PUBLISHED 16 August 2022
Our Sixth Form Celebration Evening was a joyous end to Year 13’s time in school prior to their study leave. It gave us time to pause and take stock of the cohort’s fantastic achievements during their time with us, whilst noting that the Class of 2023 are already midway through their Sixth Form lives. The students’ two years at Sixth Form truly fly by, yet they have acquired and developed a range of study and life skills which will serve them well for their varied and exciting lives ahead.
This year has been typically full of diverse opportunities and it has been a pleasure to watch students pursue their interests and explore new experiences.
Speaker’s Programme
This year’s guest speaker programme has offered students crucial guidance in their current studies and beyond into higher education, degree apprenticeships and the world of professional work. At the beginning of the year, the Sixth Form welcomed a number of alumni who gave insightful presentations regarding their experiences at university. Jeremy and Sam offered their impressions of studying at London universities, UCL and King’s College respectively.
Lower Sixth Evening of Inquiry
As part of our Sixth Form Scholars’ Programme, students in Lower Sixth are encouraged to undertake an academic inquiry project. Over the course of three months, and supervised throughout by Mr O’Loughlin, students pursued their passions far beyond the provision of their A-level syllabi. A diverse range of topics included advancements in stem cell research, antisemitism in post-WWII West Germany, and the music of Thelonius Monk. The students’ forays into academic research culminated in an Evening of Inquiry where they spoke enthusiastically about their topics whilst reflecting on the experience as a whole.
Social Events
We began the Sixth Form social calendar with a bang (and a scream!) at Blackpool’s Grand Theatre to see the nerve-shredding adaptation of The Woman in Black.
The highlight, however, of the social calendar this year for the Lower Sixth has been our two-day visit to London. With nearly a full Lower Sixth cohort, we spent two days visiting the Natural History Museum, the British Museum and the British Library, interspersed with a generous dollop of personal time to shop, dine and hang out with friends. In the evening the students were left jaw-dropped, but gyrating, by the Dominion Theatre’s production of Dirty Dancing. Next year’s December visit will coincide with the Christmas markets, take in a tour of King’s College London and spend the evening Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland.
The Upper Sixth’s Headmaster’s Dinner was a great success. The students looked fantastic in their formal wear and the Main Hall was resplendently bathed in candlelight, which was only eclipsed by the catering team’s sumptuous three-course meal. The Sixth Form Ball was another suitably celebratory milestone which drew the term to a close.
Performing Arts
With such an array of talent in Sixth Form, it has been a pleasure to watch them continue to develop and hone their crafts, whether in music, theatre or musical theatre. The busy calendar of teatime and evening concerts has consistently entertained all in attendance with a broad mix of musicality on display. We always encourage students to seize opportunities in Sixth Form, to look beyond the comfortable and to push themselves to try new things. One individual to do just that has been one of our students in Lower Sixth. Before September, Rhys had never sung in public. This year he has gone on to sing solo in a number of concerts, wowing the audience with his syrupy vocals. It has been an exciting journey for him and a thrilling experience for staff and his friends.
This year’s school production of Oliver! at The Lowther Pavilion was a fantastic experience, surpassing the previous year’s production again. Many of our Upper Sixth students cut their theatrical teeth in productions going all the way back to their time in Year 7; to see them develop their craft and take centre stage in principal roles has been a privilege. However, their summer of music didn't stop with our final concert, as many of them joined the department on the Music Tour to the Rhine Valley in July.
Sport – Rugby/Football/Cricket/Hockey
Students have continued to show a sustained commitment to their respective sports. Both Freya and Prisha have been an outstanding co-captain partnership for the First XI Hockey. Similarly, Morgan in Upper Sixth has been an exceptional captain of the First XI Cricket. Fraser has been this year’s top goal scorer for the First XI Football team and shone in the recent friendly Sixth Form Vs Year 11 Boys match. Rugby has been an enduring passion for many of the boys and I know they will be looking forward to this summer’s tour to South Africa. It is also important to acknowledge the sporting triumphs that have happened away from the school domain. Toby has secured a much-deserved place on the U18 Lambs tour to Ireland this Summer. Nathan has represented Wigan Warriors Rugby League, and Sale Sharks Rugby Union as a dual-code player, and is hoping to continue his rugby career at Cardiff University. Both boys, and Daniel in Lower Sixth have also represented Lancashire. Finally, and by no means least, Tristan has represented Sale Sharks Academy and played in the U18 England squad in the Six Nations U18 tournament in France over Easter. I have no doubt that Tristan will be a future selection option for students in our Sixth Form Six Nations Ruby Fantasy league in the years to come.
Alongside their academic commitments, students have continued to inspire and support students throughout senior school. The VENT initiative, our in-house, student-led mental health support programme goes from strength to strength, and a special thanks to Keira B and Muskaan for all their hard work this year. The new team of Sixth Form students led by Keira K, Grace and Alicia have picked up the baton and have already made a positive start with the student body.
Tycoon Enterprise
Our entrepreneurial students involved with the international Tycoon Enterprise competition consistently perform well each year. The three business groups of Candle Cubes, Build-A-Bauble and Extravagant Engravings are performing very well, with the latter sitting comfortably on the national leader board for highest profits. A fourth group opted to create a social enterprise team, and Just New Friends has indeed done just that hosting members of the older community through a series of game afternoons. Their endeavours have been recognised and praised by Peter Jones, the founder of Tycoon Enterprise.
I would like to pay tribute to this year’s excellent Sixth Form Student Leadership Team for their unwavering professionalism and inspiration, with specific mention to Heads of School Keira and Oliver. We are excited to see the positive impact the student leadership team for 2022-2023, headed up by Mollie and Ben, will bring to the school community.
Careers
The careers programme within the Senior School has continued to support all students from Year 7 and above this year. As well as careers-related sessions in PSHE and Sixth Form Enrichment, there has been a range of activities outside of lesson time.
Every March we participate in the National Careers Week programme, offering a range of career-focused activities for all students in the Senior School. Our remote careers provision offers impartial advice through our third-party partners Unifrog, Morrisby and the official National Careers Week provider.
Our students in Upper Sixth have received personalised support with their plans for the future. Those that have applied for competitive courses have secured places to study medicine next year. Part of our competitive healthcare careers programme involves a Mock MMI Evening for all competitive applicants and this year we were hugely grateful for the continued support provided by members of our medical alumni. It was wonderful to see former students give back to a programme which helped them in their applications, and I would like to thank Lizzie, Will, Cheran, Ben, Mo and Alicia for taking time out of their busy professional lives to help out on the evening. Two students have also secured places to read at the University of Oxford: Alicia has received an offer to read Music at Lincoln College, and Meghna has received an offer from Christ Church Collee to read Medicine.
In May we hosted our AKS Futures Evening for internal and external students in Years 10 and above. The evening’s programme consisted of specialist talks covering UCAS, universities, degree apprenticeships and competitive applications.
All students in Years 11 and 12 have continued to have access to one-to-one career interviews and follow-up support. With many of the interviews taking place via Microsoft Teams, it was also an opportunity to invite parents to attend the careers interview process.
Lower Sixth students have already begun work on their university applications. The UCAS application process can be daunting for students, but the personalised support they receive at AKS by expert teaching staff means they will be guided throughout the entire application. Students can take comfort in the fact that their personal tutors are seasoned UCAS experts and will be on-hand to make the process a smooth experience.