Category: News

Bringing joy to those less fortunate at Easter

In March we launched our second annual Easter Egg Appeal which saw students and staff across the sites purchasing chocolate Easter eggs, big and small, and handing them in to our onsite donation points. The appeal gained lots of attention from students as they continued to demonstrate a great attitude towards almsgiving and outdid themselves with donations!

Come Community Day, more than 300 eggs were rounded up and hand delivered to the Demelza Hospice in Eltham. We were greeted by the amazing nursing staff who gladly helped to unload the special delivery and reminded us of the immeasurable impact that such gifts would have on the children they care for. We would like to thank all who contributed to this virtuous cause and also to think of the families affected by children suffering serious illness and would like to thank organizations like the Demelza Hospice for all the work that they do. 

CTK St Mary’s student receives some great news…

We were thrilled to learn that current CTK St Mary’s learner, Tony, has just accepted his offer to study Engineering at Oxford University. Tony is an upper sixth learner who is currently studying A Level Maths, Further Maths, Art and Physics. We organised a talk with Tony to see how he’s been enjoying CTK St Mary’s and what his future plans are. 

How are you enjoying your current subjects? 

“Overall, it is challenging but the content of these subjects is very interesting, which makes the subjects themselves enjoyable!” 

What has been the most challenging thing about your studies? 

“The most challenging thing has been finding a strong work-life balance.” 

In what ways have your teachers supported you at CTK? 

“My teachers at CTK are amazing! They are always willing to talk me through difficult concepts by simplifying them and ensuring that I develop my understanding of them.” 

What are you looking forward to most at Oxford University? 

“At Oxford I hope to network with new people and also acquire more specialist skills, such as programming.” 

What are your plans after you finish further education? 

“I really aspire to be an engineer at Telsa, that would be amazing!” 

What would you say to students who wish to study at CTK in the future? 

“Always try to learn ahead of the class and make full use of the fantastic resources given to you by the great teachers.” 

Well done Tony; we hope you enjoy your course at Oxford University and have a great time. 

CTK welcomes a visitor from CACT

CTK St Mary’s was visited recently by Bradley March, a senior football and sports development officer, from the Charlton Athletic Community Trust. CACT (Charlton Athletic Community Trust) is a great organisation that works within local communities that uses football as a means to improve health, education and employment, whilst also reducing crime. Bradley spoke meaningfully about the skills, knowledge and qualities that are required to become an effective sports coach as well as his career in the industry and the work that CACT do for the local community. 

Ms Shooman-Taylor, organiser of the presentation, emphasised its importance for the learners. “This was a fantastic talk and exceedingly useful for both our lower and upper sixth BTEC Sport learners.” She states, “for the upper sixth it is helpful because the extra knowledge this will provide towards their Sports Coaching unit is invaluable, and for the lower sixth it will give them a great idea on the types of progression they can expect after studying with us here at CTK St Mary’s.” 

The talk was part of CTK’s external speaker programme, where we invite interesting and educated people to share their stories and teach our learners. We have many more speakers lined up for the future and we will keep you informed of them as they occur on our social media pages. 

CTK Celebrates a month looking at the History the LGBT+ Community

We welcomed the celebration of LGBT+ History Month here at Christ the King this February with a variety of activities and displays which sought to illuminate some of the amazing actions members of the LGBT+ community have performed throughout history. 

In the LRC (Learning Resource Centre) we have had wonderful displays installed detailing both prominent historical figures from the LGBT+ community as well as more recent individuals who have achieved something remarkable. Many people have found these displays incredibly interesting and thought provoking. An example of someone on the board was Nicola Adams, who was the first openly LGBT+ woman ever to win an Olympic gold medal in the boxing competition. 

The LGBT+ Society, a student-led group acting as a safe and secure environment to talk about issues relating to the LGBT+ community, has also been discussing LGBT+ history, as well as the positive changes to civil rights in recent history and the landmark events that led to where we are now, including the 1969 ‘Stonewall Riots’ and origins of the Pride in England to name a few. 

Our 10:10 reflection at the start of the month was also dedicated to LGBT+ history month, which emphasised the importance of respecting human identity, dignity and worth, and that whoever we are, our self-understanding can be affected by our past, present and future. 

CTK is an establishment that reveres acceptance and respect, and we are delighted to be able to be able to shine a light on the importance of the LGBT+ community and the positive impact they have made in making our world a better place. 

A week of Social Action activities take place at CTK St Mary’s!

At Christ the King we are big proponents of social action in our communities and are regularly running events and activities for the benefit of charities in and around our local communities. Below are a few of the recent social action events that have been taking place across the CTK (Christ the King) sites. 

Recently learners and staff were encouraged to wear expressive clothing in aid of “Dress to Express Day”, a day that aims to raise both money and awareness for the charity Young Minds, a charity that seeks to ensure all young people and their families receive mental health support, if they need it. This day raised over £350 for the charity and cannot wait to see this money put to good use. 

In a similar vein, students also took part in “Onesie Day”, which saw learners attend their sixth form in all manner of humorous onesies. This event was run by the learners themselves and was in aid of Mindout, a charity focusing on improving the mental health of people in the LGBT+ community. 

Learners also ran a heart-shaped lollypop stand in the canteen, with the profits going towards the charity Tender, a charity whose mission is to help young people who are the victims of domestic abuse. This was another charity selected by the learners. The total sales managed to raise a fantastic amount of £70 for the charity. 

The grand total from these events was over £400, and we are so immensely proud of our learners for running events like these, whilst simultaneously committing to their studies. It demonstrates how deeply they care about social action and how much making a difference means to them. 

We eagerly await the opportunity to inform you of more acts of charity and social action occurring around the sixth forms in the future. 

CTK launches Easter Appeal fundraiser

Christ the King is proud to announce the launch of our Easter Appeal, a fundraiser seeking to raise both gifts and money towards two amazing charities, CAFOD and Demelza.  

CAFOD (Catholic Aid for Overseas Development) is a Catholic organisation that aims to assist anyone in the world who requires aid. Demelza is a charity that assists families with young members suffering from terminal and very serious illnesses. 

The appeal is set to run throughout lent and encompasses a variety of social action initiated by our learners, including a chocolate Easter egg appeal, a GoFundMe donation page and a milkshake stand amongst many more. We are honoured to be organising such an event and are excited to be able to update you once we have news on the status of the appeal. 

If you would like to donate items or funds to the appeal, you can do so in a variety of ways: 

• If you would like to donate monetary funds, please follow the link which will take you to our GoFundMe page, where we are raising money for the two charities. 
• If you would like to donate chocolate eggs to the appeal, please bring them to either the chaplaincy, or the reception where they will be collected by the team. 

We would like to take this moment to thank our fantastic chaplaincy team for organising the appeal and continuing to facilitate and run events throughout its course. 

Introducing the eight new faces of the College Halls

We are delighted to have appointed our Student Heads of Hall. They play such an important role in supporting their fellow colleagues from their given Hall. When students join CTK they become members of a Hall, which helps them settle quickly into CTK life.  

In the order that they appear (right), please meet: 

Canterbury Hall

Student Head of Hall- Shanaya Reynolds

Deputy student Head of Hall – Isis Osei-Kusi

Walsingham Hall

Student Head of Hall – Adeola Ojora

Deputy Student Head of Hall – Damar Brown

York Hall

Student Head of Hall – Debby Phillip-Akintunde

Deputy Student Head of Hall – Rodney Agyemang

Durham Hall

Student Head of Hall – Aliyah Akinola

Deputy Student Head of Hall – Izundu Ariri

The Student Head of Halls are leadership roles where students help support and promote different activities and events both internally and externally. This includes presentations to students, representing their colleagues at Local Board meetings and leading Social Action projects.

CTK hosts talks from Holocaust survivors

Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) is marked each year on 27th January – the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. On this day, schools, communities and faith groups across the UK join together in national and local events to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and of even more recent genocides. 

Deacon Javier, our Lay Chaplin, lead a Holocaust Memorial service at each site which staff and students attended.  The service was extremely moving and highlighted the Nazi Persecution and the genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur, in the hope that there may be One Day in the future with no genocide. 

We were privileged to host a talk with two holocaust survivors, Paul Sved and Ivan Shaw, who both have fascinating stories about their experiences as young children living in cities under Nazi control. Both speakers, now in their 80’s, gave up their time to speak to CTK lower sixth students as part of the Sixth Forms 10:10 programme. Their stories were extremely moving and highlighted the sadness in their childhood and their victimisation of Nazi persecution. The pair went on to give a recap of their oppression, the time spent away from their families as young children, the day they finally managed to escape Nazi occupation and how they remarkably went on to lead normal happy lives. 

Our students were fascinated by their stories and amazed by the bravery of the survivors. One student said “The testimonies gave me a very harsh yet interesting insight into life during the Holocaust. We’ve heard from historians but not often the survivors and it allowed me to understand the atrocities that were taken upon the people of that time and helped me understand the misfortune they went through. Even with all his discomfort he prevailed and taught a valuable lesson on how two very different views can affect the whole of human history.” – Kanye Cross-Gordon, CTK St Mary’s student. 

We would like to say a big thank you to the Holocaust Educational Trust for arranging this session with us and to the incredible guest speakers for sharing their memorable stories with us at this time. 

St Mary’s Football Team secure yet another win!

The Football Team over at St Mary’s have been honing in on their skills recently and assessing their strategies on the pitch. As part of their analysis, the team took to the field to conduct a research project looking into the effects of pressure on players when it comes to performance and penalty kicks. The players took turns to experience both positive and negative commentary from their team mates right before they took their goal kick. They also experimented with taking kicks in silence to see how that may also affect their psyche.

