Staying at Tudor for sixth form was the best decision. The freedom is unbelievable compared to lower down the school and as you've waited so long to get there… it's worth staying! Not only do you get your phones for the whole time, which does seem to be the biggest attraction for the younger girls, you can also go out most weekends, even if you just want to go to the cinema in Banbury. My favourite part of sixth form was dropping subjects that was of no use to me! I mean if maths is what you want to do, so be it, but it wasn’t for me! Going from nine subjects at GCSE to 3 at A-level seems amazing but we do have more work so as long you as you pick the subjects that you love then you will be interested to keep exploring them. The trips in sixth form are always optional but doing things as a year is always really fun. We’ve had many trips to the pub for supper and this year we are going to Paris for our annual christmas shopping which should be incredible. The sport in sixth form is really helpful to mix with the work. Obviously, if you don’t like sport there are other options than the typical hockey, netball and tennis. We are lucky enough to have zumba, yoga and pilates that a lot of us do attend. I hope you stay for sixth form. There is no way you will regret it and you’ll finish school with best friends for life, having had the best two years of school.
Art Art, only for the people who can paint a boiler suit creatively. Art in the VI form has its perks. Larger desks, bigger pin boards, coffee machine, access to infinite paint and brushes and practically no supervision apart from the odd criticism from a certain someone…
So
although
art
is
a little
stressful at times in the end we all really love it … especially the spontaneous trips we go on to London.
If you are prepared to
spend the majority of your life in the art room, then art is the subject for you.
Business Studies This subject really helps with ‘general life knowledge’, which will actually be really useful later on.
We are also given plenty of notes, which is super helpful when it comes to
Easter. It requires some extra prep outside the lesson, but a drawback is… MATHS…, which you have to…MEMORIZE.
Classics First, we would like to rename this subject ‘Ancient History Literature’ to make us sound more intelligent. In Classics you will have the pleasure of learning about super interesting vases and Roman and Greek women and how many were prostitutes and lived in their house all day. I can assure you that classics is a highly thought of subject that requires brains and determination.
Drama This year the drama department has been kept busy by several productions; starting the year of with a 50’s vibe with our senior performance of Grease which was ‘swell’. There has been GCSE drama, AS drama, A2 drama… all of which went down a treat, if I may say so myself. And to end the year with a bang, we had our production of Blue Stockings, which dazzled the audience, as per usual, who wouldn’t expect anything less from the budding actresses of Tudor Hall.
Economics Economics at Tudor is very academically rigorous and no kind of GCSE can prepare you for that. It's a good preparation for University style learning because every week you have set reading you have to do before the lesson in order to understand and keep up with the fast A Level pace. You don't need to be very good at Maths or be doing it at A Level. You just need to be okay with GCSE maths.
English English is a lot of fun and although it is quite hard and time consuming at times, if you enjoy English you should definitely do it. You get to study a lot of different things including modern novels, poetry as well as classic texts, so if there is a certain area you do not enjoy, there is still bound to be so much that you will. What is great about the subject is you can never really be wrong about anything as there so many different ways you can interpret things, unlike other subjects when facts are facts. Also, instead of just listening to the teacher, the lessons mostly consist of small discussions where you get to say your points or views on whatever you are studying, so the lessons are always quite interesting and enjoyable (plus Mr. Kent brings food). In terms of revision, quotations can be difficult to
learn however the rest is really up to a lot of practice so it is not a really heavy duty (learn a lot) subject. Although the jump from GCSE to A Level is fairly large, once you get to grips with what is expected of you at AS level, it becomes a lot more clear and therefore if you are interested in English and enjoy writing I would definitely recommend it.
Geography Geography in 6th form is pretty much the same as lower years but smaller groups and much more banter. The overall bonus of Goggers in sixth-form though is the Geog field trip where we imagine we are the von Traps, this has continued throughout the year and we often do sing-alongs. The field trip is basically where you troop up to Shropshire to measure a river…in the rain…but trust the current VI form- it’s a rave. Lots of singing “Doe-a deer” and slipping down the hill on your bum as well as getting each other soaked. Hands down one of the most fun trips. During the rest of the year we do slightly more than advanced ‘colouring in’ and have learned to tackle the 15 markers, but don’t worry we still have colouring graph lessons.
