Sixth formers share their stories of perseverance and resilience:

Becoming a member of the Senior Student Team

Hi! My name is Elizabeth and I was part of the senior student team. I never thought I  would make it onto the team, but decided to apply anyway as I thought it would be a great experience. Public speaking was one of my biggest fears, and it nearly put me off applying, but I decided to push myself and go for it. Now, public speaking is not so scary, and I’m so glad I went for it, as it feels like a great achievement, and I know I would have regretted it if I hadn’t.

My advice is: Don’t fear the unknown and just go for it!

Taking a new subject at A-level

 Having not taken GCSE Drama, I made the (scary!) decision to take A-level Drama and in my first lesson I was genuinely terrified of performing and speaking in front of people. However, within the first month of doing practical, I felt so much more confident because of the support and friendship from both my class and teachers who were always there when I doubted myself. I worked hard to keep all my notes up to date and ensuring that I knew all the terminology that everyone else had learnt at GCSE but it was only after my first practical performance that I realised how far I’d come in the year, and that my hard work to become an A-level drama student had paid off.

My advice would be: Talk to your teachers if you're concerned about anything and don’t be too hard on yourself – you won’t be an A* student in your first lesson so just keep working hard and enjoying it 😊

Joining Sixth Form having been Home Educated

Before I started Sixth Form I had never been to school, so, as you can imagine, starting at Rugby High was quite daunting. I bumped into a few people who I’d met previously at after-school clubs, which was very reassuring, especially as several of them were at Rugby High before. One of them kindly invited me to sit with her and her friends on the first day, which helped me enjoy my first lunchtime, which is often the most daunting part of the day. I gradually got to know people from my other lessons, eventually finding another lovely group, who I now sit with at lunch every day and meet up with outside of school. I didn’t tell everyone that I'd been Home Educated straight away, but I had fantastic reactions from all of my classmates when I did tell them. A few weeks into the year, my form tutor requested that members of the form present short talks on topics of interest, and I did mine on Home Education, which hopefully answered many of the common questions people ask. Overall, I feel like I’ve fitted in really well at Rugby High -  I am loving my lessons, managing the workload successfully and have met so many lovely people. The teachers are all really supportive, and clearly passionate about their subjects. Everyone has been extremely welcoming, and it is now hard to distinguish between ‘joiners’ and ‘originals’.