Sixth Form

IMPORTANT DATES

FOR TERM 2

Monday 17th January - Wednesday 19th January Year 12 & 13 Academic Progress Review

Wednesday 2nd February - Thursday 10th February

Sunday 6th February Year 13 Mock Exams

Start of Year 13 Study Leave

Thursday 10th February Year 12 Team Building Day

Monday 7th March Year 12 UCAS & US Applications Evening

Wednesday 23rd March Year 13 Lifer’s Event

SIXTH FORM

OPEN EVENING

Our current and prospective students had the opportunity to meet with and ask questions to panels of staff and students in each of our academic subjects, as well as the enrichment, sports, music and drama provision we offer. As always, the Sixth Form students involved were a huge credit to the school and themselves.

With over 140 families in attendance, our second virtual Sixth Form Open Evening on 3 November drew extremely positive feedback f rom those in attendance.

For more information about our Sixth Form experience, please visit: https://www.britishschool.sch.ae/learning/sixth-form

22 students f rom Years 11 - 13 took part in the BSME Race4Good.

The aim of the race was to improve the quality of life of the people living in Yangsijung, a rural community in Nepal that had been very badly affected by the devastating earthquake in 2015. School teams from around the UAE took part.

During round one the teams completed three mid race challenges focusing on health, education and inspiring others to make a difference. Implementation of our winning ideas took place almost immediately and the only nurse based in Yangsijung now has access to support and training from a midwife in Kathmandu to try to combat the issue of infant mortality and develop antenatal and postnatal provision within the village.

RACE 4GOOD

The final aspect of round one was to try to come up with a proposal costing no more than 150 pounds to “uplift” Kipa, an eighteen year old woman who was orphaned at age thirteen, to find a sustainable solution to improve her quality of life. The BSAK students' winning solution was to buy Kipa a goat and chickens to enable her to sell eggs and milk and increase her income, whilst also providing an immediate improvement to her quality of life by fixing damage to her house caused by the earthquake.

During the final round, students were challenged to find a sustainable solution to uplift and find a sustainable solution to improve the quality of life for the community as a whole. This proved very challenging given the rural nature of the village and the extreme poverty within it. This time the BSAK students focused on short term, medium term and long term solutions. The initial solution was to buy tools for the construction workers in the village, making them more employable and increasing their productivity, to improve living standards for all in the village. In addition, herbs and spices were provided as these are in high demand and can be grown and sold in the area for a considerable profit. Finally, after much research of similar villages that had success in this area the BSAK team proposed buying coffee seeds with the long term plan of selling these for a very large profit in the future. The BSAK team were absolutely thrilled to be chosen as the winners

and all their ideas have now been implemented.

UNIVERSITY AND CAREERS UPDATE

Year 13 students had a very busy and exciting term finalising their applications and applying to

university. They worked extremely hard completing many drafts of their personal statements and university admission essays, and this is evident with about 55% of students having received at least one offer and/or an interview. Offers continue to roll in, and the next step in the process is selecting their “firm” and “insurance” choices. Students will receive guidance in making this choice.

Furthermore, some students have applied to universities in the US, Canada, Malaysia and the rest of Europe. These universities included MIT, Caltech, Princeton, Harvard, Georgia Tech and the University of Toronto.

In November, several of our students were invited to take part in online interviews. All the students have been offered the opportunity to go through practice questions to ensure that they are fully prepared for this part of the process. Some of these students are currently in the UK for their interviews. We wish them the best of luck, as we do with all of our students.

Additionally, we held an online Home Status Evening to aid parents in navigating the many fee status questionnaires they have and will receive. University policies on fee status change on a yearly basis and we hope to help to the best of our ability and knowledge.

We were very happy to welcome university representatives back into school to talk to

students in person. It was a fantastic opportunity for our Year 12 and Year 13 students to find out first-hand information about what the New York University, Abu Dhabi has to offer and get an insight into the full application process through the eyes of an admissions officer. Students also attended numerous Universities Fairs online with some of the top universities in the UK, Canada and Netherlands. This gave Year 12 and 13 students the fantastic opportunity to speak directly to members of admissions teams to help them with their decisions and applications. We also hosted a Common App and Essay writing workshop, thanks to New York University, Abu Dhabi, for students applying to the US. Next term, there will be even more visits to expose Year 12 students to the many different university opportunities available to them. Students have more choices than ever before, and these visits aid them greatly when making decisions. Year 12 students are currently conducting extensive research on universities, and we are excited to see which career pathways they have chosen.

PREFECTS

2021

Over 70 of our new Year 12 intake this year have volunteered their services to the school as prefects.

Whilst we expect all of our Sixth Form students to set an example, we rely on our prefect body throughout their time in Sixth Form to assist us with duties, to be a visible presence around the school, and eventually some of them will go on to become our Senior Prefects in Year 13.

It was particularly pleasing to see a whole range of different students with different ideas and personalities applying to be prefects, and I am sure that over the next few months they will contribute a lot to the school. Our Senior Prefects have had their first official engagements in the last few weeks, being involved both in our Open Evening and more recently in the process of appointing a new Head of Secondary school.

Head Boy and Girl Aman and Izzy also recently led the Sixth Form assembly. All ten are collectively taking responsibility for our first Sixth Form social event with the eagerly anticipated return of ‘Silly Sports Day’ and we hope this marks the start of more hands-on activities and involvement for our senior prefects.

REFLECTIONS BY OUR

HEAD BOY & HEAD GIRL

Aman Fazil (Head Boy) Izzy Darling (Head Girl)

Considering the unfortunate circumstances of the last academic year, It’s safe to say it’s been a successful term one.

Coming from living with a constant shift in and out of distance learning, to a more stable and consistent in-person school environment, has been a significant positive change for the whole BSAK community. This term has allowed us to renew rich relationships with the staff and students alike, reminding us how fortunate we are to be moving away from online zoom classes and just simply learning amongst each other.

Alongside this, the reintroduction of in person extracurricular activities and Sixth Form led academic societies is a notable sign of our gradual yet persistent journey towards normality. Student led events, such as the EU vs UAE football matches, alongside competitions such as Race4Good (which we won!) and organising charity programs such as ‘Old Books for New Eyes’ raised excitement and pride flowing through BSAK’s community. In addition to taking part in Sixth Form’s Silly Sports Day and supporting the Rugby 7’s, our school spirit was undoubtedly revitalised!

We have been astounded with the positive change initiated by both the Senior Prefect team and School Council who have been busy initiating positive change for BSAK as a whole, recognising the significance of each individual and their needs - ensuring everyone feels welcomed, safe and most importantly heard within the BSAK community. We are looking forward to the greatly deserved winter break and can’t wait to come back well rested and prepped for an even better experience throughout Term 2!

DUBAI 7’S

2021

As another reminder of restrictions lifting, many BSAK Sixth Form students represented the Speranza 22 18s Rugby Academy at the 2021 Dubai 7s.

Having not played competitive rugby in over 18 months, both the Girls and Boys teams demonstrated huge commitment in their preparation for the tournament and made their coaches proud throughout the 2-day tournament. The girls lost in the cup final on the main pitch in front of a crowd of 20,000 to a strong Dubai Exiles side and the boys lost in the semi-final to Dubai College. Congratulations to all the players involved.

SIXTH FORM

PASTORAL TEAM