YEAR 13

Year 13 is, for most students, their final year at Priesthorpe. Only those doing a one-year Intermediate, followed by a two-year Advanced GNVQ course will stay on for a rare 'Year 14'. Many of those entering into Year 13 will have attended the school since Year 7. This final year is perhaps the most crucial in terms of the life-shaping decisions which will be made, and the final levels of attainment achieved at secondary school level. Apart from compulsory attendance at school for tutor period on one day per week, students need attend school only when they have timetabled lessons. Naturally, we expect non-contact time to be used sensibly to further students' study, whether they come into school or remain at home.

Returning students, having made their decisions about which subjects to pursue, consolidate the thinking and decision making begun in the Summer Term of Year 12 about university application or progression into a career or some form of training. Students are busy finalising choices about the courses and institutions which will provide them with the most appropriate route for their future. In the first month, subject teachers are given reference sheets to complete which summarise each student's strengths. These are compiled by the Head of Sixth Form into a reference for the UCAS form. Students will also be busy writing their own personal statement. This helps the universities and colleges to which they are applying decide whether or not to offer them an interview or a place on their chosen course.

Offers can be made unconditionally, or conditionally upon the achievement of specific final exam grades. Clearly, the main focus of this year is the work which is required to ensure that every pupil has the broadest range of choice available to them when they move on from Priesthorpe.

On their last day of school, Year 13 pupils, and the staff who have taught them, are invited to a Leavers' Breakfast hosted by the Head of Sixth Form and the KS5 Co-ordinator. It has also become a tradition for the pupils themselves to organise a Leavers' Ball, usually held at one of the large hotels or restaurants in Leeds or Bradford. It is an occasion for smart suits and fancy frocks and always an opportunity for staff to feel a real pride in the calibre of those who arrived at Priesthorpe as children and who leave as young men and women. We look forward to their exam success, their news of progress and achievement when they return to collect their A-level certificates on Awards Evening, and eventually their graduation, qualification and/or employment. It is always a delight to welcome back past pupils who have realised the aspirations which were nurtured here.

Mr S. Williams
Head of Sixth Form