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The Virtual Careers Conference at Christ the King Sixth Form has gone from strength to strength over recent years. Having started through necessity with the Covid19 pandemic it now gives students a chance not only to support their progression but to upskill themselves with remote learning.

The cross-site event comprises a variety of university and career-based talks that students join online via Microsoft Teams. The day provides a fantastic opportunity for our Level 3 students to start thinking about their future and to explore their progression options. As in previous years, a Level 1 & 2 Careers Conference was held which offered specific support to students studying a BTEC Level 1 or 2 course with their own progression.

Over 50 external organisations supported the Conference by providing speakers for the talks.  Many of the participants were returning, having attended the event in previous years.  The programme of talks included sessions on a wide range of careers from Medicine and the NHS to entrepreneurship, journalism, engineering, banking and many more.

Later in the academic year, on Friday 16th June 2023, we will also be holding an in-person Careers Fair/Exhibition. At this event students will be able to meet a range of universities, apprenticeship providers, employers, and other support organisations, face to face to support their progression. 

On Saturday 18th March CTK Sixth Forms were invited, along with other charities and social action groups within the archdiocese,  to exhibit the charitable and social action work they are involved in.  The exhibition took place in the Amigo Hall after Mass in St Georges Cathedral Southwark.  This initiative was supported by the Archbishop who has a specific interest in schools showcasing their philanthropic activities.

Staff and students from CTK set up a stall in the hall, showcasing their work through banners, posters, and leaflets. This was an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of the many social action projects, charity events and community action events that CTK Sixth Forms support, and the positive impact that schools are having in their communities, and to encourage others to get involved in charitable work.

As in previous years we are running our Easter Egg /Chocolate Appeal for charity.  This year we are supporting Demelza Hospice which provides  end of life care for children and young people, and bereavement support for families, and SVP (Society of St Vincent De Paul) an international Christian voluntary organisation dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage. We know that times are challenging right now but we would be really grateful for any donations of Easter Eggs and / or chocolate, no matter how small, to support these two great charities.  Please bring any donations to reception by Thursday 30th March 2023. 

Thank you for your support.

Unforgettable Paris – A Four Day Visit

“What a Wonderful Experience.” Our students wanted to stay longer!!! ….. Twenty-four students from the Art and French Departments from Christ the King had a brilliant time and, as great globetrotters in the making, made the most of each moment.

An excellent trip! I wish I had been able to record the moment our students discovered the Eiffel Tower by night. This iconic symbol of Paris shone like a bright star and the awe and wonder on the students’ faces was priceless! The Arc de Triomphe and a stroll down the Champs Elysée were the backdrop to our students who posed like superstars, in this majestic Avenue of the City of Light. As they raised their cameras, our students became amateur ‘influencers’, happy to share the moment with their friends back home.

 Of course, Paris would not be Paris without its political scene and students witnessed vociferous protestors defending their retirement age rights, adding a touch of social realism, during their tour of the Trocadero. Meanwhile, one of our students, unperturbed by the demonstrations, enjoyed roller skating …… “La belle vie!” Whether visiting the Louvre, the Rodin Museum of the famous “Thinker”, or Museum of Modern Art and Museum d’Orsay, all were a feast for the eyes and senses. Our journey led us, as well, to reflect on the timeless paintings, artists and their lives. Often, the students rested, silent, thoughtful or bewildered before these sometimes evocative or provocative images and messages from the past. This was a most inspiring, beautiful and amazing journey through time not forgetting the delicious French gastronomy – escargot or cuisse de grenouille? But, whether you consider the Centre Pompidou as an architectural masterpiece or the Ugliest Museum in the World, is still up for debate. Our students’ opinions were divided on that question – to the dismay of the Art teachers present! From the view within the Centre, however, the panoramic spectacle from the 5th Floor left all of us unanimously, enchanted.

