EDUCATION
Pupils in our area’s schools who want to be ultra busy won’t have a shortage of ways to fill their days. But schools stress that during these two years, they have far more choice over how much they want to do. Although opting out altogether is rarely an option – and it turns out there’s a good reason for that. “Maintaining a balance between your studies and other interests is incredibly important for your health and wellbeing,”
says Elizabeth Bennell at King’s Ely. “The students who excel – both at school and beyond – are not necessarily the ones who have thrown everything into their academic studies alone, but have learnt to manage their time well and develop life skills outside the classroom.” “Busy people do better generally,” concurs Charis Hunn-Smith at Stoke College, where students are encouraged to take part in sport and drama, primarily “for well-roundedness, mental health and your own balance.” The school’s sixth form diploma helps prepare pupils for life after school – whether that involves university or an increasingly popular degree apprenticeship – and covers everything from cooking on a budget to global politics and current affairs, helping to bridge the gap between a more sheltered school environment and the wider world. At King’s Ely, the sixth form leadership diploma enables students to build on their strengths and identify areas for development – valuable preparation for university and job interviews as well as a way of celebrating achievements. This is combined with well-planned programmes spanning everything from CV building to
inspiring talks (topics include the nature of democracy and quantum physics). Sixth formers at Stephen Perse Cambridge, meanwhile, may take an additional language qualification (like German and Mandarin) or join Cambridge Model United Nations (CamMUN). There’s also one of six student-led committees, which include mentoring and wellbeing, and opportunities for either high-level team sports or individual activities, from gardening to paddle boarding. With so many options, what’s clear is that, regardless of where students end up at the end of their time in sixth form, our area’s schools will do their best to ensure they are equipped with the qualifications, skills and confidence to achieve happiness and success in the next stage of their lives – whatever that may be. Students who excel develop life skills outside the classroom
© KING’S ELY
DOWN TO A SCIENCE Stoke College pupil at work in the lab (top); prize-winning time at King’s Ely (above)
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK NOVEMBER 2023 77
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