At a crucial time of change in your life our aim is to offer all students the care and guidance needed to develop into confident, happy and successful young adults.
What we offer
Sixth Form is entirely different from being in Year 11. There are lots of challenges and opportunities, many exciting and some demanding. The refreshing change from KS4, enables us to treat you as young adults, whilst still providing supportive guidance. Alongside the Director and Deputy Directors of Sixth Form is a specialist team of form tutors. The tutor is a key person in your Sixth Form life giving information, advice and guidance on most matters. They will also communicate with your parents, keeping them informed and up to date. Progress is monitored and rigorously reviewed. Where intervention is needed, strategies are agreed with both students and parents to make sure no one is left behind. Our student support unit, Wellbeing Lead and careers advisor are also available for further support and guidance.
You will take part in specialist careers and future planning lessons so that you are better able to plan the next steps in your life, be that going to university, progressing to a degree apprenticeship or work. We offer specialist advice and guidance for students who wish to progress to competitive courses such as those at Oxford and Cambridge universities or medicine. We invite a wide range of outside speakers to talk to students on topics such as wellbeing and mental health, writing a UCAS personal statement and student finance.
To compliment your academic studies, you will also be encouraged to join in our enrichment activities and gain recognised qualifications such as the EPQ or the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Alongside this you are encouraged to gain skills needed for work-related learning, e.g. holding down a part-time job; personal development e.g. passing your driving test; and community service e.g. doing the weekly shop for someone or taking part in activities organised within school such as mentoring Year 8 pupils, buddying Year 7 pupils. These are just some of the activities that our students have included in their enrichment matrix.
All students in Year 12 take part in a week of work experience in July. Each placement is relevant to individual students’ future plans and is aimed at developing their interests and work based skills.
Students are encouraged to have a voice through Student Executive Council, Sixth Form Student Committee and Student Voice meetings. The Sixth Form Student Committee also raises many thousands of pounds for charities with a rag week and lots of social events.
Partnership
We think that Sixth Form is a partnership between the students, their parents and the school. We will always keep parents involved and informed. The new academic year starts with a welcome letter to parents and an invite to an introductory welcome evening. Parents can see where their child will be spending their time and find out more about the year ahead.
Predicted grades are regularly shared with students during our review weeks. These are times when every student has a 1:1 conversation with each of their subject teachers to discuss progress and steps that can be taken to improve. Parents are informed of the outcome of these meetings.
We have one Year 12 and one Year 13 formal parents’ evening to discuss student progress.
In the summer term of Year 12 we hold a post-18 progression event for parents to attend so that they know the full range of options available.
Contact details of the Sixth Form team are shared with parents and we encourage you to contact us if you have any concerns.