Information Evening Welcome to St. Dominic’s!
September 10th 2015
St Dominic’s is a Roman Catholic Sixth Form College committed to the personal and spiritual growth of all its members based on Christian values, academic
excellence and high-quality pastoral care
Prayer
God our Father - We thank you for the opportunity to begin this
new academic year together.We ask that you bless our students, their families
and all the staff that make up our College.We pray that you will guide this community , so
that we will seek your will in everything that we do. Amen.
Welcome and Well Done!
Our Mission – we are another part of the educational journey
St Dominic’s is a Roman Catholic Sixth Form College committed to the
personal and spiritual growth of all its members based on Christian values,
academic excellence and high-quality pastoral care
Living out our Mission, a living ethos for the whole community - students
The Spiritual Support we give to each other The way we treat each other – politeness and
courtesy The interaction you have with staff and your
peers Supporting the wider world, locally and globally
– getting involved The way we start each day and each meeting –
prayer in Chapel and in first lesson of day.
Living out our Mission, a living ethos for the whole community - staff
The support we give to you individually and collectively
The approach we have to your academic success
The pastoral care and guidance we give you every day
The less formal environment we operate in
General RE – personal exploration
Integral part of our curriculum offer – mandatory
Taught by a range of staff Time for reflection, personal thought and
growth Covering questions of faith, spirituality, moral
coding, humanity Debate, discussion, personal reflection
The Mission Manifest A community of learners An ambitious, hard working team of students
and staff, striving for excellence in all that we do Experienced practitioners in the field of Post 16
education Consciously help those less fortunate than
ourselves through charity work and fundraising We understand the challenges of the next two
years
The Senior Leadership Team – (SLT) Andrew Parkin – Principal Nicola Walsh – Vice Principal Paul Higginson – Assistant Principal Nancy Conoboy – Assistant Principal Angela Inglese – Assistant Principal Peter Jenks – Assistant Principal Mike McConigley – Assistant Principal Tom Colgan – Director of Finance
St Dominic’s AS Results Summer 2015
A to E – 96% 57% grades A to B 31% grades A BTEC 100%
Examination Results - A Level (A2) – 3 year trend
2013 2014 2015A* 9.1% 8.4% 12.5%A*-B Grades 65% 66% 67%A*-E Grades 98.1% 98.5% 99.6%
Examination Results – BTEC Year 2
2013 2014 2015
National - Pass 100% 100% 100%
National - Merit/Distinction/Distinction*
88% 82% 95%
St Dominic’s Sixth Form CollegeExamination series 2015– a national perspective – %A*to B
Hills Road, Cambridge 79.75 St Dominic's, Harrow on the Hill 67.00 Woodhouse, London 64.91 Greenhead, Huddersfield 64.85
Winstanley, Wigan 64.73 Peter Symonds Winchester 63.03 King Edward VI, Stourbridge 62.73 Cardinal Newman, Preston 60.29 Hereford SFC 58.54 Carmel College, St Helen’s 58.18
St Dominic’s Sixth Form CollegeExamination series 2015– a national perspective – %A*to E
St. Dominic’s 99.6%
Hills Road99.5%
Carmel 99.3%
Peter Symonds 99.0%
Greenhead 98.9% Winstanley 98.8% Farnborough
98.8% Woodhouse 98.6%
Post 16 Examinations – A Period of Transition
St. Dominic’s is continuing to offer you the option of studying 4 subjects this year
Some subjects are now linear – your teachers will explain this to you
External AS examinations taken in ALL subjects next summer to provide accurate
Academic expectations remain the same
• Students work (consistently) hard – significant step up from GCSE – don’t under-estimate the workload!
• Students enjoy their courses – inquisitive and hungry to learn
• Enthusiasm, passion, dedication, energy, engagement
• Resilient and tenacious
Students make the difference – PP Personal Preparation
Work habits – personal organisation – Home– College– Equipment– Files/books– Classwork– Homework – Revision
Student work files
Keep all work for revision
Files – divided by unit or topic
Buy lever arched files to keep everything organised
The Year Ahead – anticipate the highs and lows
GCSE to Level 3 Programmes – more academically challenging than GCSE
More detail in their thinking, working and study methods
Time management – 3.20pm finish Raising their game!