History This is one of those articles which you might just think, “Do I bother?”, but trust me, it’s worth it. Do you want to get to October half term thinking, “why did no one actually say History’s tough?” or even “Soz Miss Gamble, history’s out the window for me”. I didn’t think so, so listen up. You’ll be introduced to a hell of a lot of new techniques and weird history jargon that Miss Gamble (renowned history and politics teacher with extra sass) only saves for the A level elite, you’ll get used to it. For A Level we studied Italy 1900-1943, which pretty much covers from when Italy was unified (I know, I didn’t realise it wasn’t always one country either) to when Mussolini was booted out, as well as British Political history 1900- 1924. In UVi it’s just shed loads of coursework on the rise of Hitler, essays and reading with a bit on “The Changing Nature of Warfare”- from a while back to pretty much
when
Putin rolled his tanks into Ukraine. I won’t lie, History is very interesting as you learn all about a country, which you thought, was only famous for romantic accents and pizza. The Political shenanigans which occurred in Britain are also equally interesting; for example the troubles in Ireland and fall of the Liberal Party. But as you probably guessed – it’s a lot of work. Just make sure that when you are told, “Write notes on chapter 20 for prep, I’m not taking them in but they will be useful” you actually write them. Speaking from experience, it’s a pain when you’re still catching up on notes at the end of Easter Hols. To sum up, as we all know, History is a really highly regarded subject, which will give you great knowledge and skills. You get to go on bangin’ trips and go see conferences where actual Uni lecturers actually say stuff that actually has some value – pretty cool huh? Yes, there is loads of prep and essays, but quite frankly if you get to the end of A level with even a shred of sanity left – you’ve succeeded in History. Piece of cake!
History of Art I could not recommend taking History of Art for A-level enough. Lessons are fun, but this is not to say it is a doss subject in terms of learning because, like History and Politics, there are a lot of dates to learn and you must be able to write about each case study in a great deal of depth. We have learnt the whole new techniques involved in writing each type of essay but also what to look for and how to analyse a work of art. From this perspective it has been very interesting, whilst also improving our cultural and historical knowledge. In my opinion it is an enjoyable subject as it is a very visual subject and revolves around appreciation of the arts, in the form of painting, sculpture and architecture. Don’t get me wrong, there are elements which are challenging, but once you understand what to include, it’s fine.
Maths The common perception of maths is that it is a dull, boring subject. Although, this is in some ways true I have grown to like it, mainly just because of Mr Moody's soft mints. Try not to fear maths, even if you start the year by getting D's, E's or maybe even U's - you will eventually see your marks rise to an outstanding B or if you’re lucky an A. Also, you should persevere even if it involves you becoming a one woman wolf pack or buddies with the four best friends that anyone could have - Mr Moody, Mr Edwards and Miss Marsh.... For all these fabulous reasons you should, be there or be pi r squared!
Music The music A level at Tudor Hall is challenging and is a definite step up from GCSE. However, it can be very rewarding especially once you have completed your composition. All the teachers are very supportive and if you do not understand a specific
topic
they
are
always
happy to help. But be prepared to do a lot of independent work especially when it comes to the composition which you are expected to include only your ideas. In terms of extra-curricular music activities, there are two choirs which you can join: the chamber and the senior choirs. As part of the sixth form you take a strong role in leading the rest of the choirs. Mrs Lea-James is also very keen to take suggestions on the music you would like to sing. Overall, music at Tudor Hall can be fun especially if you tailor it to you personally.