It was noted that all three conditions had some sort of impact on player’s performance, with some player’s cracking under the pressure and some performing notably better with positive encouragement.

We are glad that the team are able to utilize the vast playing fields here at St Mary’s for training and research activities such as these. However, did the team’s research have any impact on their game-play?

Last week, the team travelled to North Kent College with hopes to consolidate their mid-table position. The team gave a strong performance and even had a chance to put their research to the test when it came to a penalty free-kick. The CTK striker made the most of the newly adopted techniques on minimising the pressure felt in free-kick situations managing to successfully score the 4th goal of the match giving us a 4-1 victory against our worthy opponents. The outcome of this game boosts us up to 3rd in the tables as we hope to continue our winning trend in the remaining fixtures.

Well done to the team!

Milkshake anyone?

Social Action including fundraising is important to all CTK St Mary’s students. Students have been exploring new ways to raise money for charity. Recently students supported ‘Power the Fight’; a youth-centred charity which aims to support local communities in the fight against youth violence. This was a charity chosen by the students themselves. 

Students Jane Adegbesan and Tabitha Onafowokan feel passionately about the charity’s mission and put a great deal of hard work into organising an event which involved making a arrange of milkshakes.  The highly successful event took place in the Chaplaincy and proved very popular with both students and staff. 

The milkshakes included flavours such as Oreo, Hershey’s and Kinder Bueno, and were delicious. The day was a great success and both Jane and Tabitha were extremely happy with the outcome. 

“We’ve been planning this event for quite some time.” States Jane, “We’re extremely happy the event has been successful, and we can’t wait to provide the charity with these funds. Power the Fight means a lot to us, as we have friends who have personally benefited from their work, and we hope it goes a long way!” 

The sale managed to raise a fantastic £132 which will now be donated to the ‘Power the Fight’ Charity to help them in their mission to end youth violence. A massive well done to the student fundraisers as well as the staff and students that contributed! 

CTK Eco Group Implements Exciting Ideas and Talks

The work of our CTK Eco Group continues to go from strength to strength. The Eco committee meet regularly to take forward the Sixth Form’s Green agenda. In a recent meeting they discussed changes they could make to reduce our impact on the environment. Recently, the group have been looking at the impact of meat farming and the damage that such heavily laboured factories can do to the environment. 

The outcome of these meetings has inspired students to consider eating alternative foods that have little-to-no impact on the environment, as it helps reduce the impact too much meat consumption has on both the human body and the environment. 

The reps launched a competition across the three CTK sites, which looked at identifying meat free dishes that each site wanted to take forward. Entrants had to plan a recipe for their tastiest meat-free dish which would be cooked in the canteen. We await to hear the outcome, but recipes included: vegetarian Pizza, meat free chilly, cauliflower curry along with Quorn based alternatives to traditional meat-based recipes. 

The sixth form also received a visit from the Education and Engagement Officer for the Big City Butterfly Project. This is an exciting new project that aims to inspire Londoners to discover butterflies and moths, and connect them with nature and their local green spaces. As well as offering habitat management advice, they have also offered to run a butterfly ID workshop for staff and students. This is an opportunity to gain skills and knowledge to help increase butterfly monitoring across the project area. 

St Mary’s attends first Coffee Morning with local Parish

What a lovely way to welcome the Christmas month by attending our first ever Coffee Morning with local parish, St Lawrence’s. As part of our outreach mission to maintain a presence within the community and ensure we are doing our bit to support charities in the local area, we have began Coffee Mornings with our local churches, taking place on the first Wednesday of each month. The outings are attended by Miss Katama, the St Mary’s chaplain as well as a group of Chaplaincy reps.

The morning is advertised within and around the parish and is aimed at local residents as well as the elderly, and takes place straight after morning mass. A selection of cakes and sweet treats go on sale for all to buy and the proceedings are collected by the parish to distribute back into to the community.

Here’s to many more Coffee Mornings and making a difference in our community!

CTK St Mary’s holds its November Open Day!

St Mary’s open day was on Saturday 13^th November this year and we were joined by a massive amount of prospective students.

The student ambassadors worked tirelessly and professionally to chauffeur individual groups of prospective students around the building as they answered questions and showed our guests to the relevant subject areas. 

Staff also played a key role on the day, interacting with interested students and taking them through the subject course. Some subject ambassadors remained in their classrooms to support their teachers and give the prospective students a real feel of what it would be like to study A Levels or BTEC’s by giving them an introduction to the classroom facilities as well as showcasing their fantastic work. 

Each hour-long tour ended with a talk with the site principal Ms Camilla Crampton as well as Executive Principal Shireen Razey. During these talks, both students and parents were given an in-depth presentation on the full range of subjects and opportunities that St Mary’s has to offer. 

We were overwhelmed by the wealth of complementary and positive feedback relayed by our visitors. We would like to say thank you to all the students and staff who contributed to the success of the event and again, thank you to the delightful prospective students and parents who attended.

Student, Rachel Afrifa runs for Lewisham Young Mayor

We are delighted that upper sixth student Rachel has decided to join the campaign to become next Young Mayor of Lewisham. Rachel currently studies A Level Business, Media and Sociology and has big plans for change in her borough. We’ve been catching up with Rachel about why she wanted to get involved.

Interviewer: Rachel, what inspired you to run for Young Mayor?

Rachel: The thing that inspired me to run for Lewisham your Mayor, was growing up, seeing things that I wanted to change within my neighbourhood. I was literally born and raised in Lewisham borough, I’ve seen the good, the bad and I’ve decided that I want to grow up and be able to fix the bad.

Interviewer: If you were to become the next Young Mayor, what do you hope to change or achieve?

Rachel: I want to affect the lives of young people like me, who aren’t as fortunate and maybe don’t have as much support as I do. I hope this campaign, whether I win or not, is a voice for them and lets them know that there is someone out there thinking of them.

Interviewer: What do you friends and family think of your campaign?

Rachel: My friends and family are very supportive, especially my friends. They’re really proud that I’ve decided to take a stand!

Interviewer: What do you hope to do after you leave CTK?

Rachel: I’d like to pursue Media at university. My college has been very supportive, I love the media department, I’m there all the time!

CTK Beats Harris Academy Beckenham 8-0

The football team played fantastically this game; managing to beat Harris Academy Beckenham 8-0 before the final whistle blew.

After the game, we got to speak to Tadiwa Nago for his thoughts on how the game went.

How do you think the game went today?

“The game went very well, we played together as a team [and] managed to get a lot of goals which helps with our goal difference and pushes us up the table in the league.”

What do you love about studying at CTK and playing in the football team?

“Studying at CTK you have a lot of friends around you and we can use that to our advantage on the pitch to build a bond. It shows on the pitch considering the score line, which I believe was 8-0, because of how well we played as a team.”

What do you hope for next week’s game?

“I hope for next week’s game to have a lot of goals, more goals than today! We need to show the same leadership, the same drive and the same motivation and we will continue to win games.”

The result today shows great promise for the CTK football team and we sincerely hope that they continue their winning streak!

A Scrumptious Success

Last week, our staff students and students got baking (and buying) in support of our Macmillan Cancer Research Bake Sale fundraiser! Student reps at each site gave their support by posting fliers, setting up the bake sale tables and serving up the delicious treats on the day. Some staff members even got baking, arriving with parcels of freshly baked cakes! 

We are always so proud of the efforts shown by our staff and students to support and raise money for charity and we can happily announce that the grand total raised for Macmillan Cancer Research is £258.86 

The Bake Sale proved to be a fantastic success and we are humbled and grateful to our amazing staff and students!

The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all – Pope Francis (Laudato Si 2015). 

This year’s annual Staff Conference on environment and sustainability focused on how as a community, we can continue our journey from an “emerging “to “established” sixth form in promoting environmental sustainability, deepening our understanding of environmental issues and reducing our Carbon footprint.  

We were delighted that Steve Frampton, FE/HE Climate Commissioner launched our conference this academic year. The conference was opened with an overview and discussion of our role as a sixth form in tackling the climate crisis. 

The day was packed with guest speakers, experts in their fields on sustainability and environmental issues. 

Two speakers from C40 cities took part, Andrea Fernández and Aaron Kiely. Around the world, C40 cities are taking bold climate action, leading the way towards a healthier and more sustainable future. They drive the global climate action agenda by creating unique opportunities for cities to come together and showcase their achievements and underscore what needs to be done to secure a greener, healthier and more prosperous future for all citizens. 

Andrea Fernández introduced the science of climate change, its impact and the importance of the global climate conference in Glasgow in November. This followed a discussion on how to maximise the opportunity of COP26 for our sixth form. 

Aaron Kiely, Senior Campaigns Manager for Youth Initiative at C40 Cities, led a discussion on how youth around the world are engaged and what are the key issues for young people, followed by a discussion on how we could engage students on this topic. 

Our approach adopted to sustainability is based on engagement, education, communication and involvement and our second keynote speaker Charlotte Bonner, National Head of Education for Sustainable Development (ETF), discussed what is ESD, the current ESD landscape in FE and how we can embed sustainability in our learners’ experience and also within our community. 

Deacon Javier and Susan Kambalu from CAFOD  presented ‘Caring for our environment’. They explained the work of CAFOD and the call by Pope Francis inviting everyone to take seriously the need to care for creation. Susan explored why we are called by Pope Francis to care for our common home, through sharing the work of CAFOD and providing us with practical actions and resources to help us respond to “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” (Laudato Si’ 49). 

