TERM 1 VALUE:

Justice & Service

Dear Students, Parents and Carers,

We hope this message finds you well after a lovely summer break. As we begin a new academic year at St Brendan’s Sixth Form College, we extend a warm welcome to all our new Year 12 and Access to Level 3 (ATL3) students, as well as to our returning Year 13 students. At St Brendan’s, our mission is to support every student to reach their full potential – whether their next step is higher education, employment, or an apprenticeship.

As this is my first weekly email, I should like to emphasise the importance of three foundations for success we have at St Brendan’s. The first is excellent attendance. Students should arrive on time to all their classes and be ready to learn. Progress Tutors and teachers will regularly monitor their students’ attendance and will intervene if they have unexplained absences or have missed a number of lessons. This will be discussed with students and parents/carers, and support given to achieve full attendance.

The second is about engaging in lessons. The pace of the work is a lot faster than at GCSE, so it is important students listen attentively to their teachers, ask questions to check their understanding and take detailed notes during lessons. Our teaching staff will show students how to stay focused and on task.

The third is all about engaging in learning outside the classroom. This is about completing all homework tasks to a high standard and submitting them by the deadline date, but also engaging in wider reading and extension tasks that will be set by our teachers. It also involves getting involved in as many extracurricular activities as possible – they are an effective counterbalance to academic study but also an excellent opportunity for students to meet new people, make new friends and enhance their personal development.

With best wishes,

Marian Curran

Principal

Students are reminded that if they haven’t got a first lesson timetabled for that day, and are travelling on the SB1, SB2 or SB7 routes, to catch the later service that will arrive at College in good time for 2^nd lesson.

This is to support capacity on the buses. FirstBus have confirmed that they are able to change buses for routes going through Hanham to add space for around 20 students.

Attendance is crucial for success, particularly during these initial weeks. For our Year 12, ATL3 and Year 13 students, please be aware that we will be closely monitoring attendance. Maintaining regular attendance is important, as it impacts your ability to remain enrolled on your courses. Should there be concerns about your attendance falling below our threshold during the first three weeks, it may affect your place at St Brendan’s.

We are here to support you through these transitions and ensure that your time at St Brendan's is both successful and enjoyable. Our staff, including teachers, progress tutors, inclusive learning team, careers team, mental health team and the senior team, are here to help with any concerns or queries that you may have.

St Brendan's is a cashless campus so please make sure you have a card and/or contactless payment on your phone.

If you need to purchase print credit you can do this on the College “Store” which you can access on our website or by using this link St Brendan's Sixth Form College Store

When prompted to login, click on the “Sign in with Microsoft” option, where you can use your College email and password. Your print credit account will automatically update after payment has been approved.

The College takes the safety of students and staff very seriously. Students should not invite friends who do not attend St Brendan’s onto the site and must wear their student lanyard and ID at all times on campus. (Students should obtain a temporary student lanyard from the main reception if they do not have their ID card with them.) Our campus personal , Frank and Blessing, patrol the site and can be approached if any student is concerned about their own safety or the safety of others.

A reminder to all students, parents and carers to please turn right only, when exiting the College between 15:50 – 16:20 at the end of the College day.