With the 32 members of the JCR 2025-26 newly elected and ready to get to work, we asked them to share their experiences of Sixth Form life so far and their hopes for the year ahead!
What is the best thing about the Sixth Form at Bradfield College?
With one year down and one to go, we wanted to know what our pupils think the best things are about the Bradfield College Sixth Form are. Not surprisingly, greater independence, opportunities and freedoms were popular answers as well as the people – teachers and peers and the strength of community that is such an integral part of life at Bradfield. Pupils also value the range of subjects – both at IB Diploma and A Level – they can choose to study.
Scarlett (K) – “Everyone is so lovely and there is such a range of people at the school that everyone has a friendship group. The other thing I love is how big the year group is, it means that no one just sticks to one group. Everyone mingles with everyone, and I love that.”
Archie (F) – “The community is amazing everyone is very kind and looks out for you constantly.”
Gabe (D) – “I believe the level of responsibility you have as a senior member of the school, and the way teachers treat you as adults is the best thing about Sixth Form.”
Josh (D) – “The best thing about Bradfield Sixth Form is the community. It is full of pupils and staff who have a genuine desire to help and support you. The pupil-staff relationship is great as both sets of people treat each other with respect and so allows for a collaborative enjoyable environment.”
Emma (K) – “Everyone is able to be themselves and follow whatever passion they may have”.
Lottie (K) – “The thing that stands out most to me is the relationship you have with your teachers and classes and I think this really becomes a small community and the feedback we get from teachers is really beneficial. The teachers really take their time to focus on what you can do to make the subject as easy and interesting as possible and it’s also just fun.”
Abby (I) – “I think the best thing about the Sixth Form is the fluidity and range of choice of things that you can do.”
Favourite subjects
With a choice of both the IB Diploma and A Levels, our pupils have an exciting array of subjects to study – with some new options alongside those enjoyed at GCSE.
Charlie (A) – “Psychology (IB) – is by far the most interesting subject I take and I feel it’s applicable to every aspect of life. It is also very insightful leaning about the way in which we think, behave and act.”
Paula (I) – “IB HL English Literature. I love it, because in the IB we focus on a wide range of literature from different cultures and areas of the world. Open discussion is always encouraged in the classroom, which I very much enjoy.”
Jess (M) – “A Level PE, as I feel that it links nicely with Biology (which I also do) and I find it really interesting to learn about things that happen inside your body when you do sport!”
Bella (K) – “My favourite subject is A Level Art. The Art Department at Bradfield is incredible, the teachers are not only supportive but also genuinely passionate and full of creative energy. They really help you push your ideas and develop your own artistic voice. I love Art because it’s such a powerful outlet for self-expression and being surrounded by such a vibrant, encouraging environment makes it even more rewarding.”
Emma (M) – “Economics, I find the concepts fascinating and lessons interactive which keeps me engaged and interested.”
Jack ( E) “My favourite subject is A Level History of Art. A lot of people just assume that it is all about artworks and the history of the actual artworks but it goes deeper. The subject explores contextual history in a lot of detail, for example the Northern Renaissance and Napoleon. It is a lot more interesting than people believe.”
Benji (G) – “RS, because it tackles deep philosophical questions that are extremely relevant. It also helps my debating skills the most out of my three subjects”.
Alice (M) – “Biology A Level – learning about the body and the conversations that go beyond the syllabus”.
Tom (H) – “Drama – A Level. It is my favourite as it is a subject I am extremely passionate about and I have an interest in Drama outside of the classroom.”
Ziad (E ) – “IB History. It is something that fascinates me, and I feel as if I have a great class. I also love the teaching styles, and I genuinely learn a lot in their lessons”.
Rio (D) – “IB Chemistry because the topics that we do are the most interesting, and are views that you only get from science”.
Beyond the classroom
Academic studies are just one part of Sixth Form life at Bradfield College. We asked our new JCR members what they like doing in their co-curricular or free time.