Our Environmental Green Group have, this year focused on developing a 10-point Environment plan. We were excited to be able to launch this to our student and staff Community. All members of CTK are encouraged to contribute to the 10-point environment and sustainability endeavour, working collectively and individually to promote the common good and to model attitudes through the way we act. These breakout sessions will provide an opportunity to attend two workshops on how we can make a change by following our 10-point Environment plan. 

Our afternoon session heralded an opportunity to listen to our own researchers as they presented our sixth annual Teach Meet. We are always encouraged by their generosity in sharing their pedagogical reflections and research. 

We held a remote evening of celebration at the end of the academic year to highlight the amazing hard work done by our students despite the tough year we have all had!

The cross site event highlighted the hard work and achievements at each and every site across the wide range of subjects we offer by both students and all staff.

Below is a selection of images and messages from staff and students at the end of year celebrations:

Subjects and Winners

-Applied Science- Kirudsika

-Business- Ahandullah

-Health & Social Care- Caroline

-ICT- Andre

-Law- Moyosolaoluwa

-English Language & Literature- Lauren

-Mathematics- Daniel

-Politics- Oliver

-Spanish- Benedicte

-Sports and Exercise Science- Reece

The Sixth Form Association (SFCA) launched a national art exhibition this week, featuring work from CTK students. Entitled ‘Fake News’ the exhibition showcases students’ creative interpretation of the Fake News theme and their reflections on how hard it can be to distinguish fact from fiction.

More than 250 students from 58 colleges submitted their artwork for the exhibition, which runs from 1^st to 22 July.  All pictures can be viewed at the SFCA gallery website here.

Art work from numerous Christ the King Sixth Form students has been included in the online exhibition;

‘Fake News’ by Jessica Benjamin, an A Level Photography student

‘Mid Cap Value Equity’ by Mya Scott, studying A Level Graphic Communication

‘Monitor’ by Amrit Khaira, an A Level Fine Art student

‘Schrödinger’s Cat’ by Rimmini Cameron who is studying BTEC  Extended Diploma Art & Design

‘Segregation’ by Destiny Kiberu, an A Level Graphic Communication student

‘Surveillance’ by Nathan Osei- Prempeh an A Level Graphic Communication student

‘Textn’ by Victoria Pansu who is studying A Level Graphic Communication

‘we’llwatchtheworldburn’ by Matilda Millbank, an A Level Graphic Communication student.        

 Bill Watkin, Chief Executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said:  “The Fake News exhibition is a celebration of the arts and a recognition of the excellence in sixth form colleges, which are a vital supply pipeline of talented artists. But it also highlights how young people feel about having to navigate the vast amount of news and information that is available in the modern world, and at the same time, to discern what is the truth. Art has always played an important role in social and political commentary, and the students featured in Fake News have shown they have the talent to communicate their feelings about this important subject in a powerful and effective way”.

More than 250 students from 58 colleges submitted their artwork for the exhibition, which runs from 1^st to 22 July.  All pictures can be viewed at the SFCA gallery website here.

The SFCA will be promoting the exhibition online using the hashtag #6thFormArt2021

Are you thinking of applying to Christ the King Sixth Forms? Whether you’re applying to CTK Aquinas, CTK St Mary’s or CTK Emmanuel, you might be feeling a little unsure about what you need to do in order to be offered a place on the course of your choice.

Read on for our top five tips to help you shine throughout and give yourself the very best chance of joining Christ the King Sixth Forms – one of the top sixth form colleges for university progression in South East London and Kent.

1. Choose the right course for you

Before you start your college application, do your research and speak to your teachers and the careers adviser in your school to discuss your options.

• Which subjects are you doing well in at school and enjoy studying?
• Are you suited to A levels or would you do better on a more vocational course?
• What are your predicted GCSE grades in each subject?
• Do you have a particular career in mind, and will any specific qualifications – such as A levels in Chemistry and Biology for Medicine – be needed?

Our Open Days are a great way to learn more about different subjects and the choice of courses on offer.  They will provide you with a chance to meet staff and students, who will be able to tell you more about what it is like to be a student at Christ the King Sixth Forms. Do discuss your application with your parents or carer. Once you’ve narrowed down your choice of subjects and chosen what you want to study, then it is time to make your application.

2. Complete the application form in full

It may sound obvious, but please make sure you complete the online application form in full and don’t miss any sections. The information you provide to us on the form is very important, so take the time to make sure you have entered the details in all the relevant sections and check the form through carefully for spelling errors, mistakes and typos before you submit it.

As a high-achieving Sixth Form, your academic grades are key to achieving a place at Christ the King Sixth Forms, so check that your application meets the admissions criteria for the course(s) you would like to study. Tell us your predicted grades, or the grades you are currently working at in your assessments. This will help us to decide whether CTK could be the right place for you to continue your studies.

A good attendance and behaviour record is also essential to become a part of our CTK community, so you will need to provide a positive reference from your school and explain any special circumstances or challenges you have faced if you have any issues with attendance.

3. Write a killer Supporting Statement

Our application form includes a Supporting Statement section, which is your opportunity to tell us more about you! This is your chance to tell us why you want to join CTK and what you might want to do in the future at university or in your future career.

We also want to learn about you as an individual: your ambitions, the subjects you love, what makes you tick. And don’t forget to tell us about activities or projects you have undertaken in school or outside that weren’t part of your schoolwork. Perhaps you have been involved in a community project, organised a sports club or are a member of a sports team, dance or music group?

Expect to spend some time on your Supporting Statement and ask someone you trust, like a teacher at school or a family member, to read through your draft to provide you with some feedback. Finally, don’t forget to use a spell checker and make sure you proofread your Statement before submitting.

4. Excel in the interview

Once you’ve completed your application form, you’ll be invited to attend an interview either in person or online. As with any interview, aim to be the very best version of yourself by dressing smartly (even if the interview is done via a phone or video call), using good manners and being friendly and polite.

Read the interview invitation carefully and make sure you bring anything you need with you, such as a recent school report or a portfolio of art work if you are applying for an art course. Also, be sure to plan how you will get to the interview if it is at college, and make sure you arrive on time.

You can improve your chances of success in the interview by preparing for it in advance and making notes to use as prompts if you need them. Remember: the interview is a two-way process and is as much a chance for you to find out about CTK as it is about us finding out about you. You might want jot down some questions to ask, which also shows us that you have done some research about Christ the King Sixth Forms and are well organised.

5. Keep up the good work at school

Following your application, we will contact your school for a reference. The reference is a really important part of our admissions process so it’s important that you continue studying hard. Make sure your attendance is good, you’re on time for all your lessons and you keep on top of your homework. All Christ the King Sixth Forms are underpinned by values of mutual respect and positive encouragement, so we will also want to know that you will be able to meet our high standards of behaviour.

If you have any questions about applying to Christ the King Sixth Forms or need a bit more help and advice, please get in touch with our friendly Careers team.

Ready to apply?  We are delighted that you are considering making an application to Christ the King Sixth Forms. We welcome students of all faiths and of none who would like to pursue their sixth form education in a faith context and who support the ethos of this Catholic College. We are currently taking applications to join CTK in September 2021. If you, or someone you know, would like to apply, then you can do so online – just click the button below. Once we receive your application, we will contact you to arrange an interview. Good luck!

Christ the King Sixth Forms has teamed up with the EKC Group in Kent to launch a Christmas Gift Appeal. 

We will be collecting donations of toys or Christmas presents, or donations  to ensure that those in need still get to experience the joy of receiving something special this Christmas.  

Shireen Razey, Principal of Christ the King Sixth Forms says; “Our students are keen to make a difference in the local communities where they live and work, many of which have been effected by the pandemic. Our Sixth Forms do a lot of work supporting charities, and we all wanted to make the festive period special for young people who have experienced such hardship this year”. 

If you would like to donate to the campaign you can donate presents off at CTK St Mary’s in Sidcup, CTK Emmanuel in Lewisham or CTK Aquinas in Brockley.   

Suitable Donations: 

The charities are only able to take new items, sealed in their packaging. The items they can accept are: 

• Toys 
• Puzzles 
• Colouring Books or Puzzle Books 
• Gift vouchers 

• Toiletries 
• Chocolates/biscuits or hot chocolate 

You can also donate money at the fundraising page EKC Group and Christ the King Sixth Forms have set up:  gf.me/u/y8iw73

Charities 

The charities we are collecting for are: 

Demelza Hospice Care for Children https://www.demelza.org.uk/ 

St Vincent de Paul Society https://www.svp.org.uk/node/606 

Refuge https://www.refuge.org.uk/  

Our gift appeal in the press

You can read the full article at https://www.fenews.co.uk/press-releases/58649-college-couple-team-up-to-make-christmas-special

CTK have been featured in an article in TES magazine to showcase our partnership with Metric Capital.

Metric Capital have been providing support to CTK students with university scholarships, and boosting young peoples chances of employability and career progression.

For Act of Charity Day, CTK students took part I writing thank you notes and pictures thanking the NHS, local Fire brigade, Kent Police, TFL, Key workers at Queen Mary’s hospital, local care homes, and local supermarkets.

Dear NHS workers, 
Thank you so much for your hard work during these tough times. The NHS is a unit full of amazing people. 

It really does take a group of truly special and selfless people to help the whole country and make a huge difference on a daily basis. 

The NHS has helped this country of millions and millions innumerable times. We are all in your debt for this amazing 

care that the whole organisation provides. 
The NHS has set a global example of what national healthcare should look like. It is undoubtedly the best in the world. 

