Being part of a school Sixth Form allows St Mary's Sixth Formers to enjoy a multitude of leadership opportunities which prove of inestimable value to them in their future lives. They are also a very useful addition to their UCAS personal statement, which might be one of the reasons why St Mary's Sixth Formers are so successful in gaining offers at the University of their first choice. Employers, too, are very keen to consider applicants who have a broad experience of:

The Prefect System

We have one Head Girl, four Deputies and two Sports Captains, supported by a team of Prefects with responsibilities for Junior School Liaison, Social Events, Charities, Arts, Mentoring, Eco-School, Science and Events Management. These responsibilities offer remarkable opportunities to develop essential leadership skills.

Mentoring

There is a mentoring scheme in place which starts in Year 10, continuing into the Sixth Form, offering younger girls the opportunity to have a dedicated ‘older sister' who will offer support and guidance. Each mentor meets with a group of 3 or 4 girls in Year 7, 8 or 9 within Form Time in order to get to know them, offer support with work, advice for any problems and generally show an interest in their development. This opportunity to build a relationship with an older girl offers another very important facet to the school's strong pastoral support system and the Sixth Formers learn valuable lessons about human relationships.

Click here to read our Sixth Formers' views of Mentoring.

Eco School

The school is actively involved in the International Eco-Schools Award Programme, which guides schools on their sustainable journey, providing a framework to help embed these principles in to the heart of School life. Two Sixth Form Prefects set up an eco-schools committee to carry out a school-wide environmental audit and set a list of targets. As a result of this work, the school has recently achieved Bronze status. Sixth Formers are responsible for helping to prepare and run activities and assemblies about eco issues.

Fair Trade

Senior School students including Sixth Formers are responsible for choosing, sourcing and selling Fair Trade products within School. They plan and organise events using Fair Trade products, including the major national Fair Trade fortnight. They will talk about Fair Trade within School, particularly by running regular presentations and specific school-wide assemblies.

Clubs

Sixth Form students have the opportunity to run clubs throughout the school and, at the moment, they are responsible for Geography, Science, Biotechnology, Board Games and Chinese Calligraphy Clubs, and the incredibly popular Chinese Language Club for staff.

We are particularly looking forward to seeing a greater emphasis on student leadership and are delighted with the clubs and activities that are already run by students. Your time in the Sixth Form is a time when you can begin to seize the initiative, so if there is a club or society you would like to see in the Sixth Form, why not set it up?