A Sixth Form Girl

8:00am Stockbridge. A nightmare of road works and traffic lights. Somewhat of a culture shock for me, having come for my Sixth Form from a school surrounded by fields.

8:10am Culture shock No.2: What seems like hundreds of young energetic boys racing round the yards already! I try to dodge their ball games as I make my way to the music school for Chamber Choir practice. After a quick warm up, we're straight into singing various songs.

8:45am Assembly. As always we are given a thought to think about!

9:00am Tuesday is always a good day for me as I start the day with double Art. This morning we are preparing for our AS Art exam which takes place tomorrow. It has to be said that a few members of the class are looking slightly green at the prospect of this.

10.20am The wise words of Dr Marsh before break. Today we are looking at the T.S Eliot poem: "The Hollow Man." I confess to having a slight issue with understanding his poems, but this morning's lesson has challenged this statement as I have a rare flash of insight into the deeper meanings.

11:00am Meet Eliza outside Mr Harris' and make the crucial decision: Do we go to the Tuckshop? Deciding that as we both have had a productive morning and have games this afternoon a treat is definitely required. We then head back to the classroom so as to hear the morning's news.

11:15am History. Discuss the Liberal Reforms. This is followed by French with Madame Harley.

Lunch

12.35pm Lunch Break and once again the yards are full of boys (of all ages!) mucking around, playing either football with a tennis ball or some other game that seems to involve seeing just how close you can get to breaking a window pane. Walking around is precarious but at 1:00pm I have to risk it - lunchtime for 6ths.

1:40pm Piano lesson. I battle away with my scales which I'm told are improving.

2:20pm Harmony with Mr Backhouse. Try not to get distracted looking at the many pictures of trains that cover his walls.

3:00pm Meet up with friends and head up to games. Games for the girls is at the Sports centre where we do a strenuous workout with Dr Carr. Today we have invited a member of the school's rugby 1st XV, who is annoyingly sceptical about Girls Fitness. We are out to prove him wrong, and do so as the sweat starts to show on his red face.

4.30pm Head home.

This is just one of my days at the Academy. On a Monday I have a full choir practice at lunch time and a singing lesson; on Wednesday I have Young Enterprise after school; and occasionally on a Friday after school the girls meet for one of Mrs Hope's tea parties. These are always great fun and give the girls in the two senior year groups a chance to talk, and eat Mrs Hope's amazing carrot cake!

It is definitely true to say that no day is the same.

A Sixth Form Boy

It's very difficult to describe a typical day at The Academy because no day is ever the same. However, I'll do my best by giving you some of the highlights of the week.

Mornings for me normally begin with Chamber Choir (usually a variety of songs and the occasional cringe-worthy music-related joke from Mr Backhouse), except Fridays which start with the saxophone ensemble where the slightly more sardonic Mr Morrison exudes a mellowness worthy of any jazz giant! This is always followed by the 10 minute whole school assembly which usually follows the format of hymn, reading, prayer, notices and always (well, nearly) provides a suitable note on which to start the day.

English stands out

All of the subjects I do I enjoy in one way or another, but English stands out in particular as it always provides inspiration with the philosophical rants and mind-boggling depth of knowledge that is displayed by Dr Marsh. His wisdom and levels of banter have induced many a class into a state somewhere bordering on enlightenment and total confusion.

There's always a wide variety of things to do at lunch times. Full choir practice takes place on a Monday and usually follows the same format as Chamber Choir (jokes included). Tuesday lunchtimes provide an opportunity for any musician to play in a lunchtime concert. Recent performances have ranged from Bach Piano Concertos to Joe Satriani guitar improvisations.

Wednesday is tenor and bass practice, which allows for a more detailed rehearsal as well as being the site of many an overly-sung base part (you know who you are). Amnesty International meets on Thursday lunchtimes (complete with coffee and biscuits provided by Mrs Hope) and there we write letters of protest in a bid to draw attention to the mistreatment of prisoners of conscience around the world.

There are lots of sports available as games options on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. For the boys, rugby is the most common ("the man's game"), though you can also take hockey ("the girls game") and weights and fitness ("the skivers game"). I play hockey! Other options include football, squash, basketball and badminton. In the summer term I have recently discovered the joy of smashing a cricket ball around the park. Our sports field at Newfield is a great place to be on a sunny summer's afternoon. My friends also take part in athletics and tennis, and some even do sailing.

After school on a Friday is a musical affair with the prospect of playing in various groups as late as 6pm. I play in the Senior Concert Band followed by the Dance Band and though it's a late finish, time passes quickly thanks to the combination of great jazz tunes and the chat from band members and conductor alike. There is the possibility of a tour to New Zealand with the band, so there is an incentive to practice hard.