Filled up to the brim by people willing to make sacrifices day in and day out. You have all put yourself and your family 

in a vulnerable position. However that hasn’t stopped any member from being brave and helping the global effort to tackle 

not just a virus, but provide the right of healthcare to everyone irrespective of their background. 
The determination required for this task is truly a feat in which everyone should aspire to reach in order to excel in anything 

they pursue. Pots and pans will never be enough to show how much we appreciate the greatness that comes from each 

individual working long hours to make sure that a whole nation is put to rest assured that they will be safe. 
Happiness, rainbows and pride fill the streets. The NHS has provided a light in the darkness that is the state the world is

 in at the moment. People are happier knowing that the NHS are forever fighting illness and are on our side. 

We, the nation, wholeheartedly support the NHS and is thankful for the heroes who make it what it is today. 

This week, three Christ the King sixth form students have been awarded a scholarship from Private capital fund management firm, Metric Capital worth £15,000 each.

Each successful student was carefully selected according to their academic performance and formal virtual interview process.  Christ the King students Temitope Idowui, who hopes to study English Literature at the University of Cambridge, Keona Burey who hopes to study Primary Teaching at the University of Chichester and Jon Hamilton who hopes to study Biomedical Sciences at the University of Southampton, all successfully received a scholarship worth £15,000 over the course of their University degree.

The Metric Capital scholarship programme with Christ the King is in its ninth year and to date has awarded almost £500,000 in scholarships to hardworking, ambitious Christ the King students.  Metric Capital, worked in conjunction with Our Turn Global, a charitable organisation that uses social media to raise awareness about initiatives that have a positive impact on society to award the scholarship.

The scheme is led by Metric Capital’s Managing Partner, John Sinik. John was first introduced to Christ the King by one of his mentees, and he was inspired to create the Metric Scholarship Programme after meeting high performing, aspirational students at Christ the King, who dreamt of going on to University, but faced financial challenges in doing so.

Metric Capital Managing Partner John Sinik says:  “Tuition fees are only a part of the expense of going to University. There are living expenses that can be overwhelming for people and ultimately drive their decision not to go.  The scholarship plays a key role in allowing the students to pursue their dream of obtaining a University degree”.

Collegiate Principal Shireen Razey says: “We are delighted to continue working in partnership with Metric Capital with this fantastic venture. We are so proud of our hardworking students at Christ the King and it is a great opportunity to support them in their university aspirations.”

Temitope Idowui, who is currently studying A Levels in English Literature, Media Studies and Sociology at CTK said ‘I can’t tell you how happy I am right now. I can’t wait for my mum to get home from work so I can share the news with her. A scholarship like this will really help me financially in the year ahead and it will mean I do not need to find a part time job and can concentrate on my studies.’

Keona Burey, who is currently studying a BTEC in Health & Social Care at CTK said;  ‘I am so blessed to have met such amazing inspiring individuals this morning. I am delighted to have been awarded this scholarship and I know it will help me greatly at university.’

Jon Hamilton, who is currently studying A Levels in Biology, Chemistry and Physics at CTK said; ‘I am so happy to gain this scholarship. I had no idea my teachers thought so highly of me and it will be a great help in my ambition to become a doctor.”

Since the start of lockdown CTK as a community have been making a conscious effort to support our local charities and people in need, and we are delighted to have been featured in The Pilgrim newspaper outlining the work the Sixth Forms has done during COVID-19.

The article is titled ‘Staff and students rise to the COVID-19 Challenges.’ We at CTK continue to ensure all students and staff, as well as our surrounding community, are supported through this difficult time. We have prayer everyday, as well as coffee breaks and staff meetings to ensure all of our staff feel supported, and we have raised over £1000 for various charities in the surrounding boroughs.

CTK student Mya recently entered a photography competition for the opportunity to be showcased in the Historic England Archive. Out of over 1000 submissions only 100 photographs were picked for the archive, Mya was included in this chosen 100.

Polly Braden, an renowned artist and photographer who focusses on culture, the everyday and communications, selected Mya’s photo as her favourite out of all the photographs, and the BBC contacted her to write a story about her.

Today sees the launch of At home, an online exhibition of photographs taken by sixth form college students during the Covid-19 lockdown. Over 140 students from 46 colleges submitted their photographs for the exhibition that runs from 4th to 19th June 2020. The exhibition is being co-ordinated by the Sixth Form Colleges Association and all photographs can be viewed on the SFCA gallery website here.

Launching today’s exhibition, Gillian Keegan, Apprenticeships and Skills Minister, said:

“This has been a difficult time for the entire country but this exhibition is a wonderful example of how creativity can flourish in the face of adversity. It’s great to see how these sixth form students have captured the experiences of lockdown from a young person’s perspective. A huge congratulations to all exhibitors and I wish them every success for the future”.

Bill Watkin, Chief Executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said:

“At home highlights the extraordinary artistic talent that exists in our sector. We are holding this exhibition to recognise and celebrate excellence in sixth form colleges, but also to stimulate our thinking about the world this summer. It is imperative that we keep the arts in education secure and flourishing. If young people are to make a valuable contribution to society – even if they are to be successful scientists, engineers, doctors and technicians – they need to develop their creative skills, their artistic sensitivities and their ability to interact with others. All of this will be more important than ever in the post-Covid world”.

‘At home’, the SFCA National Photography Exhibition 2020 can be viewed here: https://www.sixthformcolleges.org/411/at-home

Our CTK A Level Graphics students who have been entered:

Emilia – ‘The Search For Life’

Matilda – ‘Isolation

Victoria – ‘Through the Dark’

If you’re a Year 10 or 11 student interested in Photography and feel inspired be sure to enter our CTK Photography competition here –> https://www.ctk.ac.uk/year-11-virtual-school/ctk-photography-competition/

On International Nurses Day we at CTK want to thank all our nurses, like our former student Sarah, across the country for all that you are doing. These unprecedented times have made it most important to value and protect our NHS and so much of that weight falls on all our nurses all over the country, helping us win the battle against Coronavirus. From here at CTK: thank you Nurses!

Our staff, students and wider CTK community are always keen to help support local charities, especially now during the Coronavirus pandemic.  The outbreak has had a major impact on all of our lives but particularly for vulnerable groups who need support now more than ever.

Volunteering and supporting others is at the heart of our Catholic Mission and we always strive to support our local community; now more than ever we need to come together to give back to those who are most vulnerable. 

We set up a Just Giving Page, aiming to raise £1000 to be shared between three local charities that we work closely with:

Greenwich Bexley Hospice need our support at this difficult time.  

The Athena service Lewisham/Greenwich, run by Refuge, offer support to young adults suffering gender based violence. With a 25% increase in domestic violence locally, any money raised will be a lifeline for this charity.  

Lastly, Lewisham Foodbank which CTK also supports regularly.  Food banks are experiencing shortages during the crises and every pound raised feeds a local vulnerable family in need.

We actually surpassed this, and our current total is at £1148! Thank you for all your donations, it is greatly appreciated to help these charities serving the local community in need at this time.

We are so excited to see our CTK family helping to brighten up peoples daily walks and help us all through this difficult time by joining the many other houses painting rainbows and putting up supportive messages for our NHS.

Credit to Ms Johnson’s son James for his amazing window art.

Ms Power’s son Joe aged 4, for his brilliant rainbow.

Ms Schutze’s daughter Natalya aged 4 for her beautiful creation.

This year for Sport Relief students and staff were invited to wear sports clothing for a £1 donation for those in need across the UK and the worlds poorest countries. A huge thank you to everyone who supported our charities and took part.

A great deal of students even took advantage of using the fitness suite and taking part in other sporting activities to get into the sporting spirit.

Easter is a very special time here at CTK and despite not being together at this time, this did not stop us celebrating together. We encourage students and parents to spend time with all the family they can, and although we cannot attend Church at this time, there are lots of resources that allow you to take part in mass and services from your own home. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxIsefyl9g9A5SGWA4FvGIA

Our choir director Ms Christian-John had some great words of wisdom this weekend:

“A MESSAGE TO MY CHOIRS: 1. Don’t stop singing 2. This virus won’t last forever 3. Please keep on singing at home 4. I miss you already 5. I look forward to seeing you all again soon 6. I’m praying for you and your families 7. Keep the faith and be encouraged I’mSoProudOfYou!”

Ms Christian-John also posted an amazing video on her YouTube channel dedicated to all the students and staff at CTK at this hard time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=210&v=vAqWaes0-oc&feature=emb_logo

Here at CTK we value charity, community and supporting others wherever we can, and this has never been more important than now. Christ the King was happy to be able to help our NHS by donating 200 science goggles and 600 pairs of disposable gloves and an array of chocolate goodies to Lewisham hospital. We also donated milk and biscuits to St Vincent de Paul Society (England & Wales).

We also donated over 200 Easter eggs to local charities and our students will be writing messages of support to NHS start using https://www.thanksamillionnhs.co.uk/

Upon the news that pubic gatherings, including mass and church ceremonies, have been cancelled for the foreseeable future, our Chaplaincy team have worked hard to ensure all staff and students have all the resources to keep the faith in the hardest times. Alongside conducting our daily College prayer online every day, our Chaplains have been providing prayers and videos for us all to follow and watch with family to help us all through difficult times. We encourage everyone to visit https://pray-as-you-go.org/retreat/pray-as-you-stay for a great Prayer series containing reflective music and words for each day as people are at home to encourage daily prayer.

“God of Love,

As members of the Christ the King Sixth Forms family, we ask for your continued blessing upon our work and study. You are the source of all truth and wisdom.

May we experience in full the Life that you offer us each day, to become the best that we can be.

Let no distractions of fears prevent us from trusting in your endless care for us.

Shine your Light into our lives that we may become brighter beacons of faith, hope and love in our community.

