Sixth­form FAQs

What are the advant­ages of a small Sixth Form?
With around 50 students in the Sixth Form it is easy to get to know both fellow students and teach­ers. Friend­ships are good and teach­ers know their students well.

What subjects will I be able to study?
We offer a wide range of up to 25 courses at A level. Some build on GCSE courses, while others such as busi­ness stud­ies allow students to enjoy fresh challenges.

How has the A level changed?
As remains true since 2001, An A level comprises an AS level and an A2 level. The AS is taken first, the A2 second. You must pass the AS to proceed to the A2. The AS is easier than the A2, which is why some say that these A levels are easier than the old ones.

In Septem­ber 2008 a new struc­ture was intro­duced which was a further modi­fic­a­tion. Each of your AS subjects now comprises two modules, together adding up to 300 marks. Math­em­at­ics and Further Math­em­at­ics are differ­ent in retain­ing the three-module format.

Nearly all of these modules will be taken in May and June, during the two weeks either side of the summer half term. Maths students usually take their first module in early Janu­ary. Those taking Art and/or Photo­graphy will exper­i­ence a partic­u­larly heavy prac­tical commit­ment during early May.

Read more

How well do pupils do academ­ic­ally?
A level students achieve well through excel­lent teach­ing and relat­ively small classes. Our academic results are demon­strated to be excel­lent across all depart­ments, which have performed consist­ently at or above the norm achieved by national sixth forms as eval­u­ated annu­ally by the Univer­sity of Durham.

How long is the school day?
Sixth Formers are expec­ted to be in school from 8.30am to 4.00pm. During study peri­ods the lower Sixth make use of the facil­it­ies in the Library while upper Sixth are based in the Sixth Form Centre.

What activ­it­ies can I get involved in?
Sixth Formers are fully involved in a range of activ­it­ies includ­ing choir, concert band, school sports teams, drama produc­tions and the Duke of Edin­burgh Award Scheme.

They also have many other oppor­tun­it­ies to develop lead­er­ship qual­it­ies such as lead­er­ship week­ends, Quaker Sixth Form meet­ings and the chance to run clubs for Junior School pupils.

What do Sixth Formers do after complet­ing their A level course?
All of our students go on to a range of good Brit­ish univer­sit­ies with some choos­ing to take a gap year before begin­ning their degree course.

What happens in Septem­ber?
When you register indi­vidu­ally with the Head of Sixth, you will be asked for your four choices of AS subject, in order of import­ance to you. In some cases, it will be appro­pri­ate for only three choices to be made. Every­one who has passed English will also be taking General Studies.

During the first three weeks of term you may, if the Options Blocks permit, try out other subjects for which you are qual­i­fied. We think it import­ant that you have chosen your options care­fully so that you are know­ingly start­ing a suit­able course for this year. After these three weeks, you can only start a course with the consent of the Head of Depart­ment concerned.

What is the Three Week Review?
A week or so later, there occurs the Three Week Review, where all your teach­ers complete a simple ques­tion­naire on how well you are coping with your courses. The results of this are shared with your personal tutors and, through them, with you.

It may be sens­ible or unavoid­able that some students give up their fourth subject as the year progresses. This occurs with my permis­sion, after consulta­tion with your teach­ers and with the know­ledge of your parents or guardians.

Close