A 6th Form Survival Guide to Fraser Youens House WELCOME AND INDEPENDENCE PLAN THIS BOOKLET BELONGS TO:
Welcome to the Fraser Youens Family As a Sixth form boarder, how do you…? RGS has had boarding for well over a hundred years and you will be one of 70 boarders who live on site. For many people taking the first steps away from home can be an emotional process – and that is completely normal! The good news is that we have decades of experience to draw from, and a community that makes you feel welcome from day one. We have a strong sense of respect and belonging in Fraser Youens House and everyone looks out for each other. You’ll have a buddy from the moment you start; some boarders will appear in your lessons, others will share your interests, and many will become life-long friends. Study and revision will be high on your agenda. Over time you will develop integrity and resilience towards your own independent learning, and to nurture this we provide some foundations. As well as access to a tutor, subject mentors and of course the staff team, you’ll also have support from your peers. In fact our 6th form boarders have over the past decade outperformed the day students by regularly achieving up to 90% A*- B at A level. This Survival Guide provides you with key boarding information and the Independence plan serves to provide a focus in helping you achieve a high level of independence as a Sixth Form Boarder, as well as preparing you for your next stage in life, post RGS. If you have any questions, just ask. Warmwishes, the Fraser Youens Team. Knowwho’s who 04/05 Settle in and make the most of 06/07 your time in Boarding (tips from past Sixth Form boarders) Manage your studies 07/08 Get yourself organised 09 Know your role in the house 12 Off-site trips 12/13 Make the most of your free time 14 Survive a weekend at home 14 Wash your clothes 15 Survive anything, anywhere 16-17 (according to other boarders) Sixth Form Independence Plan 18/23 02/03
Knowwho’s who If you are worried about anything, you’re missing your family or you just want to share the events of the day, there are plenty of people you can chat to: the Housemasters, Tutors, Matron and other staff. Don’t forget chatting things through with other 6th formers they are all friendly and approachable. Housemasters Our boarding house is run by three Housemasters who are there to speak to if you are ever worried about anything. They take registration in the morning, and one will always be in the duty office from the end of school until bedtime. You can ring their doorbells anytime of the night if you are feeling unwell. House Tutors & Matron There are also seven House Tutors who have a duty afternoon or evenings each week. They monitor your work in their tutor meetings, supervise your homework time, run activities, help at bedtime and also give out boarding merits for being helpful or doing well in school! They will always carry the duty mobile in case you need to contact them. The number is printed everywhere, but do remember to add it to your own mobile. 04/05
Settle in and make the most of your time in Boarding – tips from past Sixth Form Boarders At the start, your focus will be on settling in, establishing routines and making friends. A friendly boarding tutor will support you with organisation, routines, pastoral and academic matters. If you have any worries, concerns or emotions are running high make sure you speak to someone – remember, the boarding staff are here to help and advise. Some useful advice from past Sixth Form Boarders: “Adjusting to boarding in the Sixth Form can be a challenge, especially when you are coming into an environment with lots of new, unfamiliar faces, some of whom will have known each other for many years beforehand. One of the most important aspects of early boarding life is getting to know your peers, and one of the best environments for that would be in either the common room, or the kitchen. These two places are where Sixth Former’s spend the majority of their time in boarding, during breaks and after school. It is a good idea to integrate yourself into these environments if you want to get to know the entirety of the Sixth Form.” “Try to make friends with everyone in the house, these are the lads, teachers and domestic staff that you’ll be living with for the next couple of years. Despite what year they are in get to know each boarder because at one point or another you may need them to help you, do you a favour or at least have some respect for you and for that they need to get to know you. Because when the time comes and you’ve missed a break time snack, the catering staff may have remembered they haven’t seen you and save you a snack or one morning when you’re in a rush and forget to make your bed, the cleaner may do it for you. It’s about taking the time to get to know everyone.” 06/07 “I loved my two years in boarding, it was the best two years of my school life. My advice to you is to take every opportunity that you get given in boarding as your time there is only what you make it.” “My best advice is to try and have as much fun as you can possibly can.” Managing your studies As a Sixth Former, you are expected to manage your programme of study, to complete assignments within set deadlines and to manage your time so that you reap the benefits of a good work life balance. A boarder’s day is well structured so you will have time for study, music, sport, clubs and relaxation or downtime. Do make sure you have sufficient files/dividers and appropriate stationary to keep all your work in order.