We make this prayer through Christ the Lord. Amen.“

Spiritual wellbeing has never been more important, visit https://www.alonetogether.org.uk for more ideas, help and resources for getting through this time of self isolation and distancing from those important to you and our ordinary lives.

We are thrilled to receive inspiring work from our students, showing how to be productive from home. This stunning postmodernist architectural design for Unit 7 BTEC Extended Diploma is by Tarique.

Thalia, one of our Graphics students for her component 2 exam produced this with the theme of social media and conformity.

We are very proud that our CTK St Mary’s Scholarship Graduate Programme students Matthew and Hannah, have volunteered for local community work during the virus situation.

They are two of the 500,000 people that has signed up to be an NHS volunteer to help the vulnerable during the coronavirus crisis.

If you would like to know how you can get involved visit the NHS volunteering website and see what you can do for your community. https://www.england.nhs.uk/participation/get-involved/volunteering/

Geography students took a trip to Margate to assess the effectiveness of the coastal defences and to investigate if they have had an impact on the coastline.

They carried out Beach profiles, groyne measurements, questionnaires, measured long shore drift and carried out a bi-polar cost benefit analysis. The class split into groups and carried out different data collection to calculate consistent results.

Our CTK Alumni, Trevor Gomez, visited the BT Sport Studios for the new brand launch; and got the chance to talk on camera, touching on what it means to go ‘Beyond Limits’ with BT. Trevor talked to CEO Philip Jansen about his views of the exciting changes at BT, and an inspirational quote from Philip was ‘If we start with our people the possibilities for our customers are limitless’.

Trevor talked to Philip about ‘ELEVATE’; a skills development scheme for young adults, linked to his very own scheme he is running; the BT ‘Work Ready’ Programme. Trevor says he is looking forward to carrying the theme of ‘Beyond Limits’ when he presents to the Marketing Unit of BT about his role and work as a ‘5G Maker.

Trevor is an inspirational alumni to represent CTK; working with young adults and helping to revolutionise the world of technology.

We are extremely proud to see many of our students embracing working from home and not letting it halt their enthusiasm or stop them from producing amazing pieces of work.

CTK A Level Photography student Tillie has taken this image this week entitled ‘isolation’.

Great progress from an A Level art student demonstrating how to be productive and work towards your goals from your home.

Here at Christ the King, we recently hosted our second successful Spirituality Conference, welcome to all students across all sites, focusing on The Power of the Word.

The conference started with a welcome talk about what the days events and a song from the Gospel Choir. Throughout the day we were welcomed by many guest speakers, including Father Christopher of the St. Fidelis Friary, an Ash Wednesday lunch service, and a special performance from professional Gospel singer Natalie Christian John.

The day was a huge success and allowed a space for staff and students to network, but also reflect and learn about themselves and those around them.

CTK St Mary’s football team played their last League fixture of the season this week. They won 12 games out of 18, meaning they are now set to finish 3rd in the Division.

A huge well done to all the lads who played this season.

Maths students at CTK St Mary’s were delighted to have David Fazakerley and Karen Jacks from Deltas Society come and talk to them about jobs and apprenticeships in the technology and legal industries.

DELTAS was created by a group who are passionate about creating change within the legal IT community.

David and Karen highlighted that over the last thirty years, despite tremendous progress being made in Equality, Diversity & Inclusion within our everyday lives, a vast portion of professionals don’t believe that this is the case within the Legal IT community. Whether it be through media bias, education, personal experiences or individual expectations, diversity is still a challenge and one that they are hoping to change.

CTK A Level Fine Art, Photography and Graphics students visited the Ashmolean Museum, the Natural History museum and the Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford in preparation for component 2 of their exams.

In an event hosted by the Education Commission, our Chaplains from all Christ the King sites, took a trip to Aylesford for a Chaplaincy day.

Along with chaplains from all over our diocese, our chaplaincy team attended talks and activities, all guided by lead speaker Fr David O’Malley, a Silesian of Don Bosco, who guided and informed our team with his years of chaplaincy and classroom experience.

With over 20 years’ experience in chaplaincy and youth support, our chaplaincy team received invaluable first hand advice and information to bring back to Sixth Form and utilise in strengthening our community.

Students from both CTK Emmanuel and CTK St Mary’s were taken to an escape room today to help them prepare for their BTEC Business “Developing a marketing campaign” exam.

The students were all expected to use their problem solving skills to break out of themed rooms and really enjoyed the experience. After this, the managing director of The Panic Room delivered a talk and Q&A on how they market their business which served as primary research for the students sitting the exam in January.

The trip was great fun and we wish the students all the best in their January exams!

Urban Synergy’s ‘Tips to the Top’ Role Model seminar is one of the highlights of the academic year at Christ the King Sixth Forms. The annual cross-site event, which features panel discussions and speed mentoring sessions, inspires confidence in our students and gives them an opportunity to interact with leading industry professionals.

Discussions of this kind not only broaden student horizons but also provide a valuable insight into the qualities of academic and professional success. The mentoring programmes and inspirational seminars organised by the charity provide support, guidance and encouragement for young people, and motivate them to achieve their best.

This year Christ the King Sixth Forms was fortunate enough to welcome the following guest speakers to the panel:

• Colin Donaldon, Bristh Airways Pilot
• Ade Adelekan, Chief Superintendent
• Troy Von Scheibner – Magician & TV Personality (CTK alumnus)
• Mahta Mehari, Senior Software Project Manager
• Adrian Grant, Entertainment Producer

The evening opened with an introductory session, in which the panel discussed their personal journeys and outlined the steps they have taken to get to where they are today. This was followed by an insightful Q&A session, in which students addressed personal questions to members of the panel.

Students, as always, left the event feeling both inspired and motivated about their future potential!

The Elevate Mentoring Programme was launched this week to CTK students by alumnus Trevor Gomes and his BT colleagues Tom Culley and Radostina Velinova.

The programme was created by Trevor to equip students with the skills and experiences required to enter the world of work and higher education.  Twenty students took part in the launch and the programme will cover topics including: Personal Branding, Networking, Interview skills, Resilience at Work, Mentoring and careers at BT and EE.

As part of the programme students will take part in a number of activities and external visit including a trip to Wembley Stadium and meeting businessman Levi Roots.

The Barclays RISE Programme (Revealing the Industry to Secondary Education) was launched this week to CTK students by Zainab Kwaw-Swanzy, Yaa Ofori-Ansah, Adetola Oshin and a number of their Barclays colleagues.

The programme has been running for a number of years and was originally created by former CTK student, Michael Lee, and his colleagues within the Barclays Graduate Scheme. They wanted to provide a platform where they could share their experiences whilst mentoring students who may have limited opportunities and insight into working in professional industries.  

Each student on the programme is assigned a mentor and works with them through a four session programme.  The weekly sessions are split into two parts with the first part being an interactive presentation on the development topic of the week.  The second part is an opportunity for each mentee to have the chance to speak to and work with their mentor individually.

Following the successful completion of the mentoring programme there is also the opportunity for students to gain work experience with Barclays.

Everyone needs to be aware of the career opportunities available to them in the future and how to best take advantage of them. To support this, the October half term saw the launch of the sixth annual CTK Fast Track Programme. As in previous years, the programme involved a large number of students from all three CTK sites coming together at CTK: Emmanuel for two days of training.

The morning session of the first day was led by CTK alumnus Seye Olokede who spoke about his own experiences and how students can “Develop a professional work ethic.” During the talk Seye covered topics including the importance of time keeping, personal presentation and the skills needed to work well and succeed in the modern workplace. During the second part of the first days training, we welcomed Trevor Gomes and Louis Howell who spoke to students about a wide range of opportunities they could become involved in. They also spoke about the use of social media in a professional environment and the benefits of networking through LinkedIn.

The first day concluded with Maria O’Regan along with her colleagues from Santander conducting two workshops “Building and presenting a compelling CV” and “Competency based Interviews”. Working in small groups, students had the opportunity to get advice and guidance on their CVs and how they could develop their interview techniques.

The second days training started with a presentation from Zainab Kwaw-Swanzy and Tola Oshin from Barclays regarding the RISE programme. The rest of the day was run by The Unloc Enterprise Academy and focused on alternative career routes for students; specifically on self-employment and entrepreneurship.

Feedback from students and guests was that the training was hugely beneficial and will have a positive impact on their career aspirations and goals.

As part of the External Speaker Programme, Business students at CTK: Emmanuel and Health & Social Care students at St Mary’s enjoyed an engaging presentation by the founder of 2020 Change Foundation, Duro Oye.  2020 Change is a youth empowerment organisation, set up to build the next generation of community, business and political leaders.

Thanks to corporate sponsorship, from the likes of Converse and Nando’s, 2020 Change is able to offer a 6-week programme to young people looking to enhance their employability and transferable skills.  The commitment is 2 evening sessions a week for 6 weeks, after which students “graduate” and are offered ongoing mentoring and support with their next move.  Students who are interested in applying and finding out more can visit the website at: http://www.2020change.org/ �

45 students from Christ The King St Mary’s and Emmanuel travelled down to North Kent College to take part in the first multi sport tournament of the year. It was such a great sight to see so many enthusiastic netballers and basketballers ready to give it their all.

The basketball was very successful for Christ The King, with St Mary’s winning all 3 of their games to take the gold medal, including a good win over Emmanuel. Well done boys! Christ The King Emmanuel also competed very well, coming away in third place on goal difference. Nearly a ‘1-2’ for Christ The King in basketball!

