Life in the Sixth Form

We are confident that you will find our Sixth Form rewarding, enjoyable and challenging. If you are joining our Sixth Form from another school you will find that you are welcomed and that you soon feel a sense of belonging. We believe that we can provide you with a supportive and caring environment in which you can fulfil your potential and achieve your ambitions.

Pastoral Support

One means of achieving this is through tutorial support. In the Sixth Form you will be a member of a tutor group of approximately twenty students and you will spend some time with your tutor each day. Your teaching groups will also be small, varying in size from about eight to twenty. These smaller class sizes make it possible for teacher and student to establish a closer working relationship and for you to receive greater individual attention.

Facilities

You will have access to the Sixth Form Study Centre and its amenities. There are computers available and a kitchen where you can prepare lunch and hot drinks. We also offer a Bring Your Own Device system at AHS and wifi is available in all areas. A small contribution is requested on entry to the Sixth Form which is put towards the provision and maintenance of the Study Area, as well as trips and visits that you will participate in. Each tutor group is responsible on a weekly basis for ensuring the area is tidied. You will also be able to rent a locker.

Study Habits

It will be important for you to adopt the right study habits quickly and you will need to ensure that you are using time sensibly and purposefully in order to keep up with the work. Year 12 students are required to stay in school for all private study periods during the first term. After this time, students may be granted the privilege of home study in the afternoons when they do not have timetabled lessons. Any student who is not working to the best of her ability may have this privilege removed. Each A Level subject requires on average six hours per week of study outside lessons. To be able to manage these demands, you will need to be organised and efficient with your homework and to avoid part-time jobs which conflict with the time required for your academic work and for living a healthy and balanced life. For this reason we recommend a maximum of eight hours a week for part-time employment.

Expectations

We also expect full attendance. A holiday taken during term-time is likely to cause you real difficulty; the pace and demands of A Level work mean that progress is very quickly affected by absence. You are required to provide a note explaining any absences; this must be written by a parent.

Being a Sixth Form student at Aylesbury High School carries certain responsibilities. You will be regarded as a young adult, a senior student of the school, and we shall look to you to demonstrate maturity, responsibility and leadership. Although you will not wear school uniform, you will be expected to dress appropriately. We also expect you to set standards of courtesy and behaviour which younger members of the school can follow and which will earn you respect. In addition to complying with the same behaviour requirements which apply to all students, you will be asked to sign a Sixth Form Agreement, indicating that you accept our standards and what we expect of you. In this way you will help to ensure a harmonious atmosphere within the Sixth Form and throughout the school community.

The Sixth Form is likely to be a very demanding phase of your education. The two years you spend with us on your A Level work will provide the stepping-stones to your future. Throughout this time you will receive advice and support from your tutor who will be working as part of a team led by the Head of Sixth Form. As you progress through the Sixth Form and prepare yourself for entry into Higher Education or employment we can guarantee you our time, support and encouragement.

Leadership

Although we regard all of our Sixth Form students as leaders within this community, there are also elected posts of responsibility. The Cabinet, consisting of a Head Girl and four Deputy Head Girls, is elected by students and staff. Each of the six Houses in the school elects a Captain and two Deputies, along with Captains for Art, Dance, Drama, Music and Languages. Additionally, many of our Sixth Form students act as Subject or Student Ambassadors. Subject Ambassadors work with staff to promote their subject in school. Student Ambassadors act as peer mentors and work with students on pastoral issues, having received appropriate training.

Transition

Our Transition Programme aims to help prepare our Sixth Form students for the world beyond Aylesbury High School. In addition to work shadowing, university visits and careers talks, there is an extensive programme of support to prepare them for their future pathways, including the university application process through UCAS. At the end of Year 12 all of our students are registered with Unifrog which is a platform that allows them to explore how their interests lead to different education and training pathways and see what steps need to be ticked off to stand the best chance of application success. They can use this to compare every university course in the UK, as well as every US university and every undergraduate programme taught in English in Europe. Additionally, they can compare every UK degree apprenticeship and School Leaver Programme and every Oxbridge college and FE college course.

A typical week

We split our timetable into 50 one hour lessons per fortnight. In each two-week period, you should expect eight hours of teaching for each subject you take and between two and eight hours for your Extension option. You will also have an hour in your timetable for Learning for Life where we cover topics such as study skills, well-being, Safe Drive Stay Alive and hear from a range of external speakers.

Study Periods

You will have study periods built into your timetable. During these periods, you can work in the Sixth Form Study Centre, the library and free classrooms. You can also work in the Dining Room where a coffee shop serves Sixth Form students throughout the morning until lunch.

Finances

There are some costs associated with being in the Sixth Form that you should be aware of.

You will need to consider transport to and from school. Costs might be higher than in Year 11. Some subjects will ask you to buy books (so that you can annotate them) and there might be trips associated with some subjects (eg theatre/museum visits, field trips, exchanges, talks and lectures, etc). Costs for individual courses are mentioned in the Subject Booklet. There is also a Sixth Form subscription which covers the trips and activities which are undertaken by the whole year group (eg Safe Drive Stay Alive and an Elevate seminar), plus the tea, coffee and milk used in the Sixth Form kitchen.

There is limited government funding (normally £200 or £800 per year) to help with education-related costs if you’re aged 16 to 19 and studying at school. This is called the 16-19 Bursary Fund and is dependent on parental income. Applications need to be made by the end of September in both Years 12 and 13; forms will be available on the AHS website and in school.

Supplementary Activities

Community Involvement is highly regarded by students, employers and universities. Typically, for 10 weeks in Year 13, a student will spend one afternoon a week as a volunteer. Our students do things like work in a hospital, an old people's home, a charity shop or working with the blind, at an animal rescue centre or in a primary school. We believe that as a young adult you will welcome the opportunity to put something back into the community and, as a Sixth Form student at Aylesbury High School, you will join the long line of former students who have earned the respect, admiration and friendship of those to whom they have given support and assistance.

Also well established and appreciated by Year 13 students is our Current Issues Lecture Series. You will be able to listen to, and debate with, visiting speakers from a wide field including politicians, religious leaders, writers and hospital consultants. We recently welcomed David Stopps, promoter of the famous Friars Club in Aylesbury to speak at our school. Students find these lectures valuable preparation for university and adult life, and a stimulating complement to their A Level work.

Looking Ahead

Preparation for adulthood, for university or employment, will be an integral part of your two-year programme if you choose to join the Sixth Form at Aylesbury High School.

Advice about Careers and Higher Education is provided individually and also in carefully structured tutor group activities. There are opportunities to visit universities and every girl is encouraged to arrange up to two days of work shadowing. This might enable you to spend time observing and participating in the daily routine of a solicitor, a Member of Parliament, a bank manager or a television producer - or almost any career area which you may be considering.

As a student in our Sixth Form your future and your success will be our priority. In this Prospectus we have described what we can offer you and what we think makes our school unique. If you are left with unanswered questions, do not hesitate to get in touch.

Overview of careers at AHS for prospectus.pdf

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