It’s important to plan your school study periods carefully – making sure you have decided beforehand what you are going to do, make sure you have the resources you need, don’t get distracted with music/YouTube/ messages etc. You may have several hours-worth of study periods through the week, so don’t waste them! We have a dedicated study session after dinner every night of the week apart from Friday. As a Sixth Former, you will automatically start in ‘B group’, which means you work unsupervised in your room during study time. If you find you are getting stressed or struggling, help is always available. Boarding Tutors, teachers, prefects and your peers are here to support you. Some of the tutors run extra sessions and revision clinics and one-to-one mentoring can also be arranged - please just ask! When you have demonstrated you are managing your time successfully, you may be moved into “A group”; you will not have to work during the dedicated study session after dinner, but remember most others in the house will be working so your activities during this time need to be considerate of them. Get yourself organised 7:30am – 8:10am Breakfast. You don’t have to come to breakfast in school uniform unless you come down after 8am, but you also can’t come down in your pyjamas, so most people wear sports kit or comfy clothes. Prefects may have duty between breakfast and time for school. 8:30am Time for school. You need to be ready to leave the house to get to your form room for registration. 7:00pm – 7:30pm Dinner. There is an evening meal every night. Thursday night is “Meal of the Week” selected by the boarder of the week. 7:30pm – 9:00pm Study Session. See above. Prefects may have study session duties. 9:00pm – 10:45pm Free time. Prefects may have junior bedtime duties. There are opportunities to use the sports hall or fitness suite (see timetable). 10:45pm Yr 12 lights out. 11:00pm Yr 13 lights out. 08/09
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Your role in the house Every year all the boarders and staff elect the prefects they want for the next year. Each Prefect has specific role e.g. competitions, blog, tours, sustainability etc as well as a responsibility and commitment to support the House Tutors and other boarders. Prefects are expected to give advice, help with homework or just have a friendly chat. All new boarders to the house will have a mentor who is in the Sixth Form. As a Sixth Former you will help out with running activities and house competitions, carrying out boarding tours and representing the house at open evenings. You are strong role models especially in the younger boarders’ lives. Get to know them, enjoy a chat, play table-tennis, encourage, motivate and inspire as they will be looking up to you. In the words of a past boarder… “An important aspect to note is the influence that Sixth Former’s have on the rest of the boarding house. You may not realise it, but the younger pupils look up to the older students, primarily in the sixth form, so the attitude that you display may be reflected in the younger pupils. That is why the example set to younger pupils should be a positive one, and that may help to shape the attitude and demeanour of a younger boarder.” Off-site trips We strongly encourage you to venture outside of the school/boarding house grounds whether that be to pop to the supermarket for essential supplies and treats, a walk in the countryside, a meet up with friends, a cinema trip, to watch a match, concert, theatre etc. 12/13 For your own safety and well-being, you must follow the house procedure of signing out and informing a member of staff of your whereabouts and timings. If you are running late or plans change unexpectedly it is important you update boarding staff on duty by calling the house duty office or duty mobile – these numbers should be saved in your contacts. Sometimes a special request for an off-site visit (e.g. concert in London, match at Wembley, a weekend overnight stay at a friend’s house etc) will require a chat with a housemaster for permission and clarity on arrangements. In some instances, we may also need parental permission.