Christ The King St Mary’s also did very well in the netball; winning 2 and losing 1 to come away with the silver medal. A great achievement for a group of girls who have only just come together as a team. Christ The King Emmanuel finished fourth in the netball but it was great to see so much effort being put in even though games weren’t going their way. With a few more weeks of training, I am sure both teams will improve dramatically and more medals will be brought away from future tournaments. A huge well done to all that took part and we look forward to more success in the future!

On 27 September, nearly 40 CTK students enjoyed a visit to the busy and bustling Apprenticeship Fair at the Emirates Stadium in North London.  The event gave students the opportunity to talk to employers and training providers about apprenticeships, as well as speaking to the many universities present about Degree Apprenticeships. 

One of the Upper Sixth students who attended and had found it worthwhile, said:

“I didn’t expect to find so many degree apprenticeship opportunities to get my qualifications for accounting and finance.”

If you are planning to look for an apprenticeship alongside or instead of applying to university, please book an appointment to discuss this with the Careers Team at your site or email: careers@ctksfc.ac.uk

Press Release Thursday 26 September 2019

Christ the King Sixth Forms announced plans today to create the borough’s first Catholic selective sixth form centre.  CTK Aquinas will open its doors in 2020 to high performing A Level students and will be the area’s only sixth form centre of its kind.  In another first, Christ the King Sixth Forms will also be launching London’s only Catholic sixth form centre for vocational students, CTK Emmanuel.

Under the plans announced today by Joint Collegiate Principal Shireen Razey, new students joining Christ the King Sixth Forms in 2020 will choose from three distinct sixth form centres, based on their university ambitions, career aspirations and prior academic performance.

CTK St Mary’s will continue to provide an extensive range of both A Level and high level BTEC qualifications at its sixth form in Sidcup.

Joint Collegiate Principal Shireen Razey says: “Over the past 12 months, we have consulted extensively with staff, parents, alumni, universities, our employer advisory boards and Catholic partners.  As a result we have built a distinct picture of why students and parents choose each of our sixth forms as a place to study, what they value about their environment and teaching, and where there are additional opportunities to supply something unique which is not currently offered within the local community.”

From September 2020, CTK Aquinas will launch as a selective A Level centre for excellence.  The Christian values of the Catholic college, combined with a high quality curriculum, developed in partnership with independent schools and the scholarship graduate programme, will appeal to those with top GCSE grades.  Students will be taught in a purpose built sixth form, by specialist teachers with a focus on progressing to the UK’s top Universities.

Students will be offered a range of 23 subjects at A Level and will need to have achieved at least 48 points at GCSE in order to apply, with an average grade profile of 6. Those studying Science and Maths will require a GCSE grade 7 or above.  Students wishing to study for an A Level subject will need a grade 6 or above in that subject at GCSE.  Dress code will be formal, with students required to wear business-like suits, with tailored trousers and skirts.

Another first will be the launch of CTK Emmanuel as a centre for professional excellence.  From September 2020, CTK Emmanuel will provide high level technical and vocational qualifications, for students who aim to progress to university or into careers in engineering, science, media, business, law, health, education, sports and performing arts.   Currently, almost 90% of Christ the King’s BTEC students progress onto university, which is significantly higher than the national average.  In 2018, 50% of Christ the King students that secured a place at a Russell Group University, had studied a Level 3 BTEC Qualification.  CTK Emmanuel will offer the widest range of university focused vocational courses in the area and will be London’s only dedicated sixth form specialising in vocational courses.

In Sidcup, CTK St Mary’s will continue to provide a wide range of 30 A Level and BTEC courses and graduate programmes to suit a variety of abilities, including the highest performing GCSE students on the Advanced Graduate Programme. 

The three sixth forms will provide extensive choice for local students across London and Kent with a wide range of courses on offer to suit all abilities and aspirations, and a place for all hardworking, ambitious students.

Christ the King Chair of Governors Rupert Evenett says; “We believe that across each of Christ the King Sixth Forms, we are able to offer every young person with ambition, drive and aspiration the chance to study up to the highest level and gain entry to leading universities. Our Christian values are underpinned by our CTK graces, built on character education, which are; grit, respect, awareness, curiosity, endeavor and self-control. These values are key to the success of our students and key to our sixth form communities.”

Janet Daby, MP for Lewisham East, spoke to the next generation of Lewisham School leaders today at training event designed to prepare them to be role models in their schools and communities. 

The event explored topics including being an effective representative, communicating ideas clearly and exploring roles and responsibilities. Janet opened the event and spoke to students about the qualities needed to be a good leader.

“I was delighted to speak to the students today. It’s so important that they are able to access this kind of training, which will help them to be leaders in our community and access opportunities in later life.  I am so proud of these students and our local schools, who are training the next generation of Lewisham leaders,’ said Janet.

 Head Boys and Girls, Prefects and Student Leadership teams from local schools attended the event, including Bonus Pastor School, St Columba’s Catholic Boys School, St Thomas More School, Deptford Green School, Saint Gabriel’s College and St. Mary’s Catholic High School, amongst others.

David Pearson, Director of Wider Learning, Careers, & Partnerships at Christ the King, said: ‘We were delighted to be able to host this event and to welcome Janet Daby to speak with students.  Effective communication, interpersonal and leadership skills are invaluable tools which can help students during their schooling and in the future and this was a fantastic opportunity to bring students from local schools together to learn from the experience’.

The training day explored topics including, being an effective representative, communicating ideas clearly and exploring roles and responsibilities.

The event was run by the Unloc Enterprise Academy which a non-profit organisation is helping to enable schools and colleges to inspire, motivate and develop the enterprising mind-sets of their young people.  Unloc was founded in 2013 by award-winning young leaders and advocates Hayden Taylor and Ben Dowling.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) students from CTK were given the chance to spend an amazing day at the central offices in London of BNYMellon to learn how to Design an App in a Day.

The Design an App in a Day workshop took key elements from the Apps for Good course, guiding pupils through an interactive development model where they began with an idea and ended with a pitch, outlining their final prototype. Students had the opportunity to hear from BNY Mellon volunteers about a real-world challenge and then had the opportunity to come up with a tech solution. Students explored user needs and features, market research and user profiling before finally, creating drawn wireframes of their app ideas and pitching them back to the class and volunteers. Collaborative working, problem solving and communication skills were are all encouraged and developed during this innovative workshop.

Many students afterwards described the day as being the most productive workshop of their studies so far!

Christ the King Sixth Forms were delighted to have Tilly Franklin, Director of Investments at Alta Advisers, launch the annual CTK cross-site External Speaker Programme.

Over 70 students Business students had the opportunity to listen to Tilly’s inspirational talk about her life, career and what is involved in running a private equity fund.  Tilly explained to students how she came to work in private equity despite not initially studying Business or Finance.

Tilly spoke of her path in education: from attending her local school before going to the University of Cambridge, followed by London Business School and then Harvard University. She also explained about the variety of previous roles she has held at BBC Worldwide Ltd, Virgin Management Ltd. and McKinsey & Company.

David Pearson, Director of Wider Learning, Careers, & Partnerships at CTK, said: ‘Tilly Franklin has got our External Speaker Programme off to a fantastic start. She is one of many high-profile speakers who will be coming into our colleges over the next few months.  Our students gain a great deal from hearing these inspirational, high-achieving individuals speak about their own education and career paths.’

Students and staff at Christ the King Sixth Forms celebrated another year of excellent examination success at all three sites. As a dedicated specialist sixth form, Christ the King offers a wide range of BTEC and A Level courses available to talented and ambitious students.

Christ the King students, across sites in Sidcup, Brockley and Lewisham were delighted with their results, which exceeded national benchmarks once again and will be progressing to universities across the country or into apprenticeship or employment opportunities.

Co Collegiate Principal Shireen Razey, said “The high volume of students achieving A Level and BTEC qualifications at Christ the King makes all of us associated with CTK very proud. Progression onto prestigious universities and employment opportunities can be truly life changing and it gives us great satisfaction to see our students benefit from such destinations. We wish each of our students every future success”.

Rose Figueroa was delighted to get top grades A*AA in Sociology, History and Politics and is going to study Politics and International Studies at Warwick University. She said; ‘I’m so happy to have gained a place at Warwick, where I can spend a year abroad and use my Spanish. All my teachers at CTK were so supportive and encouraging and I would like to thank them’.

Two Christ the King students secured prestigious College scholarships, worth £15,000 each, from private capital fund management firm Metric Capital.  Kafilat Alogba achieved AAB in A Level Sociology, Psychology and History and is going to study Law and Sociology at Warwick University.  Veronica Marafini gained A level grades AAA*B in French, Spanish, Italian and Business and is off to study Translation and Interpretation at the University of East Anglia.  Veronica said’ I’m delighted with this opportunity! I would recommend anyone to come to Christ the King, because of the quality of teaching and the opportunities which are available’.

A number of students secured highly competitive places to study Law at top universities, including Priestess Bassey, who was delighted to achieve grades AAB and is going to Sheffield University.  She said; ‘the teachers have been extremely encouraging, I’m so proud of my achievements’. Chibuzo Amatoby studied Psychology, English Literature and Politics and achieved grades A AB, and will be studying Law at Nottingham University.  Kieran Reidy studied Geography, Law and History and gained grades AAB. He is going to Queen Mary’s University. ‘Christ the King helped prepare me for the level of study needed to succeed at University and the teachers are so supportive’.

As well as success for aspiring Law graduates, Christ the King students gained places on highly competitive medical science courses.  Mambo-Kien Awah Alanga achieved AAB in Maths, Chemistry and Biology, she will now study Biomedical Science at St George’s University. Mambo was delighted with her results; ‘After studying Biomedical Science I want to study Medicine and fulfil my ambition of becoming a doctor.  Since coming to Christ the King, my confidence has really grown and I’m following my dreams now!’.  Mahadi Sadejhi gained grades ABB in Chemistry, Biology and Persian and achieved a place at highly competitive Kings College London to study Medicine.  He said; ‘my tutor has been a very positive influence, she is so supportive, I can’t thank her enough’.

