KEY STAGE 5 OVERVIEW

The school day runs over 6 periods

08:30 - 09:00 - Arrive / Tutor time on Thursday
09:00 - 10:00 - P1
10:00 - 11:00 - P2
11:00 - 11:20 - Break
11:20 - 12:20 - P3
12:20 - 13:20 - P4
13:20 - 14:00 - Lunch
14:00 - 15:00 - P5
15:00 - 16:00 - P6

If a student is not required to be in Sixth Form for a lesson or any other arranged meeting or activity, they may sign themselves out in the Sixth Form reception by the office. Students must attend all of their timetabled sessions, these contribute towards the expected 95% attendance. 

• Students are given designated ‘study’ periods on their timetables. Departments may ask them to work in school on specific tasks, otherwise they may go home to study if they wish. However, students who miss work deadlines or fall behind may be requested to attend extra supervised study periods until their attainment improves.

• Students are advised to do no more than 8 hours of part-time employment per week during term time. They cannot start a shift during the school day as they may be needed for special study lessons and visits including Period 6. 

• The ideal study pattern would be that for every taught hour in the classroom, students should be studying another hour on their own. This would help the student to achieve their best possible grade.

• There are two Pre-Public Exam sessions (mocks) in Year 12 and one in Year 13, when the students are expected to revise fully to demonstrate their understanding.

• Students will be allocated four supervised study periods per week. Attendance at these is compulsory and will count towards their 95% attendance target. 

• During Induction, every student is informed of their target grades, which are based on the typical outcome of a student with the same GCSE grades.  They may vary between subjects.  These are referred to as Minimum Expected Grades which may be raised but not lowered.

• We use these target grades to check if students are underachieving and need extra support, and to congratulate them when they do even better! Students may be asked to redo (with help) work not at their target grade, and progress towards this target is included on the Assessment Point (AP) reports.

• AP reports are sent home with the students every half term which will inform suitable and timely intervention. All students have a tutorial session every week with their personal tutor where they will discuss academic and pastoral issues. 

• Careers guidance is included as part of the citizenship programme and tailored for Level 3 students’ requirements.

• Year 12 students will participate in work experience for one week in June following their AS-level exams. Mrs Hoekstra will be organising this programme. She is based in the Sixth Form and is always happy to talk about pathways after Sixth Form.

• The university admissions procedure begins in June of Year 12. The students go on a Taster Day to a University and over 10 hours of citizenship time is given to help them to apply for university. Parents can contact Mr Probert if they have any queries or concerns.

• We also have a lot of information about apprenticeships and are happy to discuss whether it would be another option for students after their A-Levels.

•  Claire Thomas, our independent careers advisor, is on-site in the Sixth Form every Wednesday and can offer help and advice on what to do when the students have finished their A-Levels

• Activities run for students around careers include:
  - Guest speakers
  - Visits to Universities
  - Visits to careers fairs
  - Talks around specific career areas - army, engineering, NHS etc
  - Apprenticeship information sessions
  - Interview skills day