Preparing your child for school or college be it primary, senior school or college, is vital to ensure they are happy and comfortable.

The transition from one educational environment to another can cause a lot of worry, but if you're organised and plan in advance, you can make it an easier, stress-free process.

Sidcot School

At Sidcot, the GCSE programme delivered by experienced subject specialists provides students with an excellent foundation that leads into either A Levels or the International Baccalaureate Diploma in the sixth form.

This year, 87 per cent of their students gained 5 or more A*-C grades (compared to the national average of 69.7 per cent) and over a third of the grades awarded were at A* and A.

Students can then choose between the A Level and the IB programme where they can achieve exceptional results.

The combined average UCAS score for A Level and IB is the equivalent to A*AA and Sidcot's top score in the summer of 2011 was 44 IB points which is the UCAS equivalent of six A*.

Sidcot's track record of exceptional success in maths and the sciences (biology, chemistry and physics) was once again upheld with 57 per cent gaining A* or A in mathematics and 56 per cent gained A* or A in sciences at GCSE.

Sidcot is also strong in many other areas with creative subjects being enormously important in the school which is clearly demonstrated in our new £3.5 million creative arts centre where our young people can really express their creative talents.

Head of Sixth Form, Simon Allen, said: "Yes, our students get outstanding exam results but it's not just their grades that make Sidcot students attractive to universities and employers.

"It is the values we teach them as individuals and the personal skills they acquire from the vast range of extracurricular activities we can offer them, whether it is the hugely popular Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme or the extensive range of sporting, arts or equestrian pursuits."

If you would like to attend or wish to visit, please contact Valerie Kennedy 01934 845212 or admissions@sidcot.org.uk.

St Brendan's

Universities and employers around the country say that St Brendan's Sixth Form College students stand out from the crowd, not only because of their qualifications but also because of their skills, experience, hobbies and volunteering, gained outside and inside the classroom.

For instance, students, Adam and Brett Williams, have just completed a trek in Nepal climbing over 4,000m to deliver school books, uniforms and playground equipment to a primary school.

Golf enthusiast Will Mullins is combining his AS business studies and BTEC Sport at St Brendan's with an England Future Regional Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) and hopes to be playing golf in the Ryder Cup in the not too distant future.

St Brendan's Drama and Art students have been chosen to take part in the National Theatre's Connections project, working on a newly commissioned play with directors from the Old Vic and the National Theatre.

Students gain skills, understanding, and preparation for the future, as well as a lot of fun, from helping others.

This autumn, students at St Brendan's have raised over £2,000 for charities including breast cancer research, prostate cancer research, Children in Need, and World Aids Day, through events they have organised themselves.

In the run up to Christmas, presents were bought for children, and contributions made to hampers for families coping with difficult circumstances.

At the annual "Tea and Tinsel" party more than one hundred and thirty senior citizens were entertained by a mix of students from across the college. St Brendan's is very proud of the opportunities it offers students who often contact the college later to tell them that the experiences they had at college were amazing and how much they now appreciate them.

Keep up to date with news which is published via the college website www.stbrn.ac.uk or on Facebook where you can also sign up for a digital newsletter.

Apply now for a place for September 2012 or visit the college on the next Open Evening, on February 9, from 6pm to 9pm.

King's School, Bruton

King's Bruton headed into the New Year in buoyant mood after a year of excellent academic and sporting results.

With the school close to capacity – there are 340 pupils on the school roll, the highest since 2004 – the headmaster, Ian Wilmshurst, announced that Wellesley House (a girls' boarding and day house) and Lyon House (a boys' boarding and day house) will both be fully refurbished for the start of 2012-13 academic year.

There will be a further major announcement of development plans at both King's and Hazlegrove in the New Year.

The Christmas term ended on a high note with Ben Dudley, King's new hockey coach, helping produce the school's best ever girls' hockey season. The 1st XI, the under 15A XI and the under 14A XI only lost three matches between them, while an under 16 indoor team were county champions and reached the regional semi-final.

Other highlights of the term were the Wellesley House play, Into the Woods, a mix of classic fairy tales and knockabout humour, and a stylish performance of 'black comedy' put on by members of the Lower Sixth.

This term, the Friends of King's will be hosting a Burns Night and ceilidh on January 28, a clay pigeon shoot and a repeat of the successful inaugural Fete Champetre which will be held on June 16.

King's will also be hosting the Joint Bruton Schools' Concert on February 9, in the Memorial Hall.