Update from Head of INSPIRED Sixth Form, Mr Oracz

This week marked the countdown to Stand Down for our Year 13 students, with the first celebratory events taking place, and the final arrangements for next week’s formal ball taking shape. To begin with, the annual Year 13 vs Staff football match was played out on the astro in the baking midday sun and a huge crowd of excited Westholme fans from all years. The match was full of twists and turns, with both sides grappling for the victory, but in the end the students took the victory and the Sam Hall Trophy. Following this, the dress-up days have seen astronauts, dentists, rock stars and lawyers, as students dressed in their future career paths, some possibly more realistic than others, but we do say that no dream is too big at Westholme, so why not shoot for the stars with NASA?

It is typical at this time of year for nostalgia to set in, and it has been wonderful hearing so many students talking about their favourite memories at Westholme and how much they are going to miss being here day in, day out. With their future in mind, our students have this week officially joined our Old Westholmian network, the Westholme Family Alumni group, ensuring Westholme is very much a part of their future, as it defines their past and present. 

With a range of incredible university and careers offers on the table, the future is bright for our Year 13 students. Most students have finalised their first and insurance offers and can now focus purely on their exams and the exciting next steps that await in September. As UCAS themselves made very clear at their annual conference, the incredible range of outstanding offers from leading universities across the country shows that our students are far from being disadvantaged based upon their educational setting, dispelling that urban myth that surrounds independent schools such as ours.

As students themselves can attest and have been so complimentary about when reflecting this year, they are in fact incredibly grateful for the unique support, careers provision and personalised guidance they have been afforded in the Sixth Form that has helped them have so many exciting options available. Our students are leaps ahead of those in different settings because of the depth of support and opportunity they are given, and it has been a privilege to hear students express such sincere gratitude this week acknowledging how fortunate they have been to have such support for the future, in lessons and from every opportunity at our school.

Next week, Year 13 will begin their journey beyond Westholme, but they all leave with Westholme as part of who they are; confident, articulate, kind, hard working, multi-talented leaders who will go on to make their mark on the world. We look forward to celebrating their time at school together in the remaining stand down events, and wish them the best in their A Level examinations. 

Mr J Oracz