Monday 7th – Friday 18th June

Summer for the Class of 2021 will look different to the way it might otherwise have done in the light of another academic year influenced by Covid. At the GDST, we reframe, adapt and embrace change: in the absence of an A-level exam period, we are proud to present our Year 13 Limitless Learning Programme 2021, which seeks to make the most of a different end to their time at school.

Through virtual talks, seminars and lectures, we are using this time to encourage our girls to learn, enjoy, develop, broaden horizons and anticipate the excitement that the next step has in store, be it starting university, embarking on a degree apprenticeship, or taking on a Gap Year.

Four overarching topics will be covered

Positivity and wellbeing

After an unpredictable and challenging year, it’s important to stop and check in with both our physical and our mental health; with this in mind, we have partnered with the Positive Project to provide wellbeing support and activities for our students. We will be holding two online sessions entitled Enjoy the Journey: Managing your mind in times of transition on self-care and wellbeing with the focus on helping Year 13s to develop and deploy practical strategies to overcome the natural nerves and anxiety that might come with this next phase of change. We also welcome back nutritional therapist Marissa Carrarini who will be speaking about Healthy Eating for Positive Mood. For those who like to lose themselves in a book, we present Book Club Live, an online book club where students can escape the outside world by discussing good reads. June’s book, Sally Rooney’s Normal People allows for some reflection and discussion of rites of passage: leaving home, beginning university, forging new friendships. We look forward to hearing GDST Year 13s’ perspectives.

Real World Ready 

Our Year 13 Limitless Learning Programme also aims to futureproof students and prepare them for the challenges and rewards that lie ahead of them as they leave us to begin their next chapter.

Students will have access to online university-style academic seminars and ‘real world ready’ modules which take in a range of topics from cooking, finance and leadership, that will make a real difference to life after school for our Year 13s. These sessions are facilitated and led by high-calibre teaching staff and experts from across our family of schools.

Leading the way with GDST Career Start

Our Year 13s will have access to a wealth of new resources to help and encourage them to consider their future careers aspirations. We are proud to be partnering with some truly prestigious institutions. Senior female executives from Barclays will be delivering Virtual Insight Events to share experience, expertise and advice. LSE Summer School will give Year 13 students access to world class university resources, a highly international community, professional skills workshops and a dynamic social programme too: and they are offering a full Summer School bursary to one lucky GDST student. LSE will also be offering presentations on suggested summer activities to prepare for university.  The Bright Network is offering live virtual work experience opportunities to GDST students, too: after a year in which Covid prevented internships from happening, we are delighted that our students will once again be able to make the most of meaningful opportunities to work with a range of high profile organisations including British Airways and Blackstone.

Moving on: GDST for Life

As our Year 13s anticipate leaving school and embarking on the next chapter, we remind them that once a GDST girl, always a GDST girl. As part of the Limitless Learning Programme, our students will progress from Sixth Form members of the GDST Life platform, to Alumnae. Our alumnae network is one of the largest of its kind anywhere in the world – a community of women from all walks of life and around the globe, who are there to support and inspire each other. And we are delighted to be welcoming the Class of 2021 to join them.

“Thank you for the new learning opportunities which have been organised for Year 13…. the classes seem to be giving [my daughter] a real taste of what university seminars will be like… she is really making the most of them which is fantastic after the disappointment of the A levels not taking place.” – GDST parent