Photography I personally have always liked photography so therefore I do enjoy the lessons at Tudor. One good thing that really stands out to me about photography is how helpful the teachers are but one tricky thing is that as we have two teachers, sometimes you can be told different things, which can sometimes cause some difficulty. But this isn’t always bad as it can be really helpful to hear different ways of doing things. The amount of individual attention you get is so good as not very many people do the subject. The facilities are really good and there are lots of things to do using different cameras and Photoshop, which can be really interesting. Overall I’d say photography is good at Tudor and it gives you a chance to learn the subject in great detail through the small groups of people taking the subject.
Politics Within politics, we discuss the all of the important political issues such as whether Miliband really does look like Wallace out of Wallace and Grommet. However, we usually stay away from the topic of dogs, since our politics teacher Miss Gamble is most definitely a cat woman. Yet, politics is not always as clear cut as we learn in our own class, since Miss Gamble often points out our classroom is a ‘dictatorship not a democracy’. In all seriousness to anyone looking to study politics at A level, it’s a great choice (not only because I do it). We study things like voting systems (not as dull as it sounds), democracy such as, how democratic referendum?
was and
the
Scottish
independence
Pressure groups such as, Miss
Tiggywinkle’s hedgehog hospital.
We also look at the constitution, which encompasses all of the other topics: Parliament and Judges.
Religious Studies I have really enjoyed doing RS for A-level and I would definitely recommend it. However there is quite a bit to learn and, although this is the same for all A-levels, the jump from GCSE is quite large in terms of the detail and difficulty of the things you have to learn. The course is split into two parts, for the first part you learn four topics and answer on two in the exam, so quite similar to GCSE although the questions are worth a lot more marks. The second part is much more about independent work – although Mr Galloway does guide you through it. Although parts can be a bit boring, if you enjoyed RS at GCSE you will most likely feel the same for A-level. Also, you don’t get set that much prep compared to other essay subjects as it’s usually just reading articles - although it does require a lot of selfdiscipline to actually read them.
Science
Biology Choosing science is always a bit of a complex decision at sixth form.
Do we bother learning about more plants in
biology or do we save ourselves while we can? I for one, decided to plough on with the thought provoking study of plant diversity and test tube reactions. However, biology for me, is one of my favourite subjects, partially because of the joys of biology donut club where we cram our faces with chocolate goodies and attempt to gracefully discuss a biology related topic in the news. The syllabus is far more interesting and throwing a quadrat around on a sunny day is always an enjoyable experience (it’s a great way of multitasking if your working on that summer tan). The experiments are great, we’ve had the privilege to dissect
locusts, lungs and sew hearts up back together – practicing our skills in case we decide to audition for Greys Anatomy is only available in biology. Jokes aside, biology is definitely a brilliant subject to take to A-level if you enjoy science; the syllabus is more diverse and it’s a great thing to learn, which can be helpful for any university application.
Chemistry The word ‘chemistry’ might being terror to your minds, yet some brave scientists still choose to carry on the study of mixing up colourful liquids to give more colourful liquids. Question is, will you? I lucked out on choosing the science of ‘pretty colours’ although the reassuring thing is, the experiments more often than not; tend to work (sorry biology). Chemistry is definitely a tough subject; however, being able to finally grasp the concepts is undoubtedly the best feeling ever – the warning sign of becoming a ‘chemistry geek’ as quoted by Mrs. Preston. Experiments are a lot more interesting and exciting, this is highlighted by the box of sixth form goggles, an undeniable privilege as a chemist. The preps do take time, as do others but with the help of eight textbooks –knowledge is always around you, (quite literally as some of us took to replacing our Taylor Launter posters with chemical equations). The thing about chemistry is, though its hard, and things tend to make less sense than they should, it all fits together in the end (or the night before your exam), it gives you a brilliant qualification that aids any CV as one of the most challenging subjects and is genuinely, something fun and different to learn.