Predicted Grades for next summer Aim high – be as ambitious as possible How do you achieve the highest grades? Are
they attainable? What will you need to do achieve higher
grades?
Teachers – we have the answers! Fountains of knowledge, wisdom and understanding...
Mock Examinations December 4th through to the 11th
Examinations in all subjects Graded and basis for discussion – January
parents review meetings
Revision – detailed preparation, starting in November – revision timetable and PP – a minimum of 4 hours per night
Minimum Target Grades
• Minimum Target Grades – MTG – based on GCSE score – we add half a grade to the MTG
• Our MTGs are therefore challenging – achieving your MTG means you are above the national average, exceeding the expected level
• MTGs are published on SID, reviews tab
• A2 Year – grades are based on AS results – stretch of A* for most able students
Academic Support• Support from teachers• Workshops• Study +• Library and HE team• Tutors• Pastoral Team – experienced tutors offering
personal support and guidance• Senior Leadership Team
Getting involved in College life Sport and Gym Student council and Student Governors D of E Volunteering Charity events Fundraising Music Chaplaincy
Points to Remember –College systems and structures
College ID badges – worn at all times Email – Sunday night email from AP ParentPay Information Screens Ilearn Website
Behaviour code Zero tolerance on drugs and violence,
including ‘legal highs’ Courtesy and politeness at all times - we
have the highest expectations of each of you at all times
Respect for the environment No Parking in Mount Park Avenue Smoking – designated area by the side of
the Chapel – not encouraged
Attendance and Punctuality Best ever attendance for the College – 94% Target for this year – 95% Lessons commence at 8.30am prompt In College by 8.25am
Limit your medical appointments, driving lessons, part-time job interviews to outside College time
No permission for extended periods of leave
Illnesses...follow the procedure! Parent or student to phone College before 10am Call to be made each day of absence Long/extended absence – medical
correspondence required
Be resilient – time is too short to be absent for minor ailments!
To be Successful Students... Learn from your GCSE results Independent, active learning Be willing to listen to advice and guidance Set yourself clear goals A desire and a determination to succeed
Personal Preparation – Be Organised
What’s going on in College – just ask SID!• Check personal details are correct
• Check attendance and punctuality
• Effort and achievement grades
• Examination results
Pastoral issues – Paul Higginson
• Contact Attendance Officer – Dani Matonti – [email protected]
• Contact tutor – ([email protected])
• Paul Higginson – ([email protected])
Gifted, Talented and Able – Peter Jenks
• Stretch and challenge subject workshops• Oxbridge programme• Competitions• Visits, relevant to the course• Free lectures at LSE, UCL, Imperial, Kings, Girton
College etc etc
Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
• Equivalent to an AS level• Voluntary – for 1st year students• Select essay on a subject of student’s choice• From January 2016 to September 2016• Excellent preparation for university – the
independent learner.• £40 via parent pay
Your involvement • Home/College contact is very important
• Academic review meetings – attendance essential – week beginning 18th January 2016
• St. Dominic’s Parents Guild – expressions of interest – email [email protected]
Three important events this term Mass of Welcome – Monday September 21st –
followed by tea and cakes
Parents Guild Meeting – Tuesday September 29th 6.30pm
Spice Night – Quiz and a Curry – Tuesday October 20th 7.00pm canteen
The Successful Student• Take the broad view• A willingness to listen to advice• Set yourself clear goals • A desire and a determination to succeed• Personal Preparation - PP
The Journey Ahead…St Dominic’s is a Roman Catholic Sixth Form College
committed to the personal and spiritual growth of all its members based on Christian values, academic
excellence and high-quality pastoral care
Successful Tenacious
Dedicated Optimistic Motivated Supportive
Thank you for your support
• Please join us for refreshments in the College refectory