BTEC Health and Social Care students saw great success, securing places on competitive courses.  Andreea Dobieschi studied BTEC Health and Social Care, achieving the highest grades possible D*D*D*. She also gained a C in A Level Psychology, an achievement made all the more remarkable, given that English is Andreea’s second language and she only came to the UK three years ago.  Andreea is going to study Psychology at Kent University.  She was delighted with her grades and said; ‘Christ the King has given me confidence in my academic ability, my smile today says everything you need to know!”. Melaine Sodje achieved D*D*D in BTEC Health and Social Care and is off to Kings College, London to study Adult Nursing.  She said’ Christ the King built my confidence up. The teachers push you to the best of your ability’.  Ronna Kay Gorden studied Health & Social Care and gained D*DD, she will be going to St George’s University to study Diagnostic Radiography.  She said; ‘The teachers have been very supportive and pushed me to give my best’.

With so many reasons to celebrate, the class of 2019 can now begin the next stage of their education life journey.

Last week of June students of Spanish from CTK St. Mary´s and Emmanuel traveled to Seville, Spain. This was an opportunity to support them in their academic studies but also to increase their cultural appreciation in a city where Muslims, Christians and Jews left their marks.

Upon arrival, they enjoyed a night of tapas in the busy streets of Seville. Next morning, they headed to Parque Maria Luisa to explore the beautiful gardens and buildings that hosted the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. Our students participated in a gymkhana contest. Congratulations to the winners!!

At lunch time we visited the Mercado de Abastos to cook our own paella and after some well deserved break we attended a student exchange in Centro Mundo Lengua. Our students had the opportunity to put their Spanish to the test and make some new friends while practicing the language.

On Tuesday, they visited the amazing Royal Alcázar Palace with its gardens, the Cathedral and the astonishing Giralda, the bell tower from which top they could see Seville from a bird´s eye view. In the afternoon, they joined a flamenco class and continued with a flamenco live show in an 18th century sevillian palace.

On Friday, they enjoyed a guided tour through the Sevilla Mudéjar, the architectural pos-Islamic style that remained in Spain after the Christian  reconquest. Our final stop was the Baroque Revival church of La Macarena that gives name to many Sevillian girls and to a very famous song.

This week, three Christ the King sixth form students have been awarded a scholarship from Private capital fund management firm, Metric Capital worth £15,000 each.

Each successful student was carefully selected according to their academic performance and formal interview process.  Christ the King students Veronica Marafini, who hopes to study Translation and Interpreting with Modern Languages at the University of East Anglia, Kafilat Alogba who hopes to study Law and Sociology at the University of Warwick and Chanin Peart who hopes to study Business Management at the University of Westminster, all successfully received a scholarship worth £15,000 over the course of their University degree.

The Metric Capital scholarship programme with Christ the King is in its eighth year and to date has awarded £300,000 in scholarships to hardworking, ambitious Christ the King students.  Metric Capital, worked in conjunction with Our Turn Global, a charitable organisation that uses social media to raise awareness about initiatives that have a positive impact on society to award the scholarship.

The scheme is led by Metric Capital’s Managing Partner, John Sinik.  John was first introduced to Christ the King by one of his mentees, and he was inspired to create the Metric Scholarship Programme after meeting high performing, aspirational students at Christ the King, who dreamt of going on to University, but couldn’t afford it.

Metric Capital Managing Partner John Sinik says:  “Tuition fees are only a part of the expense of going to University. There are living expenses that can be overwhelming for people and ultimately drive their decision not to go.  The scholarship plays a key role in allowing the students to pursue their dream of obtaining a University degree”.

Collegiate Principal Shireen Razey says:  “We are delighted to continue working in partnership with Metric Capital with this fantastic venture. We are so proud of our hardworking students at Christ the King and it is a great opportunity to support them in their university aspirations.”

This month, we held the Christ the King Evening of Celebration at CTK St Mary’s. Our annual Evening of Celebration provides our students with the opportunity to reflect on the friendships, knowledge and skills that they have developed whilst studying at Christ the King. The event allows us to honour all their hard work and academic and extra-curricular achievements.

There were a variety of keynote speakers at the 2019 Evening of Celebration. Christ the King: St Mary’s were pleased to welcome alumnus Ren Balogun who offered her congratulations to the 2019 leavers on their dedication and hard work and reflected positively on her own experiences as a Christ the King student. After completing her studies at Christ the King, she went on to study Sociology at the University of Bath, where she worked assiduously in order to achieve her BSc Hons qualification. Ren now works as a Business Development Manager at the youth employability organisation: Circle Collective.

Former CTK St Mary’s student Trevor Gomes spoke with great eloquence about how his time at Christ the King gave him the strong academic foundation he needed to excel in his career. Trevor went on to achieve a First Class honours degree in Business Management at the University Of Westminster Business School and was awarded by the Dean as the highest achiever on his course. He currently works for BT as a Business Analyst and has recently been appointed as part of a team to lead the next stage of BT’s consumer brand EE’s 5G transformation.

It was a great privilege to have all our guest speakers join us in celebrating the achievements of our students and Christ the King would like to extend its sincere thanks to them all for taking time out of their busy schedules to honour the occasion. The College would also like to commend all of the 2019 leavers on their tenacity and hard work and looks forward to welcoming them back on results day in August 2019. 

A group of students from Sidcup have scooped the runner-up prize in a major business challenge.

The students from Christ the King Sixth Forms took part in the London Metropolitan University’s annual Big Idea Challenge for schools and colleges. The competition aims to raise entrepreneurial interest in teenagers across London, encouraging and supporting them to treat it as a career path. 

At the awards ceremony, held at the Royal Institution, Ayodeji Adebiyi, Lucky Aragua, Joseph Kwaw, Aliy Salako, Kimarnie Bell and Daniel Komon succeeded with their idea called Enough Is Enough. This is a youth centre that focuses on careers advice and work experience to tackle the rising rates of knife crime throughout London, as well as engaging young people in sports and music. “Our goal is to make a youth club to get youth off the street, to prevent violent and knife-related crimes,” said Aily Salako. “The next step in taking our business forward is to look for investors, and also thinking of ways we can improve our idea. We also don’t have a website or a way for people to contact us, so that is a priority to take our idea to the next level.”

The Big Idea Challenge for schools and colleges runs alongside the London Metropolitan University’s annual Big Idea Challenge, which invites students, alumni and staff to enter their idea and win a shared prize pool of £30,000 to launch their winning idea. Previous winners have gone on to launch businesses which have created hundreds of jobs and millions of pounds profit.

Toby Kress, head of the Accelerator hub at London Met, which helps start-ups, said: “This year’s Big Idea Challenge was bigger and better than ever before. “I was seriously impressed with the ideas entered this year. At London Met, we have such a diverse community and the array of ideas produced really showed me that our students and staff really can make a difference.

“At Accelerator, we put our all into supporting the winning ideas, and I am excited to see how these ideas develop next.”

Over 800 students from the three Christ the King sites in South East London took part in supporting their local communities, across London.

 Students took part in activities such as helping feed the homeless at Brixton soup kitchen and taking part in the pay it forward initiative, helping to support the homeless at Second Shot Coffee in Bethnal Green. Students from Christ the King St Mary’s in Sidcup, Aquinas in Brockley and Emmanuel in Lewisham, gave their time to help out at foodbanks in Greenwich, Eltham and Lewisham and visited a care home in Deptford to take part in activities with the residents. Students also worked in ‘The Charity Shop’ in Sidcup, which raises funds for the Canterbury Oast Trust, which supports people with learning disabilities in education and work.

The Christ the King motto is ‘Ut Vitam Habeant’ which means ‘that they may have life’ and every student in encouraged to develop as a whole person and to be actively involved in both the college and in their local community.

This year students have taken part in a number of charity events. They have donated goods and volunteered time at local food banks, taken part in sponsored walks to raise money for Second Shot coffee. At Christmas, Christ the King students created Christmas boxes, filling them with goods to donate to the Samaritan’s ‘Operation Christmas Child’ appeal’.  At Easter, students created Easter baskets, filled with treats and messages of hope for the children of local Delmelza hospice, and refugee children, who have no access to benefits, through the Revive charity.

Although the initiative is called Acts of Charity, it is not only about charity work.  Christ the King students also actively get involved in community work.  Christ the King students have taken part in litter collections in local parks, worked in care homes and primary schools and got involved in recruiting new shops to join Lewisham’s water bottle refilling scheme, which allows people to refill plastic water bottles on their premises to reduce plastic waste. Co-Collegiate Principal Rob McAuliffe said “At Christ the King we aim for all of our students to develop into young people that will go on to make a positive contribution to society, and the charity and community work, is an important part of this.  Helping the local community helps our students to make a positive contribution to their area they live and study in.  Students find getting involved in the activities really rewarding, as well as building confidence, team building and leadership skills, which they will use to help them as they progress onto University or employment”.

CTK St Mary’s BTEC Level 3 Sport and Science students visited UCFB Wembley yesterday. Students took part in a number of workshop activities centred around the University’s many degrees in the football and sports industry. They were challenged to become an entrepreneur; working in groups to design and pitch a brand new sporting product to their peers. The most exciting part of the day was that students were then taken on a behind-the-scenes tour of Wembley stadium; getting to see the England dressing rooms, the press conference room, player’s tunnel, pitch side and the iconic Royal box. All students were an absolute credit to CTK and thoroughly enjoyed their experience.

