At St James we ask the boys to reflect upon what sort of person they want to be. This is complementary to the question that students ask of themselves as they get older: what do they want to DO?
This week we have had the chance to spark both the boys' imaginations and conversations around their futures, both short and long term. The challenges of Year 11 are on the horizon and our Head of Year 11, Mr Hitchcock, has helped set the stage for your sons to meet these challenges. Although it seems a long way off, the GCSEs are less than one full calendar year away and Mr Hitchcock has helped the boys plan for the year ahead and discussed the mindset needed to have a fruitful Year 11.
Similarly, Miss Sandra Williams has started conversations on careers and the journey to the work place via Key Stage 5 and possibly further education. Again, although this might seem distant to the boys, we know that the span between now and their end of tenure at secondary school is really quite short and that the sooner they think about their life path, the more manageable it is.
On Tuesday Year 10 got a flavour of the rich melange that is A-level learning at St James and attended a range of lessons. Some of these, like psychology, will be new to your sons. Others might be comfortable favourites now but experiencing the A level pedagogies and content will have helped the boys savour the nuances and challenges that maybe aren't apparent at GCSE level. I saw some really superb teaching and thoroughly engaged pupils on this day and it is this passion and support from our teachers that will help guide your son to the peak of his St James journey.
In September you will be invited to our Sixth Form open evening where you will have the chance to discuss A-level options with subject teachers and to see what we offer our Sixth Form pupils. If you would like to learn more about the courses we have on offer in the interim please do have a look through our Sixth Form Brochure and feel free to reach out to me with any questions.
Mr Lempriere
Head of 6th Form