On Thursday 13 June, our Year 10 pupils spent the day experiencing life as a Sixth Former at Windermere School. Our Taster Day is an opportunity for pupils to sample different subjects, discover what our excellent Sixth Form has to offer and the possible future pathways available. Year 10 were fully immersed into Sixth Form life and even enjoyed privileges such as break in the Study Centre and lunch in Westmorland House, with our Year 12 cohort.

The morning began with time in the Humanities department. In Business, the pupils used their own passion to create a business and the Geographers delved into the links between places and power using somewhere special to them on Google Earth. Psychology pupils investigated the psychological theories of gender and in Economics, pupils interactively applied their knowledge within a rapidly changing world. The historians explored the notion of capitalism in Imperial Russia through games involving arm wrestling and poker chips!

Next up was the Arts, and the pupils explored Visual Arts, Theatre and Music. They were joined by our Year 12 students who shared their impressive compositions and beautiful artwork. IB Art subjects are centred around diversity, driven by a student’s personal interests. Students have the unique opportunity to independently foster their individual creativity and, switch off from their academic subjects.

The pupils were given the reins in English and selected texts they believed would make the perfect Literature or Language and Literature course. This was built around a wide variety of themes and concepts, all through the medium of Top Trumps! In English B, our second language pupils used visual prompts to explore their global thinking and communication skills. Texts and topics are broad within English, allowing teachers and pupils to engage in variety of worlds. What do you think of our pupils’ course designs bellow?

The purpose of the Core within the Career-related and Diploma Programme is to broaden the students’ educational experience. Personal and Professional Skills develops transferable skills and prepare effectively for future pathways. The students learnt about the fives themes of the course and focused upon Intercultural Understanding. In Theory of Knowledge, students selected thought-provoking prompts and applied them to a variety of exhibition objects. Theory of Knowledge is a unique and philosophical course which focuses upon developing critical thinking skills.

In the Language department, Year 10 explored a variety of cultures in German, Spanish, French and Italian. From sport and food, to pop songs and slang, the pupils had fun whilst also learning about the importance of language learning, no matter the career pathway. As part of the Mathematics session, pupils impressively used technology to investigate how the coefficient of quadratic functions affect the number of times they cross the x-axis.

Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Sports, Exercise and Health Science at IB level has much more breadth and depth than GCSE. Using their knowledge of the courses, pupils explored subject combinations and destinations post Sixth Form. The interdisciplinary nature of Environmental Systems and Societies as both a Science and a Humanities subject, offers our students an increased range of flexibility. Environmental Systems and Societies is part of our new offering and encompasses topics from ethics, law and economics to ecology, equilibrium and sustainability. Within the Diploma Programme, students can specialise with a triple Science or Humanities route or, study two Art subjects. Within the Diploma Courses, they can study a variety of subjects to follow a bespoke pathway.

During the final session of the day, Year 10 reflected upon the various routes within the Sixth Form:

• IB Diploma Programme
• IB Career-related Programme which includes BTEC Business or NCFE Sport and Physical Activity (Outdoors)
• Vocational Pathway which includes BTEC Business and NCFE Sport and Physical Activity (Outdoors)
• Individual Diploma Courses and/or BTEC courses

It was important for our pupils to remain open-minded and experience as much of Sixth Form as possible. Making post-16 decisions can be a daunting task and we aim to inspire and support students before making any commitments.

To find out more, please click here.

-Elizabeth Murphy, Head of Sixth Form

Windermere School is an Independent Boarding and Day School for ages 3-18, across Junior School, Senior School and Sixth Form. The school offers holiday courses and a summer school programme, as well as short term immersion courses for international pupils, as well as an award winning IB programme. Join the adventure today >