Make the most of your free time There are plenty of sporting activities on offer such as football, cricket nets, tennis, basketball, gym sessions, darts, table-tennis etc. You may wish to choose to relax in the Sixth Form Common Room and watch TV, a DVD, Sky Sports, play snooker, cards, read or socialise. Cooking and baking are also popular activities; the Sixth Form kitchen is well equipped. If you are musical, we have a keyboard and you can practise and play your own instrument in the music room. Look at the activity timetable for the senior house activity sessions. There are also a wide range of sports training sessions, activities and clubs available in school. Just remember to sign out the house if you are attending an after-school club. There are house competitions and trips each term; the more you participate in, the better! Surviving the weekend at home If you are a weekly boarder, you will be in boarding from a Sunday evening until Friday afternoon. You are allowed to stay on Friday night (if you have a sports match on Saturday for example); just let a Housemaster know and remember to sign up for Friday evening meal and Saturday breakfast. Parents always have lots of questions and want to know how things are going, so do keep your parents up to date with your studies, test results, boarding life etc. Remind your parents about the blog and follow boarding on twitter @RGSHWboarding as this is another way they can find out about boarding life. 14/15 Wash your clothes We have our own laundry in Fraser Youens, so washing gets done every day. Take your dirty laundry downstairs every day and put it into the laundry bin in the laundry room (opposite G1). Your clean laundry will be put into your pigeon-hole in the laundry room ready for you to collect and take back to your room. Be sure to have all your clothes named clearly. All unnamed laundry is laid out on a Friday on the table tennis table, so if you have mislaid something it will usually turn up there. You will also need to bring your bedding down once a fortnight for washing; look out for reminders about this.
Survive anything, anywhere (according to other boarders) 1. Get out of your room as much as you can and get involved with activities. 2. Try to get into good habits e.g. taking laundry down daily and being punctual for breakfast. 3. Stay on top of your work and studies to avoid it building up. 4. Make an effort to talk to all the boarders and staff in the house. 5. Respect your surroundings by keeping it tidy or you will be constantly reminded to do it by the domestic staff, just like your parents would! 6. Get to know your fellow sixth formers - the common room and kitchen are very sociable places. 7. Try your best to complement and thank the kitchen and cleaning staff as they are always working hard and thinking of your best interests. 8. If you are feeling anxious or worried, go and speak to someone; everyone feels like this at some point. 16/17
Sixth Form Independence Plan This is intended as a working document. You will be able to fill in some of this from the start of Y12, other pieces of information will be added as you move through Y12 and into Y13. Subjects Studied Your prediction at the start of Yr 12 Yr 12 UCAS Exam UCAS prediction Yr 13 mock TAA option Do you have clear plans beyond RGS? If so briefly describe them (do update this if relevant) Possible universities or other places of training Place of study Course Usual offer/ requirements Open day 18/19
School lecture series (tick as appropriate) Gambling and awareness of it Alcohol and Substance awareness and abuse Q/A on the law and did you know that...? Safe Drive Interview techniques Sexual health and consent Testicular cancer Dealing with stress Mental health and demystifying the taboo around it Cyber safety Prevent and extremism Challenging yourself Cookery for uni (funds permitting) Life stories of success Health and exercise Time management Finance Budgeting Mindfulness Organ donation First Aid training and accredited certification Diversity in the work place – challenging assumptions (LGBTQ/Gender issues) Mental, physical and emotional prep for exams (Knowing your brain and working with it) What does the future world of work look like – developing flexibility in a changing work place UCAS application support Application log-in details: ______________ Application form completed: ______________ Personal Statement completed: ______________ UCAS Submission Date: ______________ Final university choices and responses: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Sixth Form enrichment RGS 360 Award Lecture Series Wycombe Abbey School Management Conference Any co-curricular activities: Additional academic competitions/lectures attended: 20/21
As you prepare to leave RGS, consider the skills you may need to be more independent: Confidence level Not confident at all Not confident Somewhat confident Very confident Can you cook and prepare simple and healthy meals? Do you know basic food hygiene practices? Do you know how to store different types of food safely? Can you wash clothes (using a washing machine) without shrinking/damaging them?! Do you know the clothing care symbols? Can you iron a shirt, trousers and suit? Can you sew on a button? Make basic repairs? Do you know basic first aid skills? Can you keep good time management and general timekeeping? Can you make a budget and stick to it? Do you know how credit works? Do you know which cutlery to use at a fancy dinner? Do you know how to change a car tyre? Do you have healthy and helpful strategies to cope with stress? Do you know how to write a CV? Do you know how to write a letter of application? 22/23 Notes
Fraser Youens House Ridgeway High Wycombe Buckinghamshire HP13 5LH + 44 (0)1494 551405 boarding@rgshw.com www.rgshw.com
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