INSPIRED Sixth Form

Article was written by Mr Oracz, Head of INSPIRED Sixth Form

As Head of Sixth Form, I am passionate about providing students with every opportunity on the pathway to life beyond their A Levels. It was therefore a pleasure to put together Westholme’s own University and Apprenticeship Fair and invite so many delegates into school to inform, advise and enthuse students and families from across the region. I am very proud of our success as the 2023 Independent School of the Year for our Careers Programme, and it is through the wider support and opportunities we provide for our students at Westholme, such as this event, that our students have excelled in achieving highly coveted degree apprenticeships and university places, leading to us also gaining such recognition.

In addition to the numerous recruitment and outreach advisors from universities and leading companies, many recent Westholme graduates returned on the evening, representing the major companies they are now privileged to be a part of, hosting stalls to promote the Level 6 Degree Apprenticeships they were successful in achieving through the support given during their time at school; our alumni giving back to the school, grateful for what they were given, now wishing to give other students the same opportunities they themselves were afforded. This cycle of success and support is truly a pleasure to behold and makes me incredibly proud.

The event was a great undertaking, with huge thanks particularly to Miss Goulbourne in our Promotion Team and also our Careers Advisor Mrs Hibberd, who were instrumental in putting the event together. I hope that families found the evening useful, no matter what year group they were a part of, and I hope that it allowed our Year 12 students to narrow down their options, as they are now at that point of beginning applications.

On Friday 15th March, we were pleased to welcome Claire Moule to Westholme, who is the Talent Manager for Marriot Hotels for the North West. She came in to speak with Year 10 and INSPIRED Sixth Form Business and Economics students on her experiences in the HR market for Hospitality. She gave a presentation to the students in the LRC and imparted words of advice and knowledge throughout.

 

She took the students through apprenticeship opportunities within the industry including Level 7 apprenticeships and hints and tips with interviews and applications. Claire also went into detail on the challenges her industry is facing and how HR is tackling these problems. 

 

At the end of her presentation she met with members of the INSPIRED Sixth Form student executive, answering any questions that they had before posing for a photograph.

 

Thank you, Claire, for coming in and sharing your wisdom and to Mr Zourmand, Head of Business & Economics, for organising the event.

Celebrating Science!

 

British Science Week is a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering, and maths that has taken place between the 8th and 17th March. Coordinated by the British Science Association, the aim of the event is to raise awareness, spark enthusiasm and celebrate science.

 

As such, the Westholme science department was busy throughout the week and invited all students to take part in several activities to help mark the occasion. There was a biology ‘sensory circus’ where students had to use all of their senses to identify objects, smells and tastes, as well as an opportunity to try braille and explore how sound works. This even involved putting their hands into boxes and trying the identify the objects that were inside, such as jelly and even bones.

 

Physics also had some amazing demonstrations using the Van de Graaff generator and Ruben’s Tube. Students eagerly got involved and under the supervision of Dr Watson there really were some hair-raising, illuminating and sparkling results!

 

Over in chemistry, every form carried out a fun periodic table quiz in the morning before lessons began for the day. Head of Chemistry Mr Charnock also led a practical for INSPIRED Sixth Form A Level students in the labs where they were trying to replicate week killer solutions and analysing their results. Whilst this activity was not specific to science week as such, it was great to see activities and experiments taking place across the whole department.

 

It was a great way to celebrate science across all departments, and it was great to see so many students actively involved.

 

Students can find out more by visiting britishscienceweek.org – this includes an opportunity to take part in a poster competition on the theme of time!

 

On Friday 15th March we celebrated Comic Relief 2024!

 

Mrs Oracz and members of the INSPIRED Sixth Form Charity Team were responsible for organising the fundraising attempts to donate to charity and had organised an 'Ice Bucket Challenge' for members of staff to take part in on the stage in The Croston Theatre.

 

Leading up to the event, there was a fundraising point in the corridor, where Mrs Oracz and her charity team were selling confectionary to raise money for the cause amongst students.

 

Students and staff alike gathered in the theatre this morning to watch the challenge take place. There was a sense of excitement and nervousness amongst the staff who had agreed to take part in the challenge, as names were drawn out of a hat to decide which members of staff were due to take part. The stage was set with a paddling pool, seat and ice bucket...with Mr Cornwall in charge of pouring the bucket.

 

Mrs Oracz called out the names of the staff who were due to take part, with Mr Scorah up first! Needless to say, it was a chilly start to the morning for those staff members involved! But it was good fun and all for a great cause, and they were interviewed for their thoughts shortly after having been soaked by members of the INSPIRED Sixth Form Charity Team who had helped to organise proceedings.

 

Finally, after 5 out of the agreed 6 members of staff had been 'iced' there was one final name to be drawn...and to everyone's surprise it was Mrs Cowan! Who, we weren't sure if she was aware that she may be involved beforehand! Fair play to Mrs Cowan for taking part and fortunately she was seen in a spare set of clothes afterwards.

 

Thank you to Mrs Oracz for organising the event, and the fundraising efforts which will go to a great cause. Big thank you to all those who donated also. So far there has been £796.50 raised!

At the beginning of March we saw our spectacular Les Misérables showcase taking place on the Croston Theatre stage, with our talented students performing to the very best of their abilities! Organised by Director of Performing Arts Mrs Holland, the show was the school edition of the much loved musical, adapted from the original historical novel written by Victor Hugo in 1862.

Things started at the beginning of the week with a production put on specially for visiting schools in the morning. Needless the say our visitors were impressed by the level of performance that was on show and it was a great opportunity for the cast to warm themselves up for the main event in the evening, the first of a five-night extravaganza, with the finale taking place on Saturday evening.

Set in early 19th century France, the cast played out Jean Valjean’s story to perfection – bringing his story of redemption to life. Throughout the week audiences were wowed with the spectacular sets, characters and songs that were performed. It was obvious that each and every student involved deserved to be there as a result of their hard work in rehearsals. The live band in the orchestra pit, led by Director of Music Mr Holt, supported the cast brilliantly throughout – it was great to see some OWs coming back to help out as well.

We also held a special reception for VIP guests before the Thursday production, with delicious canapes and drinks laid out in the INSPIRED Sixth Form common room by our catering partners Thomas Franks. Guests then made their way over to the Theatre for the main event which was a resounding success.

Overall, it was a fantastic week of entertainment, with students and members of staff alike pulling off a brilliant week of musical theatre. Congratulations to the cast and to the members of staff involved in the organising of the programme, as well as the members of the technical and costume staff who worked tirelessly to pull off a great event.

It was definitely a week to remember!