Durham Johnston School

Enrichment+

Enrichment+

 

A range of enrichment activities are on offer for sixth form students, encompassing both extra and super curricular opportunities to enable them to develop their interests and skills beyond A-Level curricula. Please see the document below for opportunities available this week, or read on to learn more generally about the Enrichment+ programme.

Sixth Form Notices

The House System

The House system offers cross-key stage participation in the three strands of school life, outlined below:

Academic enrichment

Students to lead/arrange (with staff help) enrichment activities:

  • Guest speakers from universities
  • Visits to external providers/sites of significance
  • Attendance/creation of various committees/societies.
  • Mentoring younger students

Community service

Students to lead fundraising/visits to local charities/charitable organisations:

  • Coordinate visits to St Cuthbert’s
  • Local church groups
  • Feeder primary schools
  • Volunteering
  • Mentoring of younger students

Participation and competition

Students to lead organisation of competitive fundraising efforts and sporting activities:

  • Summer sports day to be coordinated.
  • Winning house to be awarded
  • Sporting ethos -participation - has prominence in life of school.


The Sixth Form lead the 4 houses at Durham Johnston, organising events, encouraging and advertising whole-school participation and promoting a community-minded and dynamic spirit to school life, upholding the core values of Durham Johnston of active local citizenship and global awareness.


Music

Weekly musical tuition takes place through the Durham music service. Beyond this the school has an active music department that encourages participation in a range of choirs, orchestras and bands:

  • Chamber choir
  • Wind Band
  • Senior Choir
  • Senior Orchestra
  • Big Band.


Student Committee

All sixth form tutor groups are represented by at least one nominated spokesperson who attends weekly student-led committee meetings. The Head Student team sets the agenda, records and circulates minutes to their peers, teaching staff and governors. Committee is the engine of student voice and helps sixth formers lobby and precipitate change for the whole school community.

Committee usually follows the set agenda structure outlined below:

  • Societies’ news
  • Sporting competition updates
  • Latest Year 12 news/questions for Mrs Lennon and Mr Wilbraham
  • Latest Year 13 news/questions for Mrs Lennon and Mr Wilbraham
  • New agenda item: this can be a one-off or be set as a key strategic objective for the committee which is therefore revisited repeatedly
  • Any other business

 

Student-led Societies

These usually take place in a weekly meeting at lunch time.

Debating

Formal and competitive Debating is attended by students across the key stages with sixth form students playing a key role in participating and leading debates. All are welcome to be involved. Mr Patterson from the History Department coordinates this in after school meetings.

 

Sport

We have a supportive and dynamic P.E. department who support our sixth formers with high-level competitive sport in addition to mass participation in team sports and societies.

Further Useful Links

 

Area

Detail (& some links)

Transferrable Skills

Use this time to build up a range of skills that will be relevant to A Level study, university and future employment.  Most of the areas below are covered by ISC - ISC Professional - follow the links to the left of the front page on this website, for the ones you are interested in learning more about.

Academic Extras
  • Academic writing is confidently uncertain – we will have an assembly on this cross-curricular area next academic year.  Also – look at this from UCAS
  • EPQs – an excellent way to develop your research, independent work and communication skills – provides evidence of 100 hours of independent work.  Every year a number of sixth form students complete this well respected qualification.  You could use this time to complete a relevant Future Learn course that introduces how to approach EPQs.
  • Oxford University resources for all Key Stages – including: Maths, English, Sciences, Engineering, Computer Science and an ‘All Subjects’ section – check out the ‘Curious Minds’ section.
  • LIBF (Relevant for all – help you make better financial decisions for the rest of your life).  
  • MOOCS – Massive open online courses.  I like Future Learn courses. Brilliant, interesting and specifically designed to be followed remotely – have a look if there is something for you – Future Learn
  • Reading / watching / on-line lectures / virtual work experiences – are becoming available all of the time – look for something relevant and of interest to you.

Resilience / Wellbeing

At DJSF we take mental wellbeing seriously and work together to build resilience and good habits.  Our Year 12 survey in May 2021 was shared with students and staff in depth.  These are some of the useful websites that we suggest you explore – many form the basis for Tutor group discussions.

Sixth Form