.powys.sch.uk

An Introduction

 

“Hi, I’m Maddie I’m currently studying Welsh Bac, English and Psychology and I plan on going into marketing. I originally was planning on going to Shrewsbury Sixth Form, and I’m sure many of you are considering doing the same. But after my taster day I realised that it just wasn’t the right place for me. I chose to stay on at Welshpool and believe me when I say that it was an amazing decision.

It’s no secret that there is a big jump to A levels from GCSE, that’s the same regardless of what school you go to. But for me, being able to adjust to the new expectations of work in an environment that I was already familiar with, learning from teachers who already knew me and knew how I learned has been so incredible. I think it’s something really worth considering when making your choice of where to go next, and if you think that having to stress about finding your way around a new school and meeting new teachers isn’t what’s best for you then perhaps Welshpool will be a great option. And for those of you tonight who have come from a different school if you choose our sixth form, I’m sure you’ll settle in really quickly with our amazing teachers and friendly pupils.

Something that I was really surprised about when I started sixth form was the number of opportunities, we had for extracurricular activities whether that’s art club, guided reading, science club and so many more. The school really help us in providing opportunities for us to gain skills that will be valuable for the future such as UCAS forms or job applications. However, something that I really love about the school is the encouragement we receive to create our own opportunities – for example I’m very active on the school council and I’m constantly supported in creating fundraisers and doing all sorts of things to improve the school.

Another thing that is so great about this sixth form is how our mental health and well-being is a priority for the school. Teachers are ready to go above and beyond for us and all we need to do is ask. For example, we have sports well-being sessions with Hugh on Wednesdays which are a great way to relax and decompress between lessons. We also have frequent well-being afternoons ran by our head of year which have been really helpful. Many of the staff have special mental health first aide training which means they are always on hand to chat if we ever need it. I find it really reassuring how the school supports us academically, socially and emotionally.

This sixth form is so lovely, when I walk into the common room I’m greeted with friendly faces and when I go to my lessons, I feel supported by our amazing teachers. Here, we are encouraged to grow find our independence whilst having a nurturing safety net that’s always there for us when we’re struggling. I really hope that you choose to come here for your next step.”

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

EMA is a payment for 16 to 18 year olds living in Wales, who want to continue their education after school leaving age.

Introducing our Student Leadership Team 2023-2024

Year 12 – Access All Aber 2023

Sixth form students attended an all-expenses paid trip to Aberystwyth University as part of their Access All Aber 5 day residential programme.  this programme is aimed at helping break down barriers to Higher Education.  The University’s highest priority is to help students who might face a variety of different barriers to Higher Education

“We attended Aberystwyth University for 5 days, staying in the Pantycelyn accommodation at the university and being treated to food from the dining hall including some delicious cakes!  

We got to take part subject based mock lectures lead by university professors as well as informative talks about finance and UCAS applications. On top of valuable academic sessions, we also enjoyed many social activities including a quiz night, movie night, and a walk through the town with ice cream on the beach. We took advantage of the free gym facilities during spare time, and we also took part in sports sessions led by the senior members of sports societies including a football session with the head coach of Aberystwyth football team.  We were offered the opportunity of a tour around the National Library of Wales as well as the University’s Hugh Owens Library.

The experience offered us a great opportunity to make friends with people from all over Wales, as we spent many hours playing cards, pool, and Just Dance. Overall, we had an amazing time, made lots of new friends and left with a much more informed view on university life.”

Alan and Maddie

(Head Boy & Head Girl)

Year 12 – Oxford Trip 2023

Pupils from Welshpool High School’s Sixth Form recently enjoyed a chance to experience life on the campus of a historic Oxford University. New College Oxford gave the opportunity for eight pupils from Welshpool, and a larger group from other schools in Powys, to attend an open day at the college where they stayed overnight in the architecturally impressive college buildings. New College, founded in the fourteenth century, is a beautiful campus.

Pupils enjoyed a meal in the impressive dining hall and were given a tour of the medieval site. They were able to see several famous locations, a few of which popularised as location shots in the Harry Potter franchise! They were then given a talk by Jesus college graduate Daniel Powell where he stressed the historic links between several of the older colleges and Wales. Organisations such as the Dafydd ap Gwilym Welsh Society in Oxford University were explained and prospectuses were made available in both English and Welsh.

The talk included useful advice about the nature of life in the Oxford collegiate system (with around thirty-five separate collages), likely costs and advice on applying to Oxford to become a student. Pupils were then able to tour Oxford and visit many of the other colleges, which were open to visiting students and providing talks and information for prospective undergraduates.

The experience helped the students to think about possibly applying to an Oxbridge university and helped to provoke conversation and thought about university in general. The cultural experience of visiting such a historic town with so many points of interest was also much appreciated by all the pupils form the visiting Welsh schools.

 

Mr Corfield

Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Trip to Aberystwyth

Our Sixth Form students recently visited Aberystwyth University. As part of the trip Students visited the University Campus and National Library for Wales during the day they attended various workshops which Introduced them to the Individual Research Project that accounts for 50% of their grade, they learned about the importance of the Individual Project for their future career paths as well as learning how to reference and research effectively to produce higher level research projects.

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