This week, Mrs Woolley (Director of Sixth Form) guest writes on the Headmistress blog about seizing every opportunity during your Sixth Form years. 

In the Sixth Form we have spent a large amount of time over the last few weeks reading Upper Sixth references and personal statements as the UCAS applications process starts to kick in with the early applications for Medicine, Dentistry, Vet Med and Oxbridge deadline looming. It is an exciting time for these students and I always enjoy reference reading. It gives me a chance to reflect. I am always blown away by the intellect, sophistication and the confidence that shines through in the description of each student. I think back to when these same students put on their new Sixth Form suits and slightly tentatively entered the Common Room for the first time just over a year ago. I am amazed by the rapid transformation from teenagers to bold, accomplished young women ready to take on greater challenges. 

Sixth Form goes fast, really fast. I stress time and time again to our Lower Sixth students that they should really grasp all of the opportunities we have on offer. They are so lucky at BGS, they really can turn their hands to anything and my advice is get stuck in, have a go, move out of comfort zones. They all find new passions, further hone great employability skills and together, with a deep understanding of their academic studies, form the basis for a great UCAS statement. 

None of this can be achieved without hard work and commitment; whether they study A Levels or the IB Diploma programme, our Sixth Formers have to learn to study continually and that is not always easy to do around the many distractions that life throws. Sixth Form is all about learning to juggle, prioritise and asking for help when you need it. Our role as the Sixth Form Pastoral Team is to ensure our students make sensible choices about the Sixth Form subjects. We are here to mentor, coach and advise them as they develop aspirations and research the  next steps beyond Sixth Form. 

Throughout Sixth Form, our Pastoral Team helps students to develop self-reliance and strategies. We want our students to be able to balance academic deadlines alongside their wider interests, as they prepare to maximise the opportunities on offer to achieve their very best. We gently direct them how to do this for themselves going forwards, in order to prepare them for the increasing independence that those next steps allow.

Within this environment are students achieve incredible things, and I am reminded of these as I read their references; of the campaigns they have launched, the national level awards for science that they have won; the teams they have represented and the incredible research undertaken for an EPQ or Extended Essay that has ignited a passion which has shaped their higher education choices. Our Sixth Form students are impressive, they are ready to take the next steps and make a difference to the world around them. Our Sixth Formers are also fantastic company, engaging, interesting and have great hearts. They make me very proud!