TERM 1 VALUE:

Justice & Service

Dear Students, Parents and Carers,

It has been wonderful to see all of our students settling into life at St Brendan’s. We want everyone in our community to feel welcomed, valued, and supported, and we are proud of our inclusive ethos which celebrates the unique contributions and background of every individual.

Just a reminder that our course change process has now finished. For those students who have moved onto a new course, we know that this can feel like a big step, but you will be fully supported to make a positive and confident start.

This week, our 'early applicants' began finalising their UCAS applications. Early applicants are reminded that our next internal deadline is the 3^rd October with our final deadline being the 10^th October. Students are working with careers and the Aspire team to check through their applications and should be in regular communication with them. A gentle reminder that applications for conservatoires are due in on Monday, so please ensure everything is completed and submitted on time.

All parents and carers will now have received their logins to our Parental Portal. Please see our Parent Handbook for guidance on how to access and use this important resource.

Last week, a number of our Year 12 students attended the Oxford Open Day, where they had the chance to explore what different colleges offer and to hear first-hand about studying specific courses. Our Aspire Programme will continue to guide and support students through this application process and beyond.

We are also delighted to share details of the Future Leaders Programme. This free opportunity, delivered in partnership with the University of Oxford, is open to both Year 12 and 13 students. The programme is designed to help students secure top university and apprenticeship places, while also empowering them to challenge all forms of discrimination.

Students commit to just 20 minutes a week between November and July, completing short online sessions at a time that suits them. These sessions cover essential skills such as exam preparation, personal statements, CV writing, interview techniques, LinkedIn, networking, and public speaking. Alongside this, there is tailored UCAS and apprenticeship support, as well as mentoring from professionals and undergraduates. Future Leaders also offers a wide range of optional extras, including work experience with leading employers, university residentials (including Oxford), and in-person events in cities such as London, Bristol, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield, Telford, and Birmingham – with more locations being added.

Applications take just five minutes, and every student who applies will be offered a place. The deadline for applications is Friday 3 November. Students can sign up directly here: www.futureleaders.uk. This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to build skills, broaden horizons, and prepare for their future with confidence.

We also want to congratulate a number of our Year 13 students who were awarded certificates this week for participating in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge. This prestigious national competition challenges students ages 16-18 with chemistry problems that go beyond the classroom- testing their problem-solving, research and critical thinking skills. We're incredibly proud of there achievement and excited to see what the future holds for these young scientists.

Today marks European Languages Day! Our Student Union chose to celebrate by going bigger and using the whole week as an International Languages Week to celebrate the broad range of cultures and languages we are so privileged to have at our college. The week has been full of colour and opportunities to take part in events such as the languages café and a languages quiz. Students should keep an eye out on the screens and SU social media for the next events they are planning (including a 'Street Foods' programme in the café after half term!)

Looking ahead, next Saturday will be our first Open Day of the year. This is a really exciting opportunity for us to welcome potential new students and to celebrate everything that makes St Brendan’s special. A massive thank you in advance to our student ambassadors, who do so much to share their experiences, showcase the College, and ensure that visitors feel the warmth and energy of our community.

With best wishes,

Marian Curran

Principal

… you must purchase an Adult ticket (required for all over 16s) and have your Student ID Card.

First Bus carry out routine checks and may issue fines of up to £50.00 for non-compliance.

Thank you for your assistance.

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.

As is normally the case at the beginning of the academic year, our car parks can get very busy at peak lesson change over times during the day with students being dropped off/collected. This is especially the case at the end of the College day when we also have our college buses arriving to pick up students at the same time.

There is limited capacity in our car park so we ask that all parents/carers please adhere to the following:

• Please utilise all available parking bays in the car park to your left as you enter College. Please drive into, rather than reversing into parking bays as this makes it easier when pulling out to follow the one way system and ensures vehicles aren’t parked over multiple parking bays.
• If parking bays are full, please queue alongside the left side of the car park (this leaves space on the right for cars to exit as required). Unfortunately, this means anyone parked in a bay on this side may need to wait for cars in the queue to move before they can depart.
• Once you are in the queue for the car park, you must complete the one way exit route. Please do not attempt to turn around on the drive as it is very busy with other vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.
• Please do not be offended if the car park is full and you are advised to pick up your child off-site. Find a safe place to wait further up Broomhill Road but please do not park/wait directly opposite the College entrance.
• All vehicles departing between 15:50 – 16:20, or later if College buses are delayed, must turn right to ease congestion at the main gate (please see ‘turning right’ information above with directions back to the A4 if required)
• Please pass this information on to anyone else who may be collecting students from College on your behalf.

We thank you in advance for your co-operation in keeping our campus as safe as possible.

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.