TERM 6 VALUE:

Truth

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we come towards the end of another busy and successful year at St Brendan’s, we want to thank you for the energy, commitment and care you have shown across our college community. Please note that the college remains closed today due to the red heat health warning; remote learning is in place and normal operations will resume on Monday. This week has certainly brought the summer heat, with a significant heatwave across the region. Alongside this, we were delighted to welcome our future Year 12 students to college for our Year 11 Taster Days. These days are an important part of helping new students begin their transition to St Brendan’s, giving them the opportunity to experience college life, meet staff and students, and start to feel part of our caring and welcoming community.

Next week, on Wednesday 1 July, we will celebrate the transition of our current Year 12 students into Year 13 through our Future Progression Day. This is an important day in the college calendar. Students will have the opportunity to engage with regional and local employers, explore future pathways, and work with our Careers Team to develop valuable employability skills. Future Progression Day is designed to help students think carefully and confidently about their next steps, whether that is university, apprenticeships, employment or another exciting pathway. We encourage all students to make the most of the day, ask questions, and use the support available to help shape their plans for the future.

The 1^st of July is also our final farewell to our Year 13s as we celebrate with them at the end of year prom. It is set to be an amazing evening for attendees to celebrate their time at college together.

The last day of term for Year 12 students will be Friday 3rd July. The new academic year will begin on Monday 7^th September. Students should have completed their 20 hours (minimum) of work related learning / work experience by Friday 4^th.

As we end the year, we are also proud to celebrate a significant achievement for the college. St Brendan’s has been recognised as an Oracy Centre of Excellence through Voice 21, a national organisation at the heart of oracy education. We are the only Sixth Form College & Post-16 provider to have this status and it is recognition for the work our staff and students do in developing oracy across the curriculum. This recognises the importance we place on helping students find their voice, speak with confidence, listen carefully, and take part fully in learning and college life, preparing them for their next steps. You can read more about this achievement here.

We are also delighted to have been awarded funding through the Turing Foundation, which will enable students to explore employability and life-changing overseas experiences in 2027–28. This is an exciting opportunity that reflects our commitment to broadening horizons, raising aspirations, and helping students develop the skills, confidence and global awareness they need for the future. More information about how are students can get involved in this will follow in the new year.

Kind regards

Marian Curran

Principal

With the welcome return of the sunshine and warmer weather, we would like to take this opportunity to remind students and families of the college’s expectations regarding smoking and vaping.

We strongly encourage all students to reflect on smoking or vaping as a habit and to consider their health and wellbeing. However, we also want to be absolutely clear about what is and is not permitted on site:

• Smoking is only permitted in the designated smoking area near the security gate.
• Vaping is permitted up the drive only, up to the zebra crossing leading to the main college site.
• Vaping or smoking is not permitted anywhere else on site or in any college buildings.

Any student found smoking or vaping outside of these agreed areas will receive an immediate two‑day suspension, in line with college behaviour expectations.

Thank you for supporting us in maintaining a safe, respectful and healthy environment for everyone.

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.