Exceptional Personal Development (PD) is a key cornerstone of our ethos here at BG6, alongside curriculum and aspirational destinations. We strongly believe that exceptional, personalised PD experiences allows students to leverage their curriculum pathways to unlock those ambitious, aspirational destinations. 

 

Without the highest expectations and participation in attendance, behaviours, welfare, and holistic enrichment, we cannot reach the heights of our wildest dreams. We can knock on the door of our Post-18 opportunities with our grades, but the key in the lock will only turn through being well-rounded, articulate and confident. 

 

Attendance 

We’re incredibly proud of how our Post-16 students have risen to the challenge of regaining pre-Covid levels of attendance and eradicating absences categorised as ‘Persistently Absent,’ meaning anything lower than 90%. This may only be one session, morning or afternoon a week, but the impact of this becoming a norm is significant in achieving their dreams. We know that every minute means a potential mark gained, marks mean grades, and grades mean choices. The gift of having a choice with our next steps for Post-18 education, employment or training is the greatest privilege and empowerment we can give ourselves.

 

Behaviours 

We have had lots of visitors looking for good practice at interview, or quality assuring our provision at BG6 this past term. The feedback about our students is always a highlight for me as Director. In our last governor visit, students were described as polite, driven, mature and overall as 'quite remarkable'. This is a testament to them and how they live and promote our values every day. I’ve been blown away by the lobby peer teaching space that has really taken on a life of its own, and the amount of free classrooms used for peer revision and study sessions. It isn’t just the level of personal self-study that is remarkable; it’s the team spirit - generosity and resilience of students pulling together to not leave anyone behind, which forms part of our Trust values.

 

Welfare 

PSHCE has been focused on women’s health, healthy personal relationships and taking care of ourselves both mentally and physically this term. As a core facilitator for our safeguarding work, students have been active in sharing their views on safety in and out of school. There are big projects in the making to extend our fundraising efforts, including Save the Children and St Martin’s Hospice, commemorating the tragic loss of one of our own, and creating a wellbeing space for students. Watch this space for more on this during the summer term.

 

Enrichment 

Enrichment, work experience and the Supra Curricular engagement have been incredible over the past term. We held over 58 different wider curriculum experiences for our students to engage in over the year, and we’re just over half way through the academic year. Year 12 are in the midst of finding and finalising their work experience placements for Transformation Fortnight in July and we’re looking forward to visiting them during this time. The Enrichment programme continues to go from strength-to-strength; and with Year 13 focussing on their examinations, the Enrichment programme changes gear for our Year 12 students as they look to the UCAS and Apprenticeships processes, as well as developing those critical financial literacy, and personal survival skills for Post-18 life. 

 

As ever, I like to end on some food for thought and this time it comes from Maya Angelou. I discovered this while researching our upcoming assembly on wonder, which is one of our values, and for me wonder really is rooted in empowerment:

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

 

Laura Dixon, Director of BG6