Physics Physics at GCSE can be daunting and a bit of a nightmare, but A-level is more interesting. With either the aim of learning physics to increase the knowledge of mankind, or trying to figure out how to make a lightsaber, they’re all valid (enough) reason to study the subject. Moreover, the buzzing talk of physics tea is never forgotten, which features physics’ articles, food, educational banter, and more food - it really is the place to be if you’re down with the cool kids. The trips are another big thing, the opportunity to go to theme parks only comes about in physics, as well as the epic Geneva trip, hands down physics –your trips win. The teachers are brilliant and the experiments tend to work, where testing the limits of an elastic band becomes second nature. Furthermore, physics is a great subject for those who
are curious as to why things do what they do, the teaching is great and it’s a must do subject if you have a genuine interest for it.
Sport Sport at Tudor is very popular, but obviously isn’t for everyone so if you are one of those people, the only sport you have to do is the two hours set on the timetable and you get the choice of dancercise, ultimate frisbee and badminton. However, if you are like me and enjoy sport, there is loads to do. There is a wide range on offer from the team sports like hockey, netball, lax to swimming and fitness clubs. The 1st and 2nd teams are predominately made up of the sixth form which can be a little daunting with the upper sixth but it is very nice to bond with them. There are plenty of matches and practices which is always nice to get some fresh air and an opportunity to get away from the busy sixth form life. Also we can go to the gym and work on our summer bods.!!!
Textiles So to put it bluntly, textiles in sixth form is really super fun! Firstly, there is double the amount of lessons which is so helpful. Also a big difference is that you get to choose your topic for your coursework – which is way better. The only thing is that in 6th form you are expected to do more work, but because the portacabin is open, it’s so much easier to get the work done.
Leiths I think that at the end of the day to say you have a Leith’s qualification is a very good thing but to get it is a very hard and stressful challenge! It does help if you are very organised, a bit of a neat freak and very fast at doing all things to do with Leith’s.
Timeplans are
particularly stressful, so I really recommend as soon as you get the instructions for the next timeplan, start it that night and do a bit every day so that it is not too overbearing! I am probably really putting you off Leith’s but I haven’t talked about the cooking part. Like I said, be a neat freak and clean up as you go along but other than that the cooking side is very enjoyable. I do recommend doing Leith’s as it is a very good thing to have, but if you are doing 4 very stressful hard working A-levels you will find you it hard to manage your time.
DofE Gold DofE is offered in the sixth form of Tudor Hall, you have three trips in order to complete the expedition part. This consists of a navigation weekend which this year we went to Snowdonia. As well as a practice expedition, the real expedition also happens in the Lake District. You then have to complete twelve months of both a sport and volunteer work of which the school is incredibly helpful in organising especially your volunteer work. It is safe to say that DofE
is not for the faint hearted and is a time consuming and challenging
experience; however, in the end we all really enjoyed it. You may be thinking that after silver DofE your walking days were over; however, we can strongly encourage you that we
all learnt team skills and leadership and had a lot of fun filming our aim which was a scary movie. If walking through, snow, sleet, sun and rain for five days with an excruciating backpack sounds like fun to you, then D of E is the extra curricular activity for you. Plus a major bonus is it looks good on your CV!
MUN It always surprises me that MUN (Model United Nations) is seen as ‘uncool’ or ‘nerdy’, I mean who wouldn’t want to make jokes about the Western capitalist society or Kim Jim Un’s ‘pig trotters’. The essential idea of MUN, if you hadn’t already guessed, is that we pretend to be UN. We take on a country (whether we can or cannot pronoun the name) and represent their views in a committee. For example, Azerbaijan in the Human Rights Committee. Usually, we debate 3 topics on most important issues of the day, such as, Fat Farms to decrease obesity or bee hospitals to help the disappearing honeybee. I know at this point your worried that this activity may be so oversubscribed that you will not have the opportunity to do it or it’s so complicated that you will not know where to begin. However, have no fear because MUN prefect is here. It is the MUN prefect’s job to help new delegates (that’s what they call us to make us feel important), get to grips with the technical vocabulary such as, the Point of Personal Privilege – which we use to go to the loo. If you were not already convinced, there’s more…….after every MUN our advisor – Miss Gamble aka. Ali G gives us Freddos! Similarly, aside from other reasons to do MUN such as, gaining confidence speaking or the ability to talk about foreign affairs in the wider context, you also gain a large amount of female empowerment and self-confidence from all the saucy notes sent by the MUN boys. For example, “are you tired because you’ve been running through my mind all day?” If your one of the lucky few, you may even get sent origami from a special admirer. Therefore, to end on a closing MUN note, I am looking forward to a Tudor life of lively debate with you.
