10 October 2024
Dear Parents, Guardians and Students/Annwyl Rhieni, Gwarchodwyr a Myfyrwyr
Expanding horizons (and the common room!) at the LHS Sixth Form Open Evening!
It was a pleasure to throw open our doors to Year 11 on 25th September to showcase the amazing provision we have for Sixth Form education. Thank you to everyone for coming along and especially to our Sixth Form students for speaking so eloquently and candidly about their experiences.
As the autumn term of Year 11 gathers momentum, the focus on what comes after GCSEs can bring great motivation to the cohort. We know that Year 11 is an incredibly stressful year for students with the volume of exams and pressure that is placed upon them. So when times get tough, we travel to school in the dark and travel home in the dark, the controlled assessment and revision is relentless, it is hugely important for the students to keep a clear vision of why they’re doing it and what the rewards and outcomes will be.
For many of our young people, it will be a place in our Sixth Form and maybe a place on our Honours programme, Brilliant club or Seren network and the wider opportunities that are available. So let’s shape that motivation and vision.
We will be supporting each member of Year 11 on a 1:2:1 basis over the coming months.
This was officially launched at the Open Evening where visitors were able to talk to staff about the entry requirements for each course and the suitability of these choices to higher education aspirations. The incredibly wide variety of ssubjects offered in LHS Sixth Form for September 2025 are listed below:
| Art and Design | Food Science and Nutrition | Music Technology |
| Biology | French | Photography |
| Business Studies | Further Mathematics | Physical Education |
| Chemistry | Geography | Physics |
| Computer Science | Health and Social Care | Psychology |
| Criminology (L3 Diploma) | History | Philosophy, Religion and Ethics |
| Drama | ICT – Digital Technology | Sociology |
| DT: Product Design | Mathematics | Sport (BTEC Level 3) |
| Economics | Media Studies | Welsh |
| English Language | Medical Science (L3 Diploma) | E-Sport |
| English Literature | Music | Welsh Baccalaureate |
Aspects of our Sixth Form experience and provision that we are most proud of include:
- Smaller group sizes (on average 10 – 15 per class) that allow for more individual and personalised teaching and support
- Aspirational target setting and close tracking of progress against targets
- Regular parental involvement in progress and early intervention if we have concerns of any description, and vice-versa
- A steppingstone into a more independent style of study whilst being a member of supportive tutor group, accessing all wellbeing services in school
- All students have a dedicated and specialist Sixth Form tutor for Year 12 and 13 and support for the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate
- The opportunity to play a role as a senior member of our whole school community in a wide range of leadership roles that develop wider skills and experiences and provide a unique edge to UCAS and onward applications
- Access to a dedicated pathway to challenge and support more able and talented students
- Specific support for UCAS applications and specific support for those aspiring to Oxford, Cambridge, Russell Group and Sutton Trust Universities
- Support and guidance on apprenticeship schemes / alternative post-18 opportunities
- Opportunities for team sports and wellbeing activities as a year group
- A wide range of extra-curricular opportunities including the Duke of Edinburgh award through to local and foreign travel opportunities
- The opportunity to be part of a very inclusive Sixth Form that sets the standard for the younger year groups coming through the school
Wednesday night was just the start of the process of working alongside home to guide our students onto the next stage in life. Please also look on our school website for the Sixth Form prospectus which will offer even greater insight into our Sixth Form provision. This is an exciting time for students to join our Sixth Form as the school celebrates eight years of continuous improvement.
Here are some further dates for your diary..
It is important to note that we also offer a range of support for students who will be looking outside of the school. Our onsite Careers Wales Advisor, Gethin Lock, and our onsite Youth Mentor, Jordan Williams, are very proactive and very knowledgeable about a wide range of options.
We’re expanding!
The growing numbers in Sixth Form have posed a very positive problem for us so we were delighted to open the extended common room last week. We’ve doubled the size of the common room by knocking through into a classroom. After a long wait, I finally got in to take some snaps before we gave Years 12 and 13 free reign!
Our Sixth Formers also have access to their original common room and canteen, their Private Study Area and 6th form computer room. They also have free loan of a Chrome book for the duration of their studies. So, here is how the expanded facilities look…
And with some human beings in situ….
Destinations! Where do students from LHS Sixth Form progress to next?
The class of 2024 have flung themselves far and wide. Over 85% of Year 13 students successfully secured a place at their first-choice university, 8% at their second choice and a further 7% are reapplying for different courses next year.
75% of students who applied to Oxbridge were invited to interview and 50% of those that applied received offers (and then gained the qualifications required).
