Although this is my first year as Head of Sixth Form, over the past five years I have built up a wealth of experience in Key Stage 5 education, both through A-level teaching and through supporting students with UCAS, pastoral matters, and the wider challenges and opportunities that come with these important years. I feel therefore both privileged to work with this outstanding group of young people, and well placed to help them put their best foot forward as they embark upon this next stage of their school lives.
As a former pupil myself, I know first-hand the value of a St James education. For me, one of the great strengths of sixth form is the opportunity it offers for renewal. However things may have gone before, the sixth form is a chance for a fresh start, a kind of blank slate that gives students the space to make new choices, to immerse themselves in subjects that they care about, and to begin shaping the direction of their own future. That certainly resonated with me. I developed a love for my subjects during my time in the sixth form, and that love has endured and grown throughout my life. I hope our students will begin journeys here that will stay with them long after they’ve left school. And that sense of growth is something that applies to us all.
As I begin my first year as Head of Sixth Form, I know that I too have much to learn, and I hope that we, staff and students, can learn from one another and grow together. Academic success matters, of course, and we were delighted with this summer’s results, but the Sixth Form experience is about more than exams. We want our young men not only to thrive in the classroom and beyond, but also to act as custodians of the Sixth Form and the wider school community. That means understanding that being in the Sixth Form is something temporarily entrusted to them. Their responsibility is to care for that community and ultimately to leave it stronger for those who follow.
Mr Jonathan Mawer
BA (Hons) PGCE