Paula (I) – “When I’m not in the Study Centre, I will be in Music, practising as it helps me relax. In the summer term, I love going on walks with my friends and just being around campus as it’s always nice to see. The gym is also somewhere I find myself a lot, especially with really fun activities such as Clubercise and Spin.”
Bella (K) – “In my co-curricular and free time, I’m often in the Art Department, I also play hockey and cricket and love being a part of a team. I’m involved in the Journalism Society and love writing for ‘The Bradfield Owlet’, especially sharing stories that reflect student life.”
Jack (E) – “Normally, I am either playing football, singing or in the gym. There are lots of other things that I have tried in the past, but these three things are my passions at Bradfield.”
Abby (I) – “I enjoy getting involved in a lot of sports, specifically netball which I play at the highest level in the College, but also I love lacrosse and tennis as more of my casual, social sports. I also really enjoy music, specifically singing, and so as well as my individual lessons, I try to get involved in choirs or singing as a backing vocalist wherever I can. I also really enjoy all the house events such as house dance, debating and recently the university challenge.”
Ziad (E ) – “In my free time, I love to play football and socialize, as well as listen to music. In terms of co-curricular, you could usually find me playing football or basketball and doing Model United Nations.”
Standout experiences
We hope all our pupils will leave with many happy memories of their time at Bradfield. We wanted to hear about some of our current pupils standout moments so far…
Archie (F) – “My standout experience of my Sixth Form experience is definitely making friends with the numerous people who have joined this year, it has really benefited the community and made Bradfield a greater place.”
Emma (M) – “Although there are so many to choose from, my solo performance at the Bedford concert will be an opportunity I will never forget. To sing in such an intimate setting, where Ed Sheeran and Amy Winehouse had once performed was incredible, plus the opportunity to sing a pop solo will be one I treasure for a very long time.”
Jack (E) – “Goose weekend where you really feel like a Sixth Form student. Your experience is valued to the highest regard and you are one of the senior members of the House, rallying the troops and getting ready for intense inter-house competition.”
Benji (G) – “Speaking to the Shell year group openly without notes on the Bradfield diploma research programme.”
Abby (I) – “My standout experience this year has been my TiB Talk which I did because it was really pushing me out of my comfort zone with public speaking, but also being able to talk about a topic that really interests me and share it with the school was a really good moment.”
Ben (D) – “Volunteering with pupils from around the world to increase education opportunities for those less fortunate.”
Impact as JCR Member
We asked the new JCR members what they wanted to achieve in their year of office. Teamwork, collaboration and representing their Houses as well as the College were popular responses.
Ginny (M) – “Being able to receive ideas and insight from people I haven’t worked with before”.
Paula (I) – “Being able to reach out to the school and initiate useful ideas that they want to see made. Especially with Mr Quartermain, being able to find a new footing for Bradfield under a new Head will be very exciting!”
Jess (M) – “To follow on from the previous JCR and continue to help improve the school and also to give back to the school considering how much it has done for me!”
Anna (J) – “Being able to work with everyone as a team and have an opportunity to action lots of ideas”.
George (G) – “Being able to inspire students to leave their own legacy, therefore leaving my own.”
Freddy (H) – “Helping people through their journey at Bradfield”
Harrison (C) – “I am excited to bring forward new ideas and help make Sixth Form life better within the College.”
Lottie (K) – “I look forward to making an impact and positive changes within the school. I look forward to working with the new Head to show him what Bradfield is about and I couldn’t be more honoured to be chosen for this role.”
Tom (H) – “Working to help make the college a better place, working to bring new initiatives and opportunities to students, listening to the pupil voice and acting on it.”
Daisy (I) – “I am most looking forward to supporting people in House and trying to make Bradfield an even better place than it already is”.
Ziad (E) – “I’m looking forward to not only being a leader and role model but also turning student voices into action. Whether that’s making sports more encouraging or including younger students in everyday life, I’m excited to have a meaningful, long-lasting impact.”
We can’t wait to see what impact our new JCR will have and sharing their updates and successes here on our website as well as across our social media.
You can also follow the JCR team on Instagram here.