One student who attended the trip said;

“I very much enjoyed my time in Paris and the experience was unforgettable. I was able to immerse myself in French culture, seeing iconic landmarks such as the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower and learning about how they represented different points in French history. We also went to a lot of museums where we were able to look at the different aspects of the art culture there. Going to the Louvre was my favourite part of the trip. I got to see a variety of famous artwork from all around the world including “Liberty Leading the People” by Delacroix. We also visited the Museum of Modern Art where I learnt about the work of Christian Boltanski. There is an exhibit of his work with old telephone books with the idea of bringing everyone in the world into one place which I thought was very creative.”

Christ the King Sixth Forms were overwhelmed by the response to our 48 hour Emergency appeal to staff, students and local residents, to donate items to help those affected by this disaster.

We were delighted to see the community of local residents, staff and students come together to give generously.  The donations were collected and will be driven to the most affected areas in Turkey on Saturday.

New facilities including a mock Hospital Ward to benefit T Level Nursing students was opened and blessed by The Archbishop.

His Excellency, The Most Revered Archbishop for Southwark and Metropolitan, John Wilson, and other VIP guests attended the opening of the new T Level hospital ward at CTK Emmanuel today.

CTK Emmanuel were delighted to secure the funding from the Department of Education, to open this fantastic, state-of-the art vocational facility, which is used to train and support Health T Level students who are studying to become Adult Health Nurses.  

The ward is named St Theresa’s in homage to the secondary school, which was originally at the CTK site, before it became a Sixth Form in 1993.

These outstanding new facilities have been designed by employers to ensure they are fit for purpose and meet the needs of employers to train up future nurses and medical professionals.  The ward features a range of equipment, such as, specialised prosthetic patients, across a range of ages and with a variety of illnesses, hospital beds and an observation room.  Students will be able to learn tasks such as taking swabs, blood pressure readings, vital statistics and temperatures, and to gain experience in treating patients and diagnosing symptoms across a range of illnesses from child to adult.

St Theresa’s Ward is the third project to be completed for students studying at CTK Emmanuel, with earlier projects creating a contemporary business space and revolutionising the engineering space into modern technology labs.

As a specialist vocational Catholic Sixth Form, CTK Emmanuel places great importance on employment links.  Students attend weekly work placements and the Sixth Form has forged relationships with local hospital trusts. Staff from Queen Elizabeth’s hospital in Woolwich were delighted to attend the grand opening and see for themselves the outstanding facilities on offer.

CTK Emmanuel, located on Belmont Hill, close to Lewisham and Blackheath, is a successful Sixth Form serving 16-19 learners from in and around Southeast London.   The Sixth Form offers the widest range of vocational courses locally in a Catholic Sixth Form environment and has recently added T Levels to the curriculum offering.

His Excellency, The Most Revered Archbishop for Southwark and Metropolitan, John Wilson, said;

“I was delighted and honoured by the invitation to visit CTK Emmanuel Sixth Form, and to open and bless the new T-Level Health and Science teaching and learning facilities, which included the aptly named, St Theresa’s Ward.  It was a joy to witness the tremendous work and dedication of the teachers, along with the remarkable enthusiasm of the students towards their studies.  The Lord Jesus teaches us to bring the Gospel message of His love into our daily lives, and into our world. It is my continued prayer that the CTK community will continue to flourish in this mission; and thus, I give thanks for their exceptional contribution to the Catholic Education of our young people in the Archdiocese of Southwark, and invoke God’s blessing upon all the staff, students”.

Christ the King Sixth Forms Executive Principal Shireen Razey said;

“We were delighted to receive this funding from the Department of Education to develop these outstanding facilities.  These new state-of-the-art facilities will benefit our leaners for many years to come and the T Level in Health will ensure we are meeting local employers and skills needs and training the next generation of medical professionals. We were honoured that The Archbishop could officially open and bless the new area for us.  The addition of this hospital ward to our other new facilities at CTK Emmanuel means we are able to offer learners the widest range of vocational courses in a Catholic Sixth Form environment”.

CTK Emmanuel Student Governor Portia gave a heart-warming speech. She thanked everyone for coming and talked about how impressive it is that students will be able to operate such great facilities with real-life scenarios.

