Francis Holland, Regent’s Park Head of Sixth form Emma Williams on supporting students on the path from school to bright futures
At Francis Holland, Regent’s Park, our Sixth Form vision is guided by our four core pillars of knowledge, compassion, perseverance and spirit. We aim to inspire students to pursue their academic and co-curricular passions, and to leave us as young adults equipped with resilience, courage and empathy.
Our curriculum offers academic rigour, as well as choice and flexibility. Dynamic and inspirational teaching brings subjects to life, enabling pupils to truly connect what they learn in the classroom to the wider world. As one former student who went on to study Natural Sciences at Cambridge put it: “Thanks to Francis Holland, I developed a love of science. They really broke the mould of what I had assumed a ‘sciencey-type’ of person was, discovering that I loved being able to understand principles and apply them”.
Our students are based in, Linhope House, a dedicated Sixth Form space combining an elegant, Georgian exterior with a cutting-edge interior. Only a two-minute walk from our main school building at Ivor Place, it features collaborative and individual learning and study spaces, such as soundproofed study booths, a Think Lab with integrated technology and a spacious Common Room. Sixth formers are connected to the rest of the school as they travel between buildings for their lessons, offering a ‘college’ feel – perfect transition between school life and higher education.
Sixth form education is about so much more than academic achievement. The working world is changing, and the speed of this change is accelerating. It is our job as educators to encourage and empower our students to take risks, learn from failures and embrace the challenges, as well as the opportunities, of tomorrow. Skills such as creativity, curiosity, compassion, perseverance, storytelling, emotional intelligence and fostering a lifelong love of learning are key.
These skills are fostered through a broad co-curricular offering and a vast array of academic enrichment opportunities. A weekly lecture programme and Life Skills lessons take place, on topics including life at university, AI, law in practice and public speaking. We also have an elective programme to provide additional breadth and foster intellectual curiosity. Our Hale Lecture Series, a student-led interactive interview series, goes from strength to strength. Sixth Formers orchestrate these visits from start to finish, developing their confidence and soft skills.
Encouraged to take on various leadership responsibilities, all students can apply to be on the Head Girl’s Team – with positions including Deputy Head Girl, Senior Prefect, President of the Help Fund, Sixth Form Delegate, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Ambassador and Environmental Captain. The team meets weekly with the Head of Sixth Form, and liaises regularly with younger students, acting as their role models. We value student voice; at the regular year group forum suggestions for improvement are heard and often acted upon.
With a committed tutor team, each student is supported on her unique journey in order to achieve her potential. Our higher education provision offers bespoke support and advice, whether the chosen pathway is university in the UK or abroad, a degree apprenticeship, drama or art school. The two years of Sixth Form are demanding yet empowering – our goal is to be to the bridge that leads our students from school to bright futures.
Francis Holland, Regent’s Park fhs-nw1.org.uk
Further reading: Queen Anne’s School on future education priorities
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