The R.E Department is trialling a new venture this half term. We will run an R.E Day for Year 12 students. This will do two things: fulfil our legal obligations to provide sixth form students with their R.E entitlement and also give the students a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet representatives from several belief traditions in an atmosphere of open enquiry.

The focus of the day will be to give pupils the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of the diversity of religious traditions and consider the impact of the beliefs and practices of different groups on the lives of individuals and communities. In order to fulfil this aim we will have guests in school from the Humanist Association, the Ecumenical Movement, The Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Charismatic Church Movement and the Pagan Federation.

Students will meet each visitor in turn, there will be a presentation from each person and then the students will have the opportunity to ask their own questions. In doing so the students will be able to implement new skills of inquiry learnt over the year’s AS courses as well as using their own natural curiosity to get the most out of the day.

Young Enterprise has been re-introduced to the school by the Business Studies department this year. It has been run as an extra-curricular activity, aimed at the sixth form. We had a large amount of interest throughout the sixth form and two companies were formed.

Theale Designs and Bassline productions ran all year and experienced varying degrees of success, the students involved have worked hard in forming and running their own businesses!

Theale Designs (one of our companies) have won through the Local, Regional and South Eastern finals and are now preparing for the National Finals, to be held at the Savoy in London. If they win in July the six students will have the opportunity to represent the UK at the European finals in Moscow.

Young Enterprise offers students the opportunity to gain personal experience of how business works, understand the role it plays in providing employment and be inspired in their own prospects. Young Enterprise attempts to deliver practical learning programmes and students are able to take the Young Enterprise exam to add to their qualifications.