In an increasingly dynamic world students will require a range of skills in order to succeed and solve the challenges they may face.
As well as hearing talks from a wide range of artists, performers, scientists, entrepreneurs, university lecturers, philosophers, campaigners, inventors and politicians, students will also take part in an important Enrichment Programme.
Please see the poster below which showcases a selection of the many opportunities available to Churcher's Sixth Form students (click image to open PDF):
The Enrichment Programme is an exciting addition to the Lower Sixth and offering the opportunity to our students to explore new interests, spread across categories of learning, self-development and creativity. Students to select a variety of activities that will invigorate their minds by learning or trying something new, as well as exploring a balance of work and relaxation that they may not have yet discovered.
As one student told us:
"Enrichment gave me the opportunity to try out Japanese, something that had always slightly intrigued me, but would not have thought to explore independently. I really enjoyed the sessions, it became the highlight of my week.
"When the slot ended, I continued to look into the Japanese language more seriously and it truly became a fascination of mine; I began studying it out of school and, a couple of months down the line, I’m now applying to do Japanese Studies at University.
"If I hadn’t been given the opportunity of trying it out through the Enrichment programme, I probably never would have discovered my passion!"
The Upper Sixth Life Skills programme offers students the chance to pick up some essential tools which will help to prepare them for life after school.
The programme will include things such as cookery courses, first aid, self-defence, financial planning, car maintenance, public speaking, flat pack fun, dance, etiquette, sex and relationships education.
World Challenge
These biennial long-haul expeditions give students a chance to expand their world-view, meet different cultures and venture out of their comfort zone. Previous trips have included to India, Africa, Mongolia, South America, and South East Asia.
Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race
The Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race takes place at Easter each year. This challenging two-day event is an opportunity for students to build teamworking skills, stamina and resilience and is a very popular fixture of the school year amongst the Churcher's community.
More About the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race
Combined Cadet Force
The Combined Cadet Force consists of Royal Naval, RAF and Army Sections. It is run by student Cadets with the help of in-house staff and external parent service Officers. There is a weekly Parade Night after school when service related training and activities take place.
In addition membership of the CCF provides access to a vast amount of external courses enabling our Senior Cadets to take part in adventurous activities including survival and leadership training, gaining gliding and flying experience, sailing, canoeing, scuba-diving, power boating and shooting.
Those holding Ranks in the CCF can use this for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Volunteering Section if taking on an active and key leadership role.
Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is open to all students irrespective of previous completion of the Bronze or Silver Awards.
All participants are supported by a designated DofE Supervisor and there are in-house organised trips for both the practice and assessed expeditions. The practise expedition is held at the end of the summer holidays between Lower and Upper Sixth in North Wales and the assessed in Cumbria during the Easter holidays in Upper Sixth.
There is also support available for those students who are completing their Bronze and Silver Awards if they are still outstanding from previous schools.
Ten Tors
There may be many challenging outdoor events in Britain today, but Ten Tors stands alone in its scale, its ambition and the fact that it is aimed solely at young people. The Event takes place every year on Dartmoor during the weekend following the May public holiday and is now firmly established in the collective consciousness of the South West. All those who attempt Ten Tors will undoubtedly remember it for the rest of their lives and for many it will be a life-changing experience.
More About the Ten Tors Challenge
Senior Adventure Club
The S.A.C. is open to all Sixth Form students and consists of an outdoor endurance challenge each September, such as the 'Welsh 300s'.
Other Opportunities
Other annual events include the Charlton Chase Night Navigation Competition.
Sixth Form students can choose from a wide variety of sporting activities.
The major team sports for boys are rugby, hockey and cricket with netball, hockey and rounders for the girls. Churcher’s enters many national competitions and enjoys a strong sporting reputation. In 2015 our U18 rugby team won the National NatWest Vase on the hallowed Twickenham turf; this is perhaps a good representation of both our sporting ambition and pedigree. Competitive sports are played to a high standard with coaching supported by a number of specialist professionals.
We have a strong swimming reputation with teams entered into local and national galas. In recent years athletics has grown considerably in the school and we enter all qualifying county and national events. Tennis is a popular summer sport running alongside cricket and rounders with many competitive fixtures and high quality coaching provision along with an annual tour to Europe.
There is a vast number of other sporting opportunities open to the students through their Wednesday Games afternoon or during extracurricular clubs. Such opportunities include aerobics, badminton, basketball, football and karate to name but a few.
Performing Arts is a thriving and exciting part of life at Churcher’s.
In the years between the biennial musical production, a senior play is produced while recent plays have included: A Christmas Carol, The Crucible and Twelfth Night and we have staged musical productions of Footloose and Guys and Dolls.
Productions:
Students enjoy the opportunity to become involved with productions from a performance, back-stage or technical perspective. We have a professionally managed technical team and a thriving props and costume department. Sixth formers also help with the overseeing of large productions and are able to work as assistant directors on lower school shows.
Music:
Sixth Form musicians are encouraged to take an active role in the musical life of the college. There are a wide range of opportunities offered, intended to cater for all musical tastes and abilities. Sixth Formers frequently establish and run chamber groups and are given positions of leadership and responsibility in the main college ensembles and in concerts.
