Dear Parents & Carers

I hope this email finds you well and looking forward to a sunny bank holiday and half term.

As usual at the end of half term, this letter includes some information for the following half term as well as some highlights of this past half term.

Report Cards and Progress Monitoring

The Summer Report Card will be published for Year 1 students on Monday 1 June at 4pm, on MyVarndean for students and through the Parent Portal. If parents have yet to register for the parent portal, then please do so via our website. The report card will include an "end of year grade", which for A-level students will be the result of the Year 1 practice exam and for vocational students will be the culmination of the external assessments that have taken place during the year. Please find some FAQs that we have put together regarding the end-of-year grades

All Year 1 students will then have a one-to-one Progress Review Meeting with all their tutors, which will take place in lessons during the week beginning Mon 22 June. Tutors will be discussing progress over the year and supporting students to set targets to complete in readiness for progression into Year 2.

Progression to Year 2

For the overwhelming majority, we are expecting students to progress into Year 2 on their current programme of study. However, for some, the Summer Report card may highlight that their current programme is not meeting a student's needs and requires a review. These students will be invited to an additional review meeting with their Head of School, where they will explore what adjustments may be needed to ensure a successful Year 2. Students who need to attend an additional meeting with their Head of School will receive both an email and a text message with the date and location of the meeting. It should be noted that students who are invited to a review must attend before they can progress into Year 2.

Tutorial and Progression

Year 1 students must attend their Tutorial sessions this term. These sessions provide crucial support and guidance as students consider their individual progression routes - whether towards higher education, employment, or apprenticeships. The process of planning for the future can feel overwhelming for some young people, and our resources are designed to ensure students understand the full range of options available to them.

Students will be encouraged to explore their progression plans independently and proactively, including engaging in discussions with their subject teachers, Personal Tutor, and the College Careers Team. They can also seek support by making appointments with the Careers Team via the 'Careers' tab on My Varndean.

Tutorial sessions will cover:

• Higher education - UCAS application planning
• Registering on the UCAS hub
• Preparing personal statements
• Access to employment and apprenticeships
• Preparing CVs and letters of application

Careers, Progression Advice & Guidance

All Year 1 students will take part in a university visit on Tuesday 23 June attending either the University of Sussex or the University of Brighton. They will participate in a subject taster of their choice and receive valuable information about applyto and studying at university.

On Thursday 25 June, On Thursdayudts will participate in a Personal Statement Day, where admissions staff from 10 universities will offer workshops and 1:1 advice on writing personal statements.

In the final week of teaching, students will reflect on their progression plans and be encouraged to set meaningful targets to work on over the summer in preparation for their future.

The full May-July Careers Newsletter and Calendar can be found here.

Parent/Carer Consultation

Parent/Carer consultations for our Year 1 students take place on Tuesday 30 June from 5.00pm-8.00pm. Appointment slots of 10 minutes will be available online via Google Meet and will be available for all academic subjects.

Appointments can be booked later in June (date tbc) and further details and instructions on how to book will be sent to you in due course. These consultations will be an opportunity to discuss the end-of-year grades, as well as to discuss progression options.

I hope you will find the online Parents Consultation and the report cards useful, providing an opportunity to discuss academic progress as students look to enter their second year and start to focus more on their next steps. If you experience any technical issues then please contact our IT Support team here, and we will do our best to help.

Library access over Half Term

Our library is open during half-term week from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm, Tuesday to Friday for all students to study in.

I would also like to take this opportunity as a reminder that any Varndean student is able to access the University of Sussex Library and its resources by collecting a card from our College library. Students and families can find the latest library opening times and further information here: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/library/using-the-library/hours

Student Union Elections

This term, we welcomed our new Student Union. Well done to all who took part in our two hustings events. Congratulations go to the new union, made up of:

• Presidents: Apollo Silver, Zeb Gordon
• Communications Officer: Veronika Zinakova
• Democracy Officer: Ilona Bradley Reijonen
• Wellbeing & Welfare Officer: Kit Muzychenko
• Events & Marketing Officer: Maya Klein
• EDI Officer: Bertie Round-Turner
• Environmental Officer: Leo Allan
• Charity Officer: Shelyn Osaretin
• Enrichment Officer: Eva Thomson

I would also like to thank the outgoing Student Union team for their hard work, dedication and contributions over the past academic year.

Trips & Events

As always, there have been a wide range of College trips and events taking place this half term., including a Chichester Harbour field trip, Shoreham Beach field trip, University of Cambridge, Thorpe Park and the Black Mountains in Wales.

Thank you to all of you who came to watch our annual Dance show, Breaking Boundaries, at The Old Market, Hove on 25 April. The show was a huge success as always and our students performed to a sell-out audience.

Similarly, our Performing Arts students staged a highly successful production of 'The Threepenny Opera' at Shoreham Ropetackle Centre on 23 April.

Students take part in Brighton and Hove Citizens action day

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, students from Varndean Sixth Form College joined 120+ young people from schools and colleges across Brighton & Hove to join together to celebrate major wins already secured and to challenge city leaders to go further on issues affecting young people today. Together, the Alliance has secured £600,000 so every secondary school in the city can access counselling support. Students shared powerful testimonies about the life-changing impact this support has had on them and their peers. A huge moment came when Cllr Bella Sankey, Leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, confirmed that the counselling "pilot" is no longer a pilot - it is now a permanent part of the Council budget, meaning funding will continue automatically in the years ahead. A massive step forward for young people across our city.

Students also called on the Council to tackle digital isolation and help make Brighton & Hove the most playful city in the UK.

We are wishing our Gold DofE students good luck and good weather with their upcoming expedition this May half term to Brecon Beacons.

Upcoming Events

Next term we are looking forward to a plethora of events, starting with our Creative Arts Showcase, on Friday 5 June from 6.00pm - 8.30pm, which is open to our Varndean community including all parents, followed by the Visual Arts Showcase, open to members of the public, on Monday 8 & Tuesday 9 June, 10am - 4pm. It really is a wonderful opportunity to see the talent and dedication of our creative students studying Art, Dance, Drama, Film, Gaming, Graphics Design, Media, Music, Performing Arts, Photography, Textiles and 3D Design.

In July we look forward to welcoming our new cohort of students due to start their next steps with us from September when they attend our New Students Day on Thursday 9 July. And on Friday 3rd and Tuesday 14th July we host our hugely popular Year 10 Taster Days when we welcome around 1600 Year 10 students from secondary schools across Sussex and beyond to join us for the day.

Finally - a notice from Brighton & Hove Buses

Please note, from Tuesday 26 May, some changes are being made to the accepted payment methods on our express services (1X/3X/25X). From this date, these services will be going cashless in an effort to minimise delays that can be caused by customers making cash payments. Customers wanting to pay by cash can continue to do so by using alternative services.

Wishing you and your loved ones a beautiful bank holiday weekend.

Best wishes

Donna-Marie Janson

Principal