All Sixth Form students will follow a structured Enrichment Programme which is inclusive in nature and encourages all students to take an active role in their own personal development
The underpinning approach and philosophy we use is based on theoretical programmes such as the A level mindset programme.
There are three strands to our Enrichment Programme:
Led Enrichment
| Assemblies |
There is one formal assembly each week which all Sixth Form students must attend. Assemblies and planned to support the themes covered in tutorial and aim to encourage our students to reflects on many issues beyond the curriculum. |
| Guest Speakers |
Sixth Form students have a programme of guest speakers from a variety of disciplines who support our Sixth Form Enrichment Programme. Visitors may be from local businesses, universities, charities, sport, politics and world-wide companies. The speaker programme is designed give students an insight into life beyond education and enable them to reflect on the world around them. |
| Tutorials |
Each morning all students meet with their tutor in tutor groups and follow a planned Enrichment Programme. All Sixth Form tutors are very experienced and have been trained in the A Level Mindset Programme. Tutorial gives the tutors the opportunity to have mentoring conversations with their mentees, to assist with employment plans, to discuss their learning and to support the UCAS process. |
| Seminars | A programme of seminars is offered each term which aims to enrich the students’ knowledge and understanding, provoke discussion and provide invaluable life skills. These are run by volunteers (staff/parents, etc) during a tutorial session. Students can opt into these sessions by signing up in advance; some examples of the seminar themes which are offered are, car maintenance, budgeting your money, building self-esteem and learning to touch type. |
| Enrichment Days | Two Enrichment days are planned (one for each year group). Students have been actively involved in the planning of the sessions to ensure that they are current and relevant. Year 12 Health and Wellbeing Day - students engage in a series of workshops focussing on their personal health and wellbeing e.g. sexual health, relationships, bereavement, maintaining good mental health, mindfulness, physical exercise and how the law impacts on individuals. Year 13 Life Skills Day - students engage in a series of workshops focussing on wider life skills e.g. Tax and personal finance, cooking on a budget, self defence, First Aid and transferable employability skills. |
Group Enrichment
| Debate club |
The Sixth Form Debate Club meets every two weeks to debate a topic chosen by the Debate Committee and/or the wider sixth-form. There are two speakers both for and against the proposed motion and a chair person who makes sure that all those who want to speak get the chance. Recent topics that have been successfully tackled are: "All drugs should be legalised”, "This house holds that the Burka should be banned in public spaces” and "This house holds that there are more than two genders”. Debate club offers the opportunity for student to practise their presentation, flex their argumentative muscles and consider a different point of view. |
| Committees |
Our Sixth Form are encouraged to engage fully in all decisions which affect Sixth Form life. As such we have a number of student–led committees which students may volunteer to be part of. • Prom Committee • Charity Committee • Coffee Shop Committee • Social and Wellbeing Committee • Debate Committee • Extrav Committee • Student Voice Committee |
| Tutor challenges |
Throughout the year there are a series of tutor group challenges in which the tutor groups compete against each other in sports events, quizzes and problem solving tasks. |
| Charity Challenge |
Year 12 students have the opportunity to take part in the One World Centre’s Charity Challenge. The aim of the challenge is to create a multimedia presentation depicting the work of a charity and how it impacts upon the life of a young person in the developing world. It gives students the opportunity to speak out for people in developing countries while raising money for a charity providing direct support for those people. There is an internal competition between all groups, the winner of which will represent St. Ninian's in the Charity Challenge Island Final. |
| Duke of Edinburgh | Students at St Ninians’s have the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. There are 3 levels to the award: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each level consists of 4 sections; volunteering, physical, skill and expedition. There is also a residential section for the Gold award. |
| Live at Home |
Our Sixth Form are keen supporters of the ‘Live at Home Scheme’ and students may are trained and guided in supporting elderly people who are housebound in the local community. Our students undertake a voluntary training programme to prepare them for the home visits. Our students have gained much from the experience. Jan Farrell, the Live at Home manager, commented “Students usually make friends for life and continue to visit their designated person beyond their academic studies”. |
| Junior Achievement |
Students choosing to take part in the Junior Achievement Company Programme are able to set up and run their own company over the course of one academic year. They raise share capital, develop, market and finance a product or service of their choice. Students gain experience of the real world, taking responsibility and being accountable to their shareholders for the running of the business. At the end of the programme companies from all over the Island have the opportunity to compete in the National Finals to select the company that will represent the Isle of Man at the European Company of the Year Competition. |
Individual Enrichment
| EPQ | The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) involves choosing a topic, carrying out some fairly extensive research into that particular area, then creating either a 5,000 word report or a 'product' plus a 1,000 word report. After that, students must deliver a small presentation to a group of non-specialists about their chosen topic, lasting from 10 - 15 mins. Students chose their own topic and as such, is is a great opportunity to extend their learning in an area of personal interest. |
| Mentoring and Coaching | Students have the opportunity to mentor younger students in a variety of subjects to support and coach them in their learning. This has proved to be particularly popular with those students hoping to embark on a career in teaching or education. Students who have an interest in sport may also pursue a qualification in coaching. |
| Sports Leadership Award | The Sports Leaders UK Level 3 Award in Higher Sports Leadership is a nationally recognised qualification. This course gives students the opportunity to learn the skills needed to plan and deliver sessions for specialist community groups and schools, and to develop their knowledge on leading sport and physical activity sessions. The Higher Sports Leadership Award helps to develop confidence and the ability to communicate effectively with other people and peers. |
| Work Experience |
In Year 12, students have the opportunity to arrange work experience to enable them to develop their employability skills and to support them with their future career pathways. Some students also choose to have a regular work placement which supports their studies. |
| SQA | Students have the opportunity to incorporate the skills they are developing in Sixth Form Enrichment into a qualification in the form of an SQA award. Current awards are available in Leadership and Personal Development. |