Musicals:
Every two years a large-scale musical production takes place, in conjunction with the drama department. Musicians can be involved on-stage or in the band. Recent productions have included
Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, We Will Rock You, High School Musical, Guys and Dolls, Footloose and Beauty and the Beast.
Other Opportunities:
Other performing opportunities include concerts at local venues, termly recitals, lunchtime concerts, a house music competition, Christmas carol services, and an annual Grand Summer Concert.
Regular orchestra and choir tours take place, with the recent trips to and Lake Garda. Individual music tuition is offered on most instruments and voice while coaching is available for bands.
These lectures are an excellent way for students to listen to experts in a wide range of subjects.
Students invariably enjoy coming to these talks, not only for interest and enquiry, but also to extend their knowledge which is hugely valued when making University applications.
Examples of lectures include:
- “How to set up a new business” by Steve Sands
- ‘The Philosophy of Architecture’ by Kieran Long
- “So what is HR?” by Dane Batt, Head of HR International Services
- ‘The Importance of Language Learning: Looking towards a post-Brexit future’ Alex Rawlings
- ‘Juggling: Theory and Practice’ Dr Colin Wright
- ‘Virginia Woolf's "fragments”: Modernism, Memory and Englishness’ by Professor Julian Wolfreys
- ‘Rock Guitar: Strings in 11 dimensions’ by Dr Mark Lewney.
- ‘From Project Fear to Project Cheer: Reasons to be Optimistic about Brexit’ by Jonathan Isaby, Editor, Brexit Central
Should the country ban alcohol, legalise gay marriage or abolish the minimum wage? How far can the state curtail the rights of citizens after a terrorist attack?
The Churcher’s Union students passionately argue a case under the rules of British Parliamentary Debating, sometimes for and against very controversial motions.
The Union meets throughout the year to practise the skills of debating and to prepare Churcher’s College Debating Teams for the Cambridge Schools and English Speaking Union Debating Competitions, which are held in the Autumn Term. Making a public speech and working on a persuasive argument can be a daunting challenge, but debating develops articulacy, analytical skills and an ability to think quickly.
Our Lower and Upper Sixth pupils have been representing Churcher’s, and indeed a variety of countries including the USA, Venezuela, Serbia and Myanmar, at Model United Nations Conferences throughout 2015/16.
Model United Nations, or MUN, is an excellent educational simulation competition based on the debates and conferences held by the United Nations. In taking part in MUN students learn about diplomacy and international relations as they represent their countries as a delegate across a variety of committees, the Security Council and the General Assembly.
The Young Enterprise Scheme gives Lower Sixth students the opportunity to ‘Learn by Doing’ and run their own businesses. This requires them to set up their own companies, sell shares to investors, manage cash flow, develop, make and sell a product or service, interact with the wider community and eventually make a profit, or indeed a loss!
The School is very fortunate to have experienced Business Advisers who attend the weekly meetings and give guidance and invaluable advice on how to set up and run a ‘mini’ enterprise. In the past several companies have been set up by the enterprising students which did exceptionally well and overall the students learned a huge amount from the experience of trading as a company.
Mude School in Nepal
During their time at Churcher’s College, many students voluntarily engage in fundraising activities for local, national and international charities.
Charity work at Churcher’s runs throughout the school and is led by the House system. In the Sixth Form students are encouraged to continue to lead the House Charity but also to consider charities that are personal to them.
Links with the community are very strong with significant sums raised for charities each year.
ISI Inspection 2015
The Sixth Form head up the College Charity Committee which this year has included fundraising for our school in Mude in Nepal (United World Schools project). Active as always, we have also seen some new initiatives recently such as ‘Living below the line’ where groups of Sixth Formers have lived on £1 a day for a week to raise awareness of global poverty.
Charity work within the Sixth Form has seen students form new friendships for a common cause. It also encourages teamwork and often informs pupils throughout the school of the needs of others.
CAS is a great way for students to become involved in the community, have fun in a lively group and make a difference.
Teaching at Herne [School] has been a great opportunity for me to understand the ways in which children learn, and has given me a great deal of satisfaction when I see that I am helping them progress.
Seb Dows-Miller
Students help out at the local junior school: Herne School, and really enjoy the relationships they develop with the children. Visiting the elderly at Gloucester Court (warden controlled housing), and environmental initiatives such as building a path around the Heath are also hugely worthwhile and rewarding.
I always looked forward to my Wednesday afternoons at Gloucester Court. The ladies there made my visits so rewarding; we did lots of crafts and chatted a lot over tea and cake. I got to know them really well and visited one lady when she went into hospital.
Eve Lewis
The students in Ramshill are represented by a vibrant Sixth Form Committee made up of volunteers from across the Sixth Form.
This is an important instrument to give the students a voice on a range of issues whilst enabling the students to make improvements to the Ramshill environment. It also holds social events such as Sixth Form induction barbeques and taking a lead role in the organisation of the Sixth Form Summer Ball and the Upper Sixth Leavers’ concert.
The School Council represents the views of the entire school and each half term the Council will speak to all forms in the School to collect ideas and then discuss these with the Headmaster.
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