In keeping with the Sixth Form’s Catholic mission, Archbishop John Wilson, blessed the opening of the new centre and the CTK Emmanuel gospel choir sang a beautiful rendition of ‘Let your presence fall’, ‘The goodness of God’ and ‘Hallelujah’ to the VIP guests and students. Staff, students and Christ the King Sixth Form Governors, were delighted to be able to celebrate together at this momentous occasion for the Sixth Form.

You can read more in the press here:

Archbishop Wilson opens new T-Level Hospital Ward at CTK Emmuanuel: Archdiocese of Southwark (rcaos.org.uk)

https://www.rcsouthwark.co.uk/news-events/news/archbishop-wilson-opens-new-t-level-hospital-ward-at-ctk-emmuanuel/

Archbishop Wilson of Southwark opens new T-Level Hospital Ward at south London sixth form college – The Catholic Network

Christ the King Sixth Forms and EKC Group Christmas Gift Appeal update

In November and December 2022 our Christmas Gift Appeal ran with all gifts and money raised going towards child hospice charity Demelza House, domestic abuse charity Refuge, homelessness group Porchlight and the St Vincent De Paul Society, which tackles poverty and disadvantage. Now in its third year, the campaign run by husband-and-wife team Shireen Razey (Executive Principal of Christ the King Sixth Forms) and Graham Razey (CEO of East Kent College Group) targets those in need, spreading festive cheer through the collaboration.

Over 300 gifts were donated and distributed to the charities to help families in need in South East London and Kent over the Christmas period. In addition a total £1774 was raised from an online auction of artwork produced by students of both Colleges.

We would like to thank everyone who donated gifts or money to the appeal and those who bought the artwork.

Lewisham local Rupert Evenett, awarded MBE for services to the community and education

Christ the King Sixth Forms’ Chair of Governors Rupert Evenett was awarded an MBE for his services to Education and to the community in the New Year’s honours list.

Lewisham and Greenwich local, Rupert Evenett has been Chair of Governors at Christ the King Catholic Sixth Forms since 2014.

Rupert was nominated by Christ the King Sixth Forms for his tireless work in harnessing the power of education to transform lives, making a real difference to the communities of Southeast London and Kent.  A former student of St Dunstan’s in Catford, Rupert was born and bred and still lives in South London, and is passionate about giving back to his local community. 

Throughout his tenure as Chair of Governors, Rupert has been instrumental in steering Christ the King Sixth Forms, supporting the successful takeover of two failing schools, presiding over the significant expansion of Christ the King Sixth Forms, and ensuring strong curriculum offering benefits to its local communities.  As a passionate advocate for social justice, Rupert championed the introduction of the CTK Diversity and Inclusion Committee.  He has been a key driving force in implementing the Sixth Forms’ Social Mobility strategy.  Rupert has also led the Sixth Form’s Eco initiatives and the CTK pledge to become carbon neutral, striving to educate future generations through sustainability.

Rupert has spearheaded social action projects at Christ the King Sixth Forms, including employer partnerships, charity and community work. He initiated the implementation of the CTK ‘Acts of Charity’ volunteering scheme, resulting in CTK students giving more than 4,000 hours to charity and community work annually. His wealth of experience in business and social enterprise has driven the Local Partnership Boards at CTK, ensuring students have the opportunity to take part in employer led initiatives and unique mentoring opportunities from world class businesses.  

Rupert Evenett said:

“This is an honour for which I’m thrilled and grateful. And of course, it’s also a collective recognition of Christ the King Sixth Forms in its 30th anniversary year and of what everyone at Christ the King Sixth Forms has achieved. Over the last several years we have achieved change and growth for the benefit of the students and communities we serve – we’ve launched a high performing A Level college at CTK Aquinas Sixth Form in Brockley, we’ve launched a specialist Vocational and T Level sixth form, CTK Emmanuel, and offer both A Levels and Vocational education at our St Mary’s sixth form in Bexley.  I’m proud to be part of Christ the King Sixth Forms which has served young southeast Londoners so well for the last 30 years and will continue to do so for the next 30 years.”

