On 6th September 2021, the new year began for our sixth form cohort and we welcomed over 480 students to Nottingham’s Albert Hall for their first day of talks and workshops. It was wonderful to meet the Y12s and welcome Y13s back to a more normal school life! The highlight of the day was hearing Alim Kamara, our fabulous guest rapper, share his inspiring story of his first years after leaving school.
Day 2 was all about the future, with Year 12s receiving an introductory talk on university life and Year 13s attending some excellent subject-specific talks from unis. This was also the day when Year 12s wrote their letter to their future selves, reflecting on who and what they want to be in the years to come. Both years got the chance to talk to uni staff at our universities fair and impressed us all with how well and how maturely they engaged with that opportunity.
On Day 3, Y12s threw themselves into an afternoon of teambuilding activities delivered by the National Citizen Service, amazing and amusing us all with how long they could plank for and exactly how many Harry Potter characters they could name in 60 seconds (it’s a lot!). Y13s honed in on uni applications, with tips and tricks from Nottingham Trent University followed by a workshop on their personal statements. Students were obviously paying attention, as we have already read some fantastic drafts this term written in the confident style encouraged by the NTU speaker.
A big thank you to all of you for making it a great three days: now here’s to making this year count towards your futures.
Don’t just think outside the box – think as if there is no box. Alim Kamara
