Sixth Form Invite Year 11 into the Inner Sanctum

The new Sixth Form Common Room is currently the envy of the rest of the school- for pupils and staff alike!
But for the next 3 Fridays until the end of term, each Year 11 class has been invited in for coffee and pain au chocolat and a chance to test out the comfy sofas and enjoy the view from the terrace.
This morning 11C lost no time in giving their suggestions on how they might decorate and furnish the Common Room...Another 8 months and you can hang those fairy lights up yourselves!!

Time To Consider US Universities?

With university tuition fees in the UK set to rise from the current rate of just above £3000 to anywhere between £6000 and £9000, is now the time to consider a post-18 education over the pond?
Historically for British students an Ivy League education has been the preserve of the very wealthy but now the gap in fees seems so much narrower that perhaps it's worth considering...
Tuition fees at a US College can be anywhere between £12000 for a public college to £20000 for a private one.
Benefits of studying in America include studying a range of subjects in the first year before deciding later on a single subject in which to 'major' as well as the furthering of your own personal development by living in a different culture. Career opportunities in the US may well be improved too by having a 'home-grown' degree. For further information visit the Fulbright Commission website: www.fulbright.co.uk

Royal Wedding to Take Place on St Catherine's Day

It's not often that there is a national holiday on the day celebrating the life of our school's Patron Saint, St Catherine of Siena but Prince William's marriage to Kate Middleton will take place next year on 29th April in Westminster Abbey.

Year 12 Parents' Evening- Tuesday, 23rd November

Don't forget this very important evening!

Meetings with your teachers will be held in the Drama Studio with first appointments at 4.30pm. Refreshments will also be available in the Studio.

Government White Paper heralds return to traditional A levels

Later this week a White Paper will include a raft of new measures aimed at improving literacy across all school age groups, as well as a proposal for a return to the old-style A level, with regular module exams being replaced by a single paper at the end of Year 13.

Teachers have long seen the 'bite-size' modules which      are sat throughout the Lower Sixth as well as Upper Sixth, as preventing students from acquiring the sort of depth of understanding of academic subjects that universities came to expect from the country's A level students back in the 1980s.
The Education Secretary, Michael Gove, also plans to create an "English Baccalaureate", that will reward students for getting good GCSE results in English, Maths, a Science, a Modern Foreign Language and a Humanities subject.
We welcome these proposals. However, be warned girls! Teachers will now have the right to search their students and confiscate those natty electronic devices....

Sixth Form visit to Houses of Parliament and PMQs

On Wed 17th November all Year 12 students visited both Houses of Parliament, a tour sponsored by our local MP, Dr Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
After extensive security checks at the Visitor's entrance we met our guide who proceeded to take us around the more important spaces in Charles Barry's impressive palace. We saw where the Queen prepares herself in readiness for the State Opening of Parliament, the indentations on the door linking the Lords to the Commons left my numerous bangings of Black Rod. We stood at the dispatch box in the House of Commons pretending the be the PM and learnt the process by which Bills can 'ping-pong' between both Houses before they gain Royal Approval and become law. The contrast between the relative austerity of the Commons and the opulence of Pugin's elaborate decorative designs within the Lords was very striking: plain wood carvings in the one and plentiful gold-leaf, rich paintings and tapestries in the other.

We were very fortunate to have been allocated tickets to attend Prime Minister's Questions and at noon we joined a packed Public Gallery to witness David Cameron and Harriet Harman exchange blows over proposed cuts to the Police Force of Greater Manchester.

The House also collectively congratulated Prince William and his new fiancee, Kate Middleton on the announcement of their engagement and as luck would have it we had arranged a tour in the afternoon to see Westminster Abbey. After a whistle-stop tour we were unanimous in our opinion that the Abbey is indeed a fine venue for a wedding and would highly recommend it to the happy couple!

http://www.parliament.uk/

Opening of Sixth Form by His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor

On Tuesday 9th November 2010 the Sixth Form Centre was officially opened by His Eminence, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.

After arriving at 9.30am His Eminence blessed the Sixth Form Centre and all other areas of the new extension. He then led a Mass in the school hall for the whole school, parents and guests. Refreshments were then served in the new Drama Studio where there were opportunities to meet His Eminence and for distinguished ladies to have their picture taken alongside him!

We feel very honoured that such a leading figure in the Catholic church should have opened our new Sixth Form and we will endeavour to follow the directions he spelt out for all the girls in his Homily- to be truthful and empathetic towards all people we meet.