Christ the King Sixth Forms Executive Principal Shireen Razey said;

“Rupert’s commitment to Christ the King is immeasurable, his drive to provide equity within the local community has transformed the lives of our students. He has presided over a time of great expansion for the sixth forms. The recent restructuring of the curriculum, ensures that young people in the area have unrivalled opportunities, including the chance to study at a selective A Level sixth form, and the widest range of T Level courses on offer in a Catholic Sixth Form environment. This gives local students in Southeast London and Sidcup a chance to flourish in their chosen programme of study and opens the doors for unlimited opportunities, regardless of their background or ability.  We are overjoyed to see his dedication rewarded with this honour.  It is hard to overstate the impact that his commitment has had. His vision, leadership, proactive approach and passion for inclusivity have benefited thousands of CTK students over the years”.

Rupert’s tireless work in the community, has also included support to a number of other organisations.  Including: Trustee and Treasurer of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, Trustee of Alzheimer’s Research UK, Governor of Benenden School and chair of the John Wallis Academy, Member of Council of Goldsmiths, University of London and Chair of the National charity The Conservation Volunteers (TCV).

Christ the King Emmanuel one of only four winners nationally.

On Tuesday 1 November 2022 Christ the King, Emmanuel officially opened its new IKEA Eco Hub which was developed as a result of being one of only 4 winners in the IKEA Let’s Go Zero competition this Summer. Students and teachers submitted their creative ideas to help make their college more sustainable and tackle climate change and as a winner we received IKEA products, solutions and funds to help bring our project vision to life.     

IKEA has helped to transform one of the Sixth Form’s small buildings into a dedicated space for eco work, from hands-on learning and study to planning community activities. The unique space has been equipped with movable furniture that enables learning to take place both indoors and outdoors as needed.    

A big part of the Christ the King Emmanuel vision is involving the wider community in their environmental work including setting up a community garden to running an environmental community day. Their new IKEA eco-hub means they’ll not only be able to take the teaching of sustainability even further, but they can also create a wonderful working and engagement space for their local community and local schools.

Let’s Go Zero: helping schools tackle climate change – IKEA

The Christ the King Sixth Forms and EKC Group Christmas appeal has raised more than £10,000 in donations and gifts

Christmas this year will be a challenging time for many vulnerable families, with the devastating impact of the cost-of-living crisis, now is a more important time than ever to help those in need.

This year’s Christmas Gift Appeal and charity art auction, being organised by Christ The King Sixth Forms (CTK) and EKC Group are hoping to do exactly that.

Now in its third year, the campaign run by husband-and-wife team Shireen Razey (Executive Principal of Christ the King Sixth Forms) and Graham Razey (Chief Executive at EKC Group) targets those in need, spreading festive cheer through the collaboration, with donations and gifts totaling over £10,000 so far.

This year the gifts and money raised will go towards child hospice charity Demelza, domestic abuse charity Refuge, homelessness group Porchlight and the St Vincent De Paul Society, which tackles poverty and disadvantage.

Shireen Razey, Executive Principal of Christ the King Catholic Sixth Forms said: “We are delighted to be supporting our annual Christmas Gift Appeal again this year. Since we began the campaign on the back of the pandemic in 2019, we have made a real difference to countless children in need.

“The cost of living crisis means now more than ever, families are facing real hardship, and we really hope we can make a difference to those at Christmas time. CTK staff and students contribute hugely to social action work within the local community throughout the year, and we are always touched at how we all work together to ensure the Christmas Gift Appeal is such a success to help ensure Christmas is special for families in need.”

The art auction, which is running via this webpage, sees students and staff from across the two College groups donating artworks to be sold for charity.  Bidding closes Thursday 15 December, with items being sent out before Christmas Day.

Graham Razey, Chief Executive of EKC Group, said: “This can be the most magical time of the year for young people across the country. However, it can also be a really difficult time for families who are less fortunate within our communities.

