TERM 3 VALUE:

Compassion

Dear Students, Parents and Carers,

We hope our students have had a positive and productive week at College. We know that for some, this week included examinations, and we would like to wish those students well. We hope the exams went smoothly and that students now feel confident moving forward. We also hope that our Year 13 students and those on our Access to Level 3 programme found their recent progress reviews helpful. These meetings are an important opportunity to reflect on progress, identify strengths, and agree clear next steps and key actions to support continued success. Thank you to parents and carers for your ongoing support in these conversations.

We would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate our students who are currently receiving university offers and competitive apprenticeship offers. This is a significant achievement and a testament to the hard work, commitment and ambition our students continue to show. These offers help students feel confident about their next steps and reinforce the value of sustained effort over time.

We are pleased to share the outcomes of our recent GCSE resit results in English and Maths. Our English results were particularly strong, reflecting the hard work and commitment of both students and staff, and we would like to congratulate everyone involved on this achievement. For those students who just missed their grade, we want to emphasise that this is very much within reach. Regular attendance is crucial during this period. Being consistently present in lessons, interventions and revision sessions plays a significant role in helping students secure the progress they need for the summer exam series. We encourage students to make the most of the support available and to speak with their teachers if they need additional guidance.

Blue Monday – Looking After Mental Health in January

January can sometimes feel more challenging, with darker days and the return to routine after the holiday period. The third Monday of January, often referred to as Blue Monday, can act as a useful reminder to pause and take care of our mental wellbeing.

To support both students and staff, our Welfare Team will be offering a range of positive, feel-good activities focused on self-care, movement and wellbeing. During lunchtime (12:10–13:00), everyone is warmly invited to:

• Join a calming self-care session in Cafe Min,
• Take part in an energising fitness circuit in E103 (Dance Studio), or
• Compete in the rowing challenge in Cafe Max
  

These sessions are designed to boost mood, motivation and overall wellbeing, helping everyone to feel supported, connected and positive as we move through the term.

We are also very much looking forward to celebrating the exceptional work of our students at our upcoming Creative Arts Exhibition. This event will showcase the talent, creativity and dedication of our students across the Creative Arts, and we look forward to sharing more details with you shortly.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of our College community.

Kind regards

Marian Curran

Principal

Students are reminded that all stairwells are not areas in which they can sit and/or socialise. This is due to the Health and Safety issues associated with doing so. Recently, and owing to a serious injury caused by misuse of a stairwell, we have had to close down some access routes in C & E block to be strictly emergency access only.

We ask all students to continue to respect this and also to be reassured we are looking to find additional spaces for socialising and coming together as well as encouraging students to make use of existing spaces such as the cafés and sports hall area (open for sports and wellbeing activities and time together at published times).

In order to enhance site security/safety at the college, we will be locking the secondary entrance/exit gates by the new sports pavilion in the times between college coach drop offs & pick-ups ( 09:45 -14:45)

This will allow our security personnel to concentrate on one single point of entry to site that is within line of sight from their position at the barrier.

However, this will mean that for staff/students entering/leaving site between 09:45 – 14:45 the main entrance gates at the end of the drive will be the only access/exit option.

As the weather gets colder and wetter, we’re all spending more time indoors. Let’s keep our college a clean, welcoming place for everyone. Here’s what we expect:

✅ Pens belong on paper, not on walls, desks, or chairs. 🖊️
✅ Toilet paper = toilet use only. Not stuffed back in the holders, not on walls, not anywhere else. 🚽
✅ Bins are for rubbish – keep floors and tables clear. 🗑️
✅ Treat furniture and equipment like you’d want it treated at home. 🛋️
✅ Respect each other’s space – no mess, no stress.

🤝Why? Because a clean, safe, and welcoming environment benefits everyone. It’s about pride in our college and respect for each other.

Bottom line: If you wouldn’t do it in your own home, don’t do it here. Let’s keep our spaces looking good and ready for everyone to enjoy. 💪

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 patrol the site and can be approached if any student is concerned about their own safety or the safety of others.

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.

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.