The Skinners' School
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE SKINNERS’ SCHOOL Sixth Form 2017 For students, by students Welcome from the Head Boy Hello! If you’re thinking about coming to Skinners’ for Sixth Form, I hope this brochure gives you a little sense of what the students get up to and how they’ve found their time here. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Sixth Form at Skinners’ has honestly been the best two years of my life. It doesn’t feel that long ago since I came back after a long All prospective Sixth Form summer following my GCSEs to start Year 12 – there’s so much go- ing on at Skinners’ that everything rushes by. But looking back students must make now I can see just how much the school has changed my friends an application. They are ex- and I, as we all get ready for university, and life beyond secondary school. Skinners’ has equipped us well for this. pected to achieve an average Skinners’ has a reputation of being strong academically, and this grade of 48 points over their involves us putting quite a bit of grit into these two years. The work ethic of the Sixth Form is definitely a step up from GCSEs, but best 8 GCSEs, normally in- this shouldn’t put anyone off. While the workload can be difficult, cluding Maths, English, Sci- the quality of teaching, and the way in which they make their stu- dents love their subjects, makes it entirely manageable. At Skin- ence and a Modern Foreign ners’ we are worked hard, but we are taught to be hard working. Language. (A*= 58, A= 52, B The trips offered by the school provide students with unique op- =46, C= 40) portunities. Whether you spend a month in Madagascar on ‘World Challenge’, go to Hong Kong and New Zealand on a rugby tour, or compete in an international mock United Nations conference at Harvard University, Skinners’ offers Sixth Formers a wealth of At least an A grade at GCSE in chances to broaden our view of the world as well as ourselves. the following subjects, in or- The school runs extra-curricular activities and societies for every der to study that subject at A subject. If there’s anything a bit obscure that you’re particularly interested in, you can always set your own up. Getting involved level: Maths, Physics, Chemis- with as many of these as possible helps a lot when it comes to writ- try, French and German. ing your personal statements. I was surprised to find that the more I signed up for and the busier I made myself, the more I seemed to get done, so don’t be afraid to overload yourself – the benefits can be huge! At least C grades in English So as the time is quickly coming for my friends and I to take on our Language and Maths at GCSE. next challenges, I know we will all leave Skinners’ not only as com- petent, able young men with good exam results, but with truly great memories. Skinners’ has perfectly managed to blend the op- portunity for enjoyment and having a good time with the oppor- tunity for building great futures for ourselves. I hope you will have as fulfilling a time as I’ve had. Christian Edwards Why should you join the Sixth Form at Skinners’? Skinners’ provides a warm, friendly and supportive environment with a focus on students excel- ling in every aspect of their education. An emphasis on providing opportunities which prepare you for life beyond school. A Level results which are amongst the very best in the country. In 2016, The Daily Telegraph ranked the school as the 19th best state school and the 9th best boys’ school in England. Over 87% of A Level grades were awarded A* to B—the best in Kent. Students progress to the very best universities in the UK, Europe and the USA. In 2016, 95% of students gained their first choice of university course. The Sunday Times Parent Power ranked Skinners’ as equal third in the country in getting their students into competitive university courses. Outstanding individual support for all courses including Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry and Vet- erinary Science courses. West Kent’s largest Higher Education Evening and Careers Fair. Excellent pastoral support from experienced tutors and teachers. Outstanding opportunities to lead the school community with a variety of responsibilities. To be part of an Old Boys’ Society with a network across the world of over 1000 members. Excellent sporting facilities for all students including the chance to play competitive fixtures against many of the country’s leading schools. An opportunity to be involved in community projects which make a difference at local, national and international levels. Access to a Sixth Form facility which is available for study from 7 am to 7 pm most days of the week. Regular excursions, trips and expeditions at local, national and international scales, including Duke of Edinburgh and World Challenge What do “newbies” say about their experience at Skinners’? Euan Jones 2014-2016 Claverham Community College – University of Exeter, Physics To me, Skinners' acted as my gateway to discovering what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be. It gave me the freedom to think for myself and make important life decisions without pressure, yet sim- ultaneously provided me with the support to act on these choices when the time was right. I could nev- er have asked for, or expected, two better final years to mark the end of childhood and the start of adulthood. All fears I had of joining a new school, significantly different to that of my previous institu- tion, were pushed quickly aside by the community feeling of Skinners', and I am now a proud member of what I regard to be the 'Skinners' family'. Joshua Barker 2014-2016 Maidstone Grammar School –University of Durham, PhilosophyGrammar School for Boys – University of Durham, Philosophy I only joined Skinners’ at the start of Year 12, very nervous and acutely aware that my peers had already known each other for five years. I can’t emphasise enough how surprised I was to find how friendly and welcoming everyone was, and how quickly I began to call Skinners’ “my” school. My two short years at Skinners’ were some of the best of my school career; not only was I challenged academically, enabling me to achieve the grades and university place I wanted, it was somewhere I learnt important life skills and made many great friends. I am very proud to call myself an Old Skinner. Uzair Alam 2009-2011 Bennett Diocesan School – London School of Economics, Statistics and Accountancy Natixis, Investment Bank Joining Skinners’ for A levels seemed like a challenging prospect but in hindsight it was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. All the staff, from the Head of Sixth Form to the subject teach- ers were welcoming and made sure we settled in fine into the culture of the school. I found everyone very approachable and I was able to capitalise on it to end up at a prestigious university. The merito- cratic culture pushed everyone to give their best and I was very glad to be part of it. Angus Miller 2009-2011 Ringmer Community College – University of Nottingham, French Brand Manager at Kharisma Joining the Sixth Form gave me my first chance to be part of a year group of truly like-minded people. I was immediately struck by how we were encouraged to combine academic success with outstanding extra-curricular achievement. Having graduated from University and now at the beginning of my career, I look back in particular at the life skills workshops, careers advice and robust support for university applications made available to us. With everything that happened, we were rounded into confident and competent young men instead of just being chalked up as another year of league table statistics. Craig Thomas – 2011-13 Rondebosh High School for Boys (Cape Town) – University of Loughborough, Economics & Maths Deloitte Account Manager Coming over from South Africa, I was a bit nervous as to whether I’d fit in or not, especially as the rest of the boys had known each other for about 6 years. I thought they’d probably have their friendship groups sorted already, but I can honestly say that everyone was so welcoming. Whether it was Mr Fleming making sure everything was okay, Mrs Allen, my form tutor, ensuring I knew where and what I was doing, or just the rest of my class helping me out, everyone was extremely friendly and helpful. I played sport with a lot of my year which definitely helped me integrate, but the guys in my classes were equally as nice. I am fortunate to say that even today, I am still ex- tremely good mates with the guys I met at Skinners’ and I really have the school to thank for that. A Year in the Life of a Sixth Form Student The term begins. You get your new time- Higher Education Fair and Oxbridge information eve- tables, now with frees, and head off to the nings take place, which are a great opportunity to first of many lessons. start looking to the future and finding out about unis. Skinners’ Day when everyone DofE starts for those who fan- Independent learning confer- gets together and celebrates cy boosting their personal ence give you the tools for a the successes of people statement with this extra cur- successful couple of years. throughout the school. ricular challenge. A U Open evening, giving those in the Sixth Form the Juddment day, when the hard-fought rugby T chance to share their experiences of school life, battle between mighty Skinners’ and that good and bad, with prospective students.