“We started this appeal three years ago with the clear aim of ensuring that everyone was able to share in the joy of Christmas and since then I’m incredibly proud that we’ve managed to raise thousands of pounds for charities across the Southeast, as well as collecting and distributing thousands of presents for young people.

“I’m really excited about this year and am hoping it’ll be our best yet, with some absolutely fantastic pieces of art in our charitable auction!”

This year’s Christmas Gift Appeal follows the success of the previous two outings, which have seen more than 4,500 gifts sent out to young people across Kent and South London.

Suggestions for items that can be donated include toys, puzzles, colouring/puzzle books, gift vouchers, toiletries, chocolates, biscuits and hot beverages.

The deadline for donating gifts is Wednesday 14 December.

For further information or images contact:

Christ the King Sixth Forms: Rebecca Schutze r.schutze@ctksfc.ac.uk 

EKC Group: Charlie Harman Charlie.harman@ekcgroup.ac.uk

Charities

The charities we are collecting for are:

Demelza Hospice Care for Children https://www.demelza.org.uk/

St Vincent de Paul Society https://www.svp.org.uk/node/606

Refuge https://www.refuge.org.uk/ 

Present Drop off locations:

• CTK Emmanuel, Belmont Grove, Blackheath, London SE13 5GE
• CTK Aquinas, Sprules Rd, London SE4 2NL
• CTK St Mary’s, Chislehurst Rd, Sidcup DA14 6BE

• Ashford College, Elwick Road, Ashford, TN23 1NN
• Broadstairs College, Ramsgate Road, Broadstairs, CT10 1PN
• Canterbury College, New Dover Road, Canterbury. CT1 3AJ
• Dover Technical College, Maison Dieu Road, Dover, CT16 1DH
• Folkestone College, Shorncliffe Road, Folkestone. CT20 2TZ
• Sheppey College, Bridge Road, Sheerness, ME12 1HL

Christ the King Sixth Forms celebrates 30 year anniversary

Christ the King Catholic Sixth Forms celebrated their 30^th anniversary on 16^th November 2022, with a special celebratory Mass at St George’s Cathedral.  The Mass was attended by current and former staff and students and was led by Main Celebrant Canon Victor Darlington, Episcopal Vicar for the Southeast Pastoral area.

The Mass was a joyous occasion, reflecting on the past 30 years of CTK, from the beginning, the growth and to the future. The Christ the King community spirit was truly felt from all the guests which included Christ the King Governors, Partner Schools, Diocese colleagues, employers, local board members and current and former staff and students.

The service gave thanks for all that has been achieved at Christ the King Sixth Forms, through the dedication of so many individuals past and present.

Christ the King Sixth Forms Executive Principal Shireen Razey said;

“As Principal of CTK I feel extremely privileged to have been part of the CTK Community for over 20 years. I have been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to serve at CTK and am personally thankful to everyone who has supported me during this time.  Over the past 30 years CTK has seen much change. Our service today reflects the beginning, development and future of CTK.  However, our Mission and values remain unchanged.  CTK continues to serve and educate our local communities and ensure that all students have the opportunity to flourish and reach their full potential”.

Christ the King Emmanuel one of only four winners nationally.

On Tuesday 1 November 2022 Christ the King, Emmanuel officially opened its new IKEA Eco Hub which was developed as a result of being one of only 4 winners in the IKEA Let’s Go Zero competition this Summer. Students and teachers submitted their creative ideas to help make their college more sustainable and tackle climate change and as a winner we received IKEA products, solutions and funds to help bring our project vision to life.     

IKEA has helped to transform one of the Sixth Form’s small buildings into a dedicated space for eco work, from hands-on learning and study to planning community activities. The unique space has been equipped with movable furniture that enables learning to take place both indoors and outdoors as needed.    

A big part of the Christ the King Emmanuel vision is involving the wider community in their environmental work including setting up a community garden to running an environmental community day. Their new IKEA eco-hub means they’ll not only be able to take the teaching of sustainability even further, but they can also create a wonderful working and engagement space for their local community and local schools.