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Sixth Form Bulletin – Week 7

17 October 2025

Head Teacher's Message

This week has been something of a whirlwind. On Wednesday we had our first Drop Down Day of the academic year with lots of activities to enrich our students’ learning, from visits into London to the theatre to an African Cultural day in school. Our Year 12 students’ day focused on next steps with an introduction to university life as well as a careers speed networking session.

All in all it was a fabulous day and I have really enjoyed talking to students about what they found most interesting. Thank you to all those who supported the event, particularly the parents who gave up their own time so generously to support our careers programme.

Last night we held our Sixth Form Open Evening welcoming hundreds of prospective students and families into school to talk to staff and students about sixth form options. Thank you so much to the pupils who supported this event.

Diwali begins at the start of next week and I know many of our families will be celebrating over the weekend. The London Borough of Richmond are hosting celebrations at Marble Hill for anyone who would like to join. Details can be found here.

A former student, Kassia Unwin, is currently fundraising to cover the costs of an internship linked with her Marine Biology and Oceanography degree at the University of Plymouth. She will be joining Global Reef in Koh Tao, Thailand, to get hands-on experience in coral restoration, underwater surveying, and data analysis, while seeing first-hand how science and community come together to protect our world’s reefs. Please support her efforts by buying a raffle ticket and take your chance to win one of the amazing prizes she has gathered from local businesses in Richmond, Twickenham and Chiswick. Tickets are £10 each, all profits go toward Kassia’s internship, research, and training costs.

October is International Walk to School Month and I would like to thank all in the Waldegrave community who are choosing to walk to reduce traffic and pollution, whilst also improving their own health and wellbeing. As the days get shorter, evidence shows that it is even more important for our wellbeing to try to get time outdoors.

Have a lovely week,

Ms E Tongue

Key School Dates

October	–	International Walk to School Month
Monday 20 October	–	Diwali begins
Monday 20 October	All year groups	Music Live Lounge Performance
Wednesday 22 October	Year 12	Parent Carer Consultations
Thursday 23 October	Year 13	Apollo Theatre – PUNCH
Friday 24 October	Year 12	Media Studies EGX Conference

Year Group Messages

Year 12

The whole of Year 12 were involved in a careers Drop Down Day on the 15th October. The day consisted of two sessions, a post-18 options briefing and a career networking event. The purpose of these events were to make Year 12 aware of the wide array of different routes open to them after Sixth Form and to provide guidance on what they can do now, to start preparing for making applications in the future. We were very lucky to have so many external volunteers from different careers to introduce the students to some professions they may not have heard of or considered before. We also hope this allowed the students to network with professionals across a variety of industries.

Thank you to all Year 12s who helped out at the Sixth Form open evening on Thursday, it was an extremely successful event. It was so lovely to see our current students being so enthusiastic about their subjects and informing prospective new students about the sixth form.

A reminder that the Year 12 parent/carer consultations will be taking place on Wednesday 22 October. The booking system is now open and it will close at 1pm on the 22 October.

Ms R Pugh, Head of Year 12

Year 13

I am delighted to announce that all entry applications to UCAS have now been processed and submitted. Some students have already started receiving offers, which is testament to their hard work and amount of effort they have put in to completing their applications.

Once again students have applied for a range of courses such as Medicine, Law, MFL and STEM subjects. Further support will be put in place in order to help them secure a place if they are invited at interview. Some students have already started attending mock interviews and I am sure more will follow. All applicants need to ensure that they continuously check the inbox of the email address they used to submit their application, as this is how universities will contact them. I would like to take this opportunity to wish them all, all the best of luck.

On Wednesday, as part of the whole school’s first Drop Down Day, Year 13 students were asked to stay at home and revise for their forthcoming mocks. I am certain that they used the day productively to make progress with their revision. Finally, yesterday, we had our Sixth Form Open Evening for our prospective Year 12 students, their parents and carers. A large number of Year 13 students were involved in this event and talked really passionately about their subjects. I would really like once again to thank them all for their invaluable help.

On Monday, any of our male students who want to be part of our Sixth Form football team need to attend the trial session after school. Ms Guy, the Key Stage 5 co-ordinator for PE has posted all relevant information in the Google classroom. Also on Monday, our Year 13 Music students will take part in the Music Live Lounge Performances supporting our younger musicians. Finally, on Thursday, as part of the students A Level in Drama, they will all go and watch a play called ‘Punch’ in the West End. I am certain that they will thoroughly enjoy the performance.

Have a lovely weekend!

Mr C Stavrou, Head of Year 13

Health & Wellbeing

This week Miss Salsbury, our Director for Inclusion, has been leading assemblies in the school on neurodiversity, speaking about Autism in girls and their experience. Autism can affect people in different ways; social communication can feel harder, sensory differences – sounds, lights, or textures might feel intense, pupils might gravitate towards routines. Importantly, people with autism have great focus, are honest, creative, and have an excellent memory.

Autistic people have strengths and differences in different areas, which can be thought of where they sit on a wheel or rainbow of symptoms. Being aware of someone’s strengths and challenges within the wheel helps us to support our autistic members of the community and also demonstrates how everyone is different. Read more about Autism in girls here.

October is also ADHD Awareness Month. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition which is thought to affect approximately 2.6 million people in the UK. It is often missed or misdiagnosed in girls, as girls are less likely to demonstrate the symptoms of hyperactivity. This means girls who have ADHD may instead present with organisational difficulties (forgetfulness, day dreaming in class or procrastination), symptoms of anxiety (excessive talking, poor self-esteem or perfectionism) or difficulty regulating their emotions. This can have an impact on their relationships at home and at school. Young Minds have more information about ADHD and mental health here and this video offers some guidance about how ADHD can affect parent-child relationships.

Ms S Moore, Director of Wellbeing

Pupil Book Reviews

‘A Room of one’s own’ by Virginia Woolf

This powerful extended essay takes readers on a journey through the history of feminine writers, as we witness first hand the barriers structural inequality placed in the path of the female sex. - Z Maloney, 13TRO