teenager posing in front of taj mahal on a school trip
children practising archery

Sixth Form Activities

In Sixth Form at St Chris pupils have access to an extensive programme of extracurricular activities.

We strongly encourage all Sixth Form students to fully engage with the life of the School and the opportunities available to them.

Extracurricular activities encourage personal development outside of those skills learnt in the classroom; we also fundamentally believe that they are an end to themselves, and a means of having fun and maintaining good mental and physical health at a time when study and academic requirements increase.

Sixth Form students have access to the full range of activities, trips and visits available to all Senior School pupils in the School – you can read more about them here.

Sixth Form pupils also hold positions of responsibility within the School Council, and as Peer Mentors. To find out more about positions of responsibility open to Sixth Form pupils, please click here.

There are also a number of dedicated activities that are unique to the Sixth Form:

Community Service: A Commitment to the Wider Community

All members of Year 12 take part in the St Chris community service programme from January in Year 12. This involves a commitment of at least 10 hours where students undertake volunteer work at a variety of local charities and organisations.

Recent organisations that pupils have worked in include:

Students can also volunteer within St Chris in a variety of capacities including supporting Junior School children with their reading; setting up Science Hub sessions to help younger Senior School pupils with their homework; helping to run sports clubs including trampolining, netball, basketball and swimming; supporting after school and lunchtime art, science and cooking clubs; volunteering as a Junior School classroom assistant.

Although 10 hours is the minimum commitment, some students continue their Community Service placement for longer as they appreciate the value of what they are doing, and enjoy their volunteer roles.

Trips and Visits

There is a wide range of trips and visits available to pupils in the Sixth Form – both as part of their course, careers and university events, and sports and cultural opportunities for example the St Chris ski trip.

Late Summer Programme

Year 12 pupils take part in the St Chris Late Summer Programme (LSP), which takes place in the last week of the summer term.

Pupils take part in a variety of activities – some aimed at the Sixth Form – but many also accompany LSP trips in the lower years of the Senior School to provide support for younger students and gain experience in helping to plan and run a trip.

There is also the opportunity this week to undertake work experience or further education courses. Recent trips and activities in LSP week have included:

  • A-level Art and History trip to Berlin or Paris
  • A-level Biology and Geography trip to Madagascar
  • Year 9 LSP to Saas Fe, Switzerland
  • STEM Headstart course

Rajasthan

Over the last 25 years more than 500 Sixth Form students from St Chris have visited Rajasthan in India on the School’s annual trips to our partner charities.

There are usually two trips a year to Rajasthan, each lasting two weeks, which are open to pupils in Year 12.

As part of the trip pupils spend time working with non-governmental organisation Seva Mandir whose work involves rural development projects across 700 villages in southern Rajasthan. Pupils visit some of the charity’s health, education, income generation and ecology projects. As part of the visit the pupils experience staying in a rural village.

Pupils on each trip will also get involved in activities with educational establishments in Rajasthan including a learning camp for rural children in Udaipur; Umang, one of Rajasthan’s first schools for children with disabilities and a school called Digantar, a rural school on the outskirts of Jaipur.

Involvement in these projects will, in many cases, have direct relevance to subjects studied in the curriculum and will also broaden the pupils’ outlook.

During the trip participants have the opportunity to visit places of cultural, educational and social interest including UNESCO World Heritage sites the Taj Mahal in Agra, Fatehpur Sikri and the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. The students also experience the city of Udaipur with its marvellous palaces, and places of cultural interest around Jaipur.

There is a programme of extensive preparation for the trip to learn about the culture in Rajasthan, and to acquire skills which students can use as part of the work experience they undertake in India.

The links with the School’s partner charities in Rajasthan extend back to St Chris, with many fundraising activities taking place in the School. Our direct involvement and links with many institutions in Rajasthan has made awareness within the school of fairtrade, globalisation and climate change so much more tangible, as we meet and share experiences with people directly affected by these issues each year.

“I have realised what is important in life. Materialistic things do not make you happy, it is the people around you, the love they bring and the confidence they build up. Seeing the change in the children as you get to know them and help them is incredible. Umang touched me deeply. I will never forget how amazing and selfless the founder of the school was. Her determination will be an inspiration to me for many years to come.”

“What I enjoyed most from the trip was visiting and staying in the village with Seva Mandir. It gave us an insight into their culture and taught us about their way of life, which seemed so different to that of the city or anywhere I have been. I found working at the literacy camp the most challenging experience of the trip. It involved teaching large numbers of children arts and crafts, most of whom could not speak English. What I found most rewarding was working in Umang school for disabled children. The reaction I got from them gave me a strong sense that I was actually making a difference to their lives.”

“The most amazing experience I had was at Umang. To be part of that was such a life-changing experience. When we arrived at Digantar School I was nervous and a bit worried about the teaching, but as soon as we got started I was having so much fun. The kids were so intelligent and happy.”

“Being let into such a special community was completely overwhelming at first and really quite challenging to fully comprehend the difficulties these children had to face. It wasn’t until we began to interact that I found a real sense of hope and pride, not only with the children but with the organisation as a whole.”

“I learnt a lot about myself. I can cope under hard conditions and can be dependent on myself.”