I looked at quite a few schools (independent and state) when I was working out where to study after I finished Year 8 at Sompting Abbotts. We visited Durrington High, Steyning Grammar, Davison High, Roedean and Our Lady of Sion. 

A couple of my friends had chosen Sion for their senior school and when I went to look around it, I instantly liked it. The staff were friendly and the school felt calm and inviting and that it was a productive working environment.

For entrance acceptance, Sion requires you to take CATs (Cognitive Ability Tests). You can’t revise for them. They're more to assess your ability than your knowledge. They also determine the sets you're put in for your subjects. You have an interview, too, with the Headmaster, Mr Jeffery, who I found very easy to talk to. It wasn’t a stressful cross-examination. I felt that its purpose was more about the school learning about me and me learning about the school.

I chose to try for an Art Scholarship. It took a few months to prepare a portfolio to showcase all my different media. On the day itself, I had a freehand drawing exam and a short interview with Sion’s art teacher. She was lovely and the experience felt relaxed.

Now I’m here my day finishes at 3.40pm (rather than 4.30pm at Sompting Abbotts). But each day there's a big choice of after-school activities. 

To get to school, I use the school minibus. It picks me up at 8:05 and gets me in by 8:20. Many other children get dropped, walk or take the train into school. Registration is at 8:30 and lessons start at 9, with assemblies on Mondays and Fridays. 

Sion's bigger than Sompting Abbotts. So there's more bustle in the corridors when you’re moving between lessons. There are three forms (Delta, Gamma and Sigma) per year group. Each has around 15 pupils.

Settling in here has been easy. I got to know new people fast. Having the three separate form rooms made it less intimidating. There were smaller amounts of people to initially face!

One difference academically is the way in which Science is taught. Lessons are in Biology, Chemistry and Physics, rather than as a combined subject, with subject-specific teachers. 

Also, all sport lessons here are co-ed. So you'll be with boys and girls for football, netball, squash, badminton etc. I’ve joined the Netball Club on a Friday afternoon, too. 

Sion consists of two blocks, A-Block and C-Block (Chapel Block). Chapel Block is the old school building that was used when Sion was an all-girls' Catholic school. It has been refurbished and had more classrooms built. It’s also where Vision (Sion's Sixth Form) is. 

A-Block is Sion’s three-storey newer block, where most of the classrooms now are. The outside is not the prettiest. But the inside is a really warm and bright environment. It showcases student artwork and school trip photos. There's a courtyard between the two blocks and this serves as a social space during breaks. At the front of the school is astroturf and netball courts. There's also a larger courtyard with tables and benches to sit and have lunch. The courtyards are lively sociable places, especially in the warmer months.

I feel like Sompting Abbotts' curriculum gave me a great grounding for starting here. I think the academic rigour (and pressure!) of the Common Entrance exams I did at Sompting Abbotts has helped give me a head start with my GCSEs. 

I’m hoping to achieve ten GCSEs. I'll be doing Maths, combined Science and English, which are all mandatory subjects. I've also chosen Art, Triple Science, History and French. 

I don't know exactly what career path I’ll take. Lately I’m considering a medical career, maybe dermatology. Whichever it is, I’ll be forever grateful to Sompting Abbotts and its brilliant teachers for shaping me into the person I am today and I’ll always remember my time at Sompting Abbotts as an amazing chapter in my life that will help guide me to a bright future!

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