Gildredge House Sixth Form

The transition programme we have put together aims to prepare you for your time with us, working alongside the Sixth Form staff to provide you with a full insight into life in the Sixth Form at Gildredge House. It is vital that you choose courses that interest you; courses that enable you to progress onto your chosen Post-18 pathway, and courses where you will want to work independently and challenge yourself to improve your own understanding.

I know this is not the end of Year 11 that you had envisaged, you may not be able to sit your GCSEs this summer, but you will still be sitting your BTEC and A Level exams in the summer of 2023. With this in mind, there is no time like the present to start preparing for these. Sixth Form is the gateway to life beyond school, and the choices you make are some of the most important you will face. You have made an important decision to study at Gildredge House Sixth Form. You will find aspects of both teaching and learning in the Sixth Form to be different from the way your learning was organised throughout Key Stage 4.

The jump from Year 11 to Year 12 is a big one. Whilst September may seem a long way off, it is important that you are fully prepared for your A Level/BTEC studies in order that you can start as you mean to go on.

It is imperative that students arrive in September with a positive mind-set and all transition tasks and activities are completed to a high standard. Regardless of examination results, these tasks provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your suitability for your chosen courses. Sixth Form staff will have high expectations of students and the jump from GCSE courses to A levels is significant. The Sixth Form staff will be there to support students fully with this transition. This transition period will inform staff of your ability to cope with the demands of the subjects you have chosen.

Your time in the Sixth Form will go by very quickly, look how the last five years have flown, so you need to hit the ground running! We aim to do all that we can to support you with making outstanding progress during your Post-16 studies. In your two years with us, we hope that you develop the confidence and skills to flourish at University and in the workplace. We are here to support, guide and elevate you to fulfil your ambitions and achieve your potential.

Summer Transition Tasks

Our Sixth Form staff have designed tasks and activities to provide you with an insight into life in the Sixth Form. Courses at A Level and BTEC are significantly different to GCSE and provide exciting opportunities for independent learning. To support our application process, we have put together a Transition Programme which aims to prepare you for your time with us. For each subject that you intend to study, we ask you to complete the tasks set and bring them with you to your first lesson of each subject in September. Each task asks you to research or explore something, and to complete some work which will challenge your existing skills. You may find these activities difficult, but please give them your best attempt. This transition work will help you make a flying start to Sixth Form, as well as provide teachers with information to help understand your level of knowledge, skill, and ability.

These tasks are important because they:

• provide an introduction to key ideas within the course.

• help to bridge the gap between GSCE and A Level/BTEC.

• encourage students to think like an A-level/BTEC student; and

• demonstrate a commitment to study - Subject Teachers will expect tasks to be completed to a high standard.

Links to subject tasks can be found on our website from Monday 7^th June.

Transition Day

If the roadmap out of lockdown continues as planned, we will be holding an onsite Transition Day on Tuesday 6^th July. The purpose of the day is to meet other students who will be joining Gildredge House Sixth Form in September 2021, meet subject staff and have a chance to ask questions about the course. We hope that it will be a chance to clear up any worries you may have about the subjects, familiarise yourself with the Sixth Form building and to get to know the rest of the student body. We look forward to meeting you then.

We are continuing to accept late applications and offer interviews for a September 2021 start.

Whilst transition work is important, it is also essential that you ensure you rest and relax over the summer to prepare yourself for the challenges of Sixth Form - it’s not easy, but it is extremely rewarding. We hope you enjoy the summer and that you receive the excellent grades you deserve. We very much look forward to welcoming you to the Sixth Form in September.