NEXT STEPS
Moving on up Students entering their final
year of GCSEs have a lot on their minds. But they also need one eye on the future – as big decisions will soon need to be made
or pupils currently in year 11, those looming GCSEs may seem like all that matters just now. But
while they race to complete the syllabus, followed by hours of revision, practice papers and sessions on exam technique, they’re also preparing for the next stage in their education – as they work out where they want to spend their sixth form years. By the time they finish their exams next summer, formal education will have dominated their lives for over a decade. Since the age of four, with few exceptions, they’ve followed a path that others have laid out for them. Now, for the first time, these students have a choice about what happens next. The decisions they make now are likely to have an influence not just on what happens after they leave school but potentially on how their lives pan out. No pressure, then. Fortunately, schools in our area have seen it all before and are ready to help with advice on every aspect of sixth form life, from how to pick the right subjects to deciding on where best to study them. It’s also vital to work out what’s right for the individual student rather than
18 AUTUMN/WINTER 2023
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