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INTRO FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL I S T D U N S TA N ’ S T H E S I X T H F O R M E X P E R I E N C E
A WORD FROM OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL It was once said by Malcom X in 1964 that “Education is the passport to the future”. Despite the age of his words, his statement remains profoundly correct. St Dunstan’s College’s motto, Albam Exorna, loosely translating to adorning the white of our yet unwritten futures, embodies Malcom’s words and reflects the holistic, Dunstonian education that equips students with passports to access their own successful futures. My time at St Dunstan’s Sixth Form has been one of development; development of myself; development of my interests; development of friends; and the recent physical development of the school. However, this was no lucky accident or coincidence; the Sixth Form is geared towards developing students. Its welcoming environment, where curiosity is routinely encouraged and rewarded, comfortably guides students in their academic journey. Passionate teachers help us to actively seek and achieve our own goals both in terms of grades but those beyond the A Level curriculum too. Weekly seminars and an abundance of resources foster interest and student led societies mix both the learning of leadership and independent academic progression. The College is also not limited in seeing A Levels as merely a path to university, but also as a chance to advance pupils’ identities. Through a careful balance of classwork and independent periods where students can learn without constraint, sixth formers come to view their subjects as intrinsic parts of themselves – passions to kindle rather than prerequisites to higher education. The Sixth Form also offers a progressive and modern A Level curriculum that equips students with the skills to grapple contemporary life, both in the professional world and the domestic. With 23 subject A Level options, the Sixth Form contains an equilibrium of choice, where students can choose from a broad
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range of subjects. Modules within each discipline are carefully picked to prepare each student with the necessary knowledge to navigate the 21st Century, from learning about the Civil Rights Movement in the USA in History to identifying the use of authority as a destructive power in Psychology. The new extension of facilities enables the College to powerfully underwrite these courses. Support systems, both academic and pastoral found at the College, provide guidance and aid for students’ ambitions or needs. The Wellness Centre is a building dedicated to student wellbeing with multiple counsellors with whom sessions can be booked regularly or simply visited as a walkin appointment. Academic excellence is also mixed with the unique selection of co-curricular activities found in the Forder & Sixth Form Diploma Programmes, broadening horizons beyond the A Level curriculum and redefining the Sixth Form experience. Open during all hours of school operation, it provides a welcoming and safe place to better student mental health or for those who simply want adult support or advice. St Dunstan’s College Sixth Form is indeed incredibly unique. It nurtures and fosters the two most important years of a student’s life whilst not having to make any sacrifices to either academic excellence or mental wellbeing. Whether you will be joining us at Sixth Form or are simply progressing to the next year at St Dunstan’s, I offer my most sincere welcome to an experience that has benefitted me so kindly and will continue to do so for future generations.
Xin Shackleton Head of School 2021-2022
