Leeds Sixth Form College

Intellectual curiosity is a STEM7 skill that played a key role at our annual philosophy conference 🗣️

These skills are useful beyond traditional maths and science subjects, extending into the arts.

The sixth form embraced critical thinking within the arts at the conference, where students engaged in philosophical discussions with academics from the University of Oxford and University of Leeds.

Opportunities like this encourage students to think independently, ask questions, and engage with new ideas, all of which are key skills that will support them in their next steps. 👏

Our ‘Ask The Expert’ sessions hosted in the new C Block building at Park Lane campus are a great opportunity for our students to learn about the opportunities available to them and the skills employers really value. 🤝

Some recent sessions have covered a variety of topics from managing student finance with the University of Bradford to looking at how technology is transforming pharmaceutical models with Pharmacy2U.

Students have engaged with our guest speakers and gained valuable insights into a range of career paths all while learning about the importance of key STEM7 skills like collaboration, communication and flexibility.

Which STEM7 skills do you use on a daily basis? 💭

We're excited to be taking part in our first ever 'STEM7' Week from today. 🥼🔭 📚🎭

STEM stands for 'science, technology, engineering and maths' with the addition of the arts (STEAM) in recent years - and our 7 skills take learners beyond the textbook to gain key workplace behaviours in STEM and arts disciplines.

At Leeds Sixth Form College, we pride ourselves on our students' journeys to success, teaching them universally valuable skills which they can apply to any career, through embedding the STEM7 skills into our teaching and learning. These are:

✅Flexibility
✅Communication
✅Collaboration
✅Intellectual curiosity
✅Creative thinking
✅Problem solving
✅Data-driven decision making

Look out this week for inspiring student stories and top tips for kickstarting a successful career 👏

Our new building at Park Lane campus has been named Project of the Year for Education at the Modern Methods of Construction Awards. 👷‍♀️

Modular building specialists McAvoy who won the award, were praised for their “first class engagement and involvement from young people and the local community”.

The new C Block building which officially opened in September 2025 has created facilities for over 250 students including laboratories, a fitness studio and large theatre space.

Thank you to Ian Swales, Strategy Director at Pharmacy2U for delivering an “Ask the Expert” session last week to sixth form students all around how technology is transforming healthcare and pharmaceutical models.

From using AI to support clinical decisions and automated facilities using robotics to package prescriptions, students got a valuable insight into careers, skills and future pathways in the industry.

Thank you to Anna Wightman from the University of Bradford for delivering a student finance session to our learners last week. The session explored:

➡️ Financial literacy
➡️ Budgeting and planning
➡️ Critical thinking
➡️ Proactive career management

Key skills for students who are preparing for their transition to university and work post-college 👏

Thank you to the University of Bradford for hosting our Access to HE Engineering students at their Experience Day earlier this month

- Learners gained some valuable insights into university life and explored engineering facilities, including 2D/3D technologies and 3D printing.

- Students then got to develop their teamwork, creativity, listening skills, and problem-solving skills in the bridge building challenge.

Events like these mean students can get a better understanding of engineering pathways and future opportunities.

Recently, Leeds Sixth Form College hosted a philosophy conference in partnership with the The Royal Institute of Philosophy, bringing together academics, staff and alumni to explore the meaning of life through philosophy.

Guest speakers Professor Moore and Dr Webster from the University of Oxford and Professor Kirchin from the University of Leeds joined Dr Luke Fox, Mrs Louisa Fox, Mr Reece Goscinski, Dr Phil Mark and Leeds Sixth Form alumni students for an engaging panel discussion.

Here’s what our alumni said about studying A-Level Philosophy with Dr Luke Fox at Leeds Sixth Form:

💬 “I enjoyed the depth of discussion on the course, Luke would go beyond the syllabus which made it really interesting and was always very approachable.”

💬 “We got really good individual support from Luke, you could always go to him for help.”

💬 “It was a very interactive A-Level which made you want to come to sixth form.”

Events like this showcase the inspiring academic community here at Leeds Sixth Form College where students are supported and encouraged to think deeply, challenge ideas and develop their own perspectives.

Read more on our website ⬇️

https://leedssixthform.ac.uk/students-discuss-the-meaning-of-life-with-academics-in-second-philosophy-conference/