Young Enterprise Young enterprise is indeed, the cherry on the cake for the opportunities at sixth form. Many of you may not know what this super popular activity involves which is why I will use this chance to enlighten your minds to the joyous endeavours we undertake. Young enterprise, in a nutshell, is a charity provided activity, where we get to form our very own company, choose a product to design or order, and more importantly, try to make some cash (perfect for when your looking at Top Shop’s new summer collection). There are roles everyone is assigned to - a manager, finance director and secretaries are a few to name – we try to keep everything professional, so even if your job isn’t being Lord Sugar, you still have a very grown up sounding title. The company is literally anything you want it to be - you choose your own products to sell, fairs to sell at and get a huge amount of freedom with the choices you make. However, Young Enterprise also shows you how to work in a team, as quoted by my fellow business colleague, ‘there is no I in team’ and later helpfully added ‘but there is me!’ Working in a team can be stressful and tiresome, but it’s always worth it (even if your ordering products the night before the fair). Young Enterprise is a different and innovative activity to be involved in; its something that has a role for everyone, from designing logos and products to planning fairs - there is never a dull moment.
Tudor in Four Continents
South Africa Going to South Africa was the best experience of my life. All the Tudor in Three Continents trips are all equally rewarding, but I was particularly attracted to South Africa because of its vibrant and diverse
culture,
especially
in
Johannesburg.
Because we stayed with host families in the evenings and went to the school in the day, it was a great opportunity to see the different sides of South African culture, which was fascinating.
Looking after the children is the best part of the trip but on the weekends we were able to go on a tour of Soweto and learn about the history of South Africa at the Apartheid Museum. We went on a sunrise safari on the last weekend, which was truly unforgettable as well. I would definitely recommend this trip as it really is an amazing experience.
Chennai I honestly can’t put into words just how incredible the trip to India was. It was an indescribable
opportunity
to
work
with
those less fortunate then ourselves and learn about the countries unique culture. We especially enjoyed the fruit and veg market,
blind
school,
temples
and
shopping- however our favourite trip was to the cinema where we went to a very 'different' and 'interesting' 3 hour long Tamil film. It was without a doubt the best and most eye-opening trip I have and most likely ever will go on. We really loved the arts and crafts activities with the children especially loom banding where we each made at least over 100 loom bands. All the children were so grateful for everything we gave to them and we created special bonds with lots of them.
Guatemala Going to Guatemala or any of the four continents
is
a
no
brainer.
Each
individual in our year absolutely loved their destination, as we all chose the one that suited our abilities and aspirations the
most.
Guatemala
consisted
of
cultural experiences, from Worry Doll Workshops to watching how they make their own clothes. The children were absolutely unforgettable and individually inspiring people, it was a pleasure to work at their
school. A highlight was the boat trip on Lake Atitlan, the deepest volcanic lake in Central America surrounded by volcanoes, to an island of huge tradition. The Guatemalan food was incredible and we were fed so well, consuming significant amounts of guacamole and tortilla. This is the most amazing experience you could ask for.
Bolton Without a doubt the week in Bolton was one of the best, busiest, and most eye-opening that I have so far experienced. The Bolton Lads and Girls Club had such a friendly and accepting atmosphere and, from day one, I deeply respected the amount of time and effort the staff put into the children. In terms of activities throughout the week, although all the work was 100% worthwhile, there were definitely some highlights. We spent afternoons mentoring and we went on a trip (personally I found this the most emotionally hard hitting) in which we travelled to the more deprived parts of Bolton to see what life is really like for those who have lost family, money, homes and, in some rarer cases, for those who had been the target of abuse. Overall, we would all agree that this session reflected our true purpose of visiting Bolton: to witness and experience poverty and misfortune in the flesh and to gain an awareness that we might not have had before.