49% of students secured places at a range of Russell Group universities to pursue a wide range of degree courses including Medicine, Law, Economics, Mathematics, Civil Engineering, Journalism and Optometry to name but a few.
Our students also performed exceptionally well in Creative Arts with one student going on to study Fashion Marketing at University of the Arts London and others progressing to study Photography and Music and Sound Production.
Fast forward a few years and I’m delighted to finish this ‘Sixth Form Special’ by saying hello to a couple of Alumni legends.
First, let me acquaint or reacquaint you with Hama Sharif!
In his own words….
“Hello! My name is Hama Sharif — I’m a Llanishen High School alumnus from Kurdistan studying Medicine at Cardiff University.
I finished my Sixth Form studies in 2020; however, I unfortunately had no graduation ceremony due to COVID-19.
I had the pleasure of studying Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics as my A-Levels. I’ve always been fascinated in maths and attempted to study the Further Maths course on the side, but there only seemed to be so many days in a week and I couldn’t be at two classes at once!
I’m currently towards the end of my studies at the Cardiff University School of Medicine. I have recently passed my major exams and am on my way to becoming a foundation doctor! I decided on studying at Cardiff University after the privilege of attending LHS’s multiple widening-access opportunities including med-school interview preparation, work experience at local hospitals, and opportunities to fundraise/volunteer in healthcare settings.
I was torn between studying Medicine and Physics. I had great relationships with my A-Level teachers at LHS and they continuously supported my aspirations to work in careers focussed on problem-solving. Other than the opportunities in healthcare I outlined above, I also had many supracurricular experiences from the maths/physics departments such as Olympiads, masterclasses, and nationwide engineering competitions. I ultimately decided to pursue a career in Medicine, but I can say with proud confidence that I still rely on the advice, mantras, and positive attitudes I learned from my maths & physics teachers.”
We then asked… Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to your 16-year-old self?
“Simple: do the thing. Whatever it is that I wanted to do, I should have done then and there. I’ve found it a lot more common to regret not having started something earlier in life rather than wishing I had waited for later. A trend I find in myself is that for every skill & hobby that I’m developing, I find I would fantasise about months or even years in advance. I wanted to learn Italian a year prior to when I began, and I could be a year more fluent now than I actually am. I wanted to be more active my entire life, but only in the past two years have I gained any traction with exercise. I’m still considering a hobby in electronics — and I have all the equipment waiting for me — so maybe it’s as simple as getting a start as soon as I finish writing this. The only true limit is time, so start early.”
We also asked….What advice would you give to students today thinking about their future?
“Look up the word “sonder”. Understand it. Understand that everyone sees the world through their own perspective just as you see through yours. As a species we have developed to live in communities; it’s highly likely that your futures will be intertwined with others’ at every stage. You will face friends, family, peers, superiors, subordinates, opposition, and audience regardless of the path you set down. To be harmonious within such community is to understand what it means to be each and every other figure present.
For example: a mother. It’s easy to look at one’s own mother with a degree of resentment for all the bad they have done and all the good they haven’t. It’s easy to forget that our mothers are living their one and only lives too. To forget that they too were a child with parents and that they too struggled in school. In fact, they’re ahead many of us. They have had to face the challenges of pregnancy, childbirth, and of holding a family together. Imagine doing that yourself. Imagine being a mother and how difficult it must be. To appreciate that people are just people makes living with them so much more manageable. Everyone is living their first life just as we each are, so be more mindful and understanding of that. It will definitely make your future easier.
Always here to support the school and students!”
A huge thank you to Hama for joining our Alumni and for providing such poignant advice.
Finally, from medicine to law and another iconic Alumni, Jacob Mills.
Jacob left LHS in 2018 with 3A*s and 2As and a place at the London School of Economics to study law. He has since graduated with 1st class honours and recently completed a Master’s in tax law at Oxford University.
During his time at Oxford Jacob built an EdTech startup called Progressio Tuition and was later called to the Bar in 2024. Jacob is now a Pupil Barrister at Gray’s Inn Tax Chambers and continues to return to Cardiff to work with prospective law students to help them on their legal journey – he is always happy to receive communication from LHS students to provide guidance and assist students to achieve their goals.
From humble roots it is always amazing to hear from our students as they take on the professions and vocations that will impact so positively on ours and future generations.
Your Sixth Form studies can take you where your further aspirations can reach.
Thank you to Hama and Jacob for getting back in touch.
Thank you for reading/Diolch am ddarllen,
Mrs Sarah Parry, Headteacher