We know that your sixth form experience isn’t going to be all about studying. Yes, the time spent in the classroom is important, but so is the way you build your wider portfolio of experience.
We have a huge range of enrichment opportunities that will help boost your applications, whether that be for work, apprenticeships or university, and to make your time at Parrs Wood all the more enjoyable.
It’s our goal to make sure that you have access to opportunities that you want to do. Beyond what we already offer, we’re always seeking to start new initiatives if that’s what you want.
Our current offer can be broken into the following areas:
Sixth form Enrichment and Leadership programme
Application, Responsibility, Personal Development
Our compulsory year 12 Enrichment and Leadership programme supports our students’ academic studies, develops transferable skills (which Universities and Employers are looking for), helps students select future pathways and provides evidence for their application (UCAS, Apprenticeship, Employment). As one of the largest institutions in the area Parrs Wood provides a wide range of genuinely meaningful Leadership roles for 6th form students to engage in, effectively offering work experience within the school and the opportunity to work with staff to contribute towards the continual development of Parrs Wood. Unlike exclusively post 16 colleges, these opportunities are greatly enhanced by our main school 11 to 16 provision (for example many sixth form students develop their leadership skills by teaching and coaching younger students). Students also often work with a range of expert outside agencies. The Enrichment and Leadership programme has two elements to it: Compulsory and Voluntary activities.
Compulsory activities include one term of Enrichment and one term of Mentoring younger students: Enrichment activities run on a Wednesday afternoon, typically with over 15 taught activities on offer (please see list below). Mentoring of younger students may take place at different times during the week to coordinate with main school lessons. In the third term, as part of our Future Choices programme, students are supported in writing their Higher Education or Employment Applications, drawing on their academic and Enrichment activities to make a strong application.
In addition to these compulsory activities, a wide range of voluntary Enrichment activities are regularly offered such as charity work, school performances or applying for university summer schools.
A Coordinated approach: Enrichment, Careers, G+T, Student Support
Our students receive expert careers advice throughout college from the head of our Future Choice Program and their tutors. Additionally, many Enrichment activities are challenging and therefore excellent experience for applying to higher education courses where there is greater competition such as Oxbridge or Medicine. These students also receive expert advice from our Gifted and Talented coordinator. We pride ourselves that all students engage in activities regardless of need, and we have a dedicated Student Support officer for students with any of the four areas of need (communication, cognition, social and emotional, sensory or physical).
If you would like further information about our Enrichment and Leadership program, please contact:
Chris Baker
c.baker@parrswood.manchester.sch.uk
Typical Timetabled Enrichment Activities (Wednesday afternoon):
- Classics
- Debating
- Duke of Edinburgh
- Theatre in Education project
- Environmental CO2 team
- Heart Start
- Italian
- Literacy Mentoring
- Numeracy Mentoring
- Subject mentoring
- Digital Media
- Yoga
- Extended Project Qualification EPQ
- Self Defence
- PE Badminton
- PE Football
- PE Fitness
Notable Enrichment achievements of our sixth form students include:
- Completing Duke of Edinburgh courses
- Teaching lifesaving First Aid skills to hundreds of year 7 students each year
- Making us a leading school for Sustainable and Energy Efficiency: Successfully applying for £2 million of government energy efficiency funding. Giving advice on sustainability to other schools, the DFE, GMCA and COP 26 Climate Change Conference
- Regularly supporting younger students in main school lessons and in our feeder schools
- Teaching literacy to our most vulnerable year 7’s (with significant measurable improvements in reading age) and running sessions in our feeder schools
- Achieving GCSE, AS or A level qualifications in EPQ or Italian
- Entering debating and other competitions
- Producing articles about college life for our social media outlets
- Taking part in school performances
- Winning many sporting competitions