Warriors The Warriors Accelerated Scholarship Programme is the most thrilling and challenging adventure! The activities in South Africa included skydiving, swinging from bridges, and abseiling down waterfalls, as well as visiting an orphanage. It was a week of exhilaration where we pushed ourselves to our maximum; with a strong focus on improving our selfconfidence and the ability to tackle the challenges life throws at you with an open mind.
Poland Trip Poland was one of the most moving and emotional trips we’ve ever been on. Seeing the effects of the Holocaust in real life is truly life changing. Seeing Auschwitz was eye opening, haunting but unsettling all at the same time. However, on the other hand due to the fact that the hotel was two minutes from the town square we had unlimited access to the Krakow nightlife. I would highly recommend this trip and unsupervised super (without the teachers) - meant we didn’t have to try the local delicacies and could stick to the safer Italian option. Top tip: don’t post photos on Facebook.
Activities Outside of School Tudor offers a wide range of activities both in and out of school. Those outside of school include helping with the Banbury Young Homeless Project (BYHP) where usually the lower sixth sleep out around the school for a night to raise money for BYHP and many cake and sweet sales are held around school to help BYHP achieve the minimum or no homelessness within Banbury for those who are especially still minors. The Musical Youth Company of Oxford (MYCO) is a drama company that is set up in Oxford and is a teenage musical theatre group that have around fifty members from the age of twelve to eighteen and produce and perform shows and concerts in and around the Oxford area. Ballet has become very popular with have girls travelling out of school to have lessons once or twice every week which allows a large part of show cases to be based on ballet performances.
Riding is also a large part of Tudor Hall as we have an eventing team combined of many riders who go to competitions and compete and both individuals and teams as well as those who decide they would like to learn can go to the local riding school, within riding we also have two polo teams that also compete and train once a week this has become bigger in the past few years with a few young students coming through and pushing for polo to be a bigger thing.
Finally we have sport clubs such as Banbury Blues Netball and Banbury Hockey, Banbury
Blues are a local club that come and train at school but with the opportunity for year group squads to go and train with them and our head of Netball coaching them. Within Banbury Hockey there are a lot of younger years who train and play for the third and fourth teams with seven who train for the second team and two who train and are then allowed to play for the first team even as priority over school due to Tudor trying to allow those players to develop. Due to the wide range of activities at Tudor that most people find at least one activity that they enjoy and Tudor encourages them to do what they are good at or have a passion for.
Charity This term the charity committee are very busy hosting a number of events. Starting with the dog show, which is a great Tudor tradition. The dog show includes lots of stalls like face painting, a cake stall and games, like hook a duck. It is a popular event at Tudor and students really look forward to it, because they get to see their parents and dogs, and get a chance to eat a picnic with them. A new event at Tudor, which is being organised by the charity committee, is a ‘Fun Mud Run’. This will be a charity run in the school fields with obstacles like crawling through mud, and jumping from hay bells. Parents are encouraged to enter as well as students and also welcome to watch, where they will have the chance to purchase water balloons to throw at their children.
Another new event is the Charity Talent Show. Staff and students are given the opportunity to show the school what their talent is. In the interval there will be a picnic, which you can have with your parents. The school is very lucky because the staff band will hopefully make an appearance on stage.
OT And last but by no means least.. Don’t forget OT in the 6th form. Being the OT prefect is a good prefect because you get extra privileges such as: extra long privy. You have to be available on OT days which is really interesting because you get to chat and meet OTs and they tell you all about Tudor when they went there, you realize not much has changed. The OT department is really friendly and nice. It can be very useful meeting all the OTs because it is good to have a contact and maybe get advice on the future and they sometimes will let you maybe do some work experience with them. Overall, OT prefect is good because the work is fun and you are quite high up on the prefect status and get credited for it.
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