A level French students enjoyed a dedicated translation workshop at King’s college. They learnt the techniques of translation from one language to another. They look at the importance of understanding the text, the context, the period and played with the language. There was also a Q&A about studying at University and the students found the whole experience useful. 

First year photography and graphics students from Emmanuel attended a workshop at Autograph Gallery in Shoreditch earlier this month.

After photographing some of the sights around Brick Lane, we went to Autograph – a gallery whose mission statement is ‘to share the work of artists who use photography and film to highlight issues of identity, representation, human rights and social justice’. In response to the exhibition by Phoebe Boswell, students made collaborative drawings and a sound piece using their mobile phones in the workshop. The drawings were then hung up outside in a space chosen by each group.

The aims of the Jack Petchey are twofold. It aims to both inspire and challenge young people to achieve what they can be.

Normally this takes place before the award is won, but it doesn’t mean that these are not relevant aims even afterwards. So was the case when one Jack Petchey award winner decided that she would take a group of fellow students to Go Ape Battersea, the treetop adventure course.

Zhanae Payne, who was nominated for the hard work she put into the Chaplaincy Team, decided that the experience would be a beneficial one. The group of students, who were all eager to attend travelled down on Wednesday 15^th May after college. It was a fantastic experience. Three courses looped around the trees at Battersea Park, each more challenging, consisting of ropes, bridges and ziplines.   Those who were afraid of heights all managed to overcome their fears and by the end everyone was confidently stepping around the course. It was a truly memorable experience, and brought the group closer, as they supported and encouraged each other around the course.

Congratulations to our Level 2 Business Studies students who received the Runner Up award at the London Metropolitan University’s Big Idea Challenge finale on the 2nd of Mary 2019.

Our students beat 18 other colleges with their business idea “Enough is Enough” (see it here http://bit.ly/2I5DlQt). The finale event was held at the Royal Institute in Mayfair and was attended by Levi Roots, the founder of Cobra Beer and the founder of Mumsnet so it was surely a night to remember!

Law and Politics students from CTK St Mary’s were delighted to hear a talk from Gary Gibbon who has been the Channel 4 News’ Political Editor since 2005.

In a highly informative talk, followed by Q & A, Gary gave students his take on the latest news and gossip from the corridors of power in Westminster and beyond.

Gary has worked on five general elections for Channel 4 News. His interview with Peter Mandelson in 2001 triggered the Northern Ireland Secretary’s second resignation from the Cabinet. In 2006, he won the Royal Television Society Home News Award with Jon Snow for the scoop on the Attorney General’s Legal Advice on Iraq.

Students left the talk with a deep insight into the world of Politics which will no doubt help them in their upcoming A Level exams.

The University of Northampton Yellow Bus Tour recently visited all three CTK sites.

Students were given the opportunity to climb on board for interactive sessions on university applications with their Schools Liaison team. There was also the opportunity to speak to current Northampton undergraduates about their own experiences since joining the university.

The Tour was supported by a number of on air and online platforms as well as it being documented on social media.

A member of staff was keen that the community at Christ The King made a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. A group of sixteen staff and students set off just before Easter.

They quickly settled into the prayerful routine of the place which is in Bosnia Herzegovinia.  Christine the guide who accompanied the group up Apparition Hill carefully explained the history of the place from when our lady first appeared at Medjugorje in 1981 at which  the country was under the reign of Communism.  Fr Leon who is the English chaplain and who has visited Woolwich talked to the group of his own religious experience Visits were also made to Mary TV, Mostar and Cross Mountain. Personal experiences included the ineffable quality of the music at international services, the smell of the roses, and the meaningful conversations end encounters that occurred.

Our Lady asks pilgrims to promote Medjugorge as the spiritual centre of the world and that we carry out the following;  read the Bible, go to confession, receive the Eucharist, fast of Wednesdays and Fridays and say the rosary.  To help us remember we can carry five small stones from Medjugorge.  The community at Christ the King offers an annual pilgrimage as part of its Catholic life programme. This pilgrimage to was exceptional because of its uniqueness.  Everyone in the group returned home a little bit changed for the better and would recommend to all.  It was perfect in every way.  You will not be disappointed.

On a beautifully sunny day last Wednesday, Christ the King Sixth Forms held its much anticipated annual Sports Day with events taking place across all 3 sites.

The competition between students was there for all to see but the gracefulness and comradery which shone through is something they all should be proud of.

On the football pitch, it was St Mary’s who ran out winners after achieving a hard fought 1-0 victory over Emmanuel with everyone getting the chance to be involved in the match and all enjoyed themselves.

Heading inside, onto the basketball court, a rivalry had been building over the past few months during the basketball season. Emmanuel had taken the early bragging rights but the St Mary’s team had come roaring back in recent weeks. It all came down to the final opportunity on Sports Day. With the Aquinas team added to the mix, it was sure to be an afternoon to remember. And so, with St Mary’s coming through victorious against both Emmanuel and Aquinas, they were crowned champions. With Aquinas pulling off a fantastic win against Emmanuel, they took a well-deserved second place, leaving Emmanuel third.

Netball and Futsal were both held at Aquinas, and it was Emmanuel who came away winning both events. The futsal was very competitive, as expected, with Emmanuel beating Aquinas 13-5 to claim maximum points.

Both Table Tennis and Badminton took place in the St Mary’s sports hall and it was a real hive of activity. Some very good talent was put on show with a lot of exciting matches taking place. In the end, a very skilful Aquinas team took the honours in the table tennis with Emmanuel pulling through against tough opposition in the badminton.

The new event this year ‘Mini Olympics’ proved to be a hit and was well enjoyed by all who took part. Events such as standing long jump, bean bag throwing, soft javelin throw and fun relay races took place with Emmanuel taking the gold ahead of St Mary’s in the male competition and Aquinas winning the female competition.

The ‘Gym Challenge’ ended up being very closely contested with the will to win being shown in abundance. Strength, flexibility, endurance and aerobic testing are all elements of the challenge and each competitor showed immense grit and determination in each. It was St Mary’s who scraped it in the end ahead of Emmanuel.

Overall, congratulations go to Emmanuel who triumphed on the day ending with 190 points followed by St Mary’s on 170 points and Aquinas with a respectable 140 points. Everyone who took part enjoyed the day and we look forward to a fresh competition next year.

At the end of term community day, Tutor groups put together Easter baskets of sweets and chocolates with a signed Easter card full of messages of hope and blessings.

These were delivered by the Chaplain, Deacon Elderfield with students: John, Princess and Andrea, to Demelza Hospice in Eltham who care for terminally ill children. The baskets were gratefully received by the staff on behalf of the children.

 Other activities during the day included a movie-drama presentation by the ‘Ten-Ten’ theatre company on the influence that exposure to pornography can have of young minds and developing healthy relationships. There was opportunity for discussion and reflection on this important issue effecting our youth and culture today.

Christ the King Sixth Form was delighted to recently host a talk by Sir Ian Cheshire who is the Chairman of Barclays UK.

Ian talked to almost one hundred of our students about growing up in Nigeria and the academic challenges he faced when studying before achieving a degree in Law from Christ’s College, Cambridge. 

Ian spoke to students about his current role as Chairman of Barclays UK as well as his previous roles at Kingfisher and Debenhams. He also spoke about the various charitable roles he has including Campaign Chairman of Heads Together which is the mental health initiative spearheaded by The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

 The key message he had for students was that there are lots of opportunities out there if they are willing to grasp them and he suggested that there are fantastic opportunities on the fraud prevention and innovations sides of the financial industry.

The annual Barclays RISE Programme was recently launched by Zainab Kwaw-Swanzy, Yaa Ofori-Ansah and a number of their Barclays colleagues to CTK students.

Barclays RISE (Revealing the Industry to Secondary Education) is a mentoring programme, initiated by the Embrace Forum at Barclays and supported by local charity Urban Synergy. It was designed to engage, equip and encourage young people aged 16-18 with the skills and confidence they need to excel in their futures. The scheme was founded by former CTK student, Michael Lee, and fellow colleagues within the Barclays Graduate Scheme. They wanted to provide a platform where they could share their experiences whilst mentoring students who may have limited opportunities and insight into working in professional industries.

Each student on the programme was assigned a mentor and worked with other students through a four session programme.  The weekly sessions were split into two parts with the first part being an interactive presentation on the development topic of the week.  The second part was an opportunity for each mentee to have the chance to speak to and work with their mentor individually.

Following the successful completion of the mentoring programme there is also the opportunity for students to gain work experience with Barclays.

A huge congratulations to both our Emmanuel and St Mary’s basketball teams now that we have come to the end of the season. The St Mary’s team came in an impressive 2^nd place and the Emmanuel team joint 3^rd. 

 The season ran over a number of tournament events which all cumulated in a final league table. There was strong opposition in the league including Knights Academy, Folkestone Academy, LSEC Bromley and Colfe’s School.

The St Mary’s team started the season slowly, only winning 3 games over the first 2 tournaments. The team never gave up though, winning the tournament held at CTK Emmanuel and then winning 3 games at the final tournament. The Emmanuel team reversed the pattern shown by the St Mary’s team, getting off to a quick start in the first 2 tournaments (winning at CTK St Mary’s) but then only picked up 2 wins from the final 2 tournaments. The season ended with a one-off ‘cup’ tournament against some very strong opposition. Only group winners made it to the final and, unfortunately, both teams came 3^rd. Still a great effort from both teams and everyone enjoyed the afternoon.

Well done to all squad members from both teams who took part this season and we look forward to the showdown at this year’s Sports Day.