In sixth year pupils are expected to study at five subjects though pupils may choose to fill one of the five blocks by following the link ‘S6 Opportunities Programme’.
Pupils with a heavy work load (three Science Advanced Higher courses) may also have a free block for personal study time but this is to be agreed by their Pupil Support teacher.
In S6 pupils will be offered some Personal and Social Education time throughout the year. This will include assemblies and time to meet with PSE teachers. Pupils can arrange to see their Pupil Support Teacher for individual advice or support at any time. Careers interviews will be available mainly on request. Opportunities for practice interviews will be available. S6 pupils will be allocated to college/apprenticeship/employment/UCAS classes to assist their application where appropriate.
Entry to S5 and S6 is not completely automatic and pupils will be asked to abide by our Senior School Code of Conduct, agreement with this code will be assumed for all pupils continuing with their school education in S5 or S6 so we would appreciate it if parents/carers and pupils can discuss this and what it means for each individual.
ADVANCED HIGHERS
These courses are for pupils aiming for advanced courses at universities or colleges and provide experience of independent study similar to the initial stages of University or College degree courses. In most subjects the preferred entry level is a Grade B or better at Higher for entry to the Advanced Higher course.
All Advanced Higher courses offered by the school or Highland Virtual Academy comprise the following:
● a small core of teaching periods
● additional structured private study
Caution
For some university courses Advanced Higher are required and extremely beneficial however they do require high levels of self discipline. Current information can be found at http://www.ucas.com/
It is very important to check the current UCAS Course Tariff information. Once you have embarked on an Advanced Higher course UCAS will ignore the mark gained at Higher level and only count Tariff points gained at Advanced Higher. A student may have passed a course at Higher level with a band A – 80 UCAS tariff points then complete an Advanced Higher gaining a band C – 90 UCAS tariff points. The student therefore only raised their UCAS tariff by 10 points.
Many people are under the misapprehension that both scores are combined giving 170 points, but this is not the case. In some cases it might be more beneficial to take an additional subject at Higher level.
YASS Courses
The Open University offer some degree level modules for school pupils in S6 . These modules require a lot of self motivation and good working practices. If you think this is a possible option for you please discuss it with your guidance teacher before selecting it as an option. The courses on offer are usually publicised closer to the closing date of our final choice forms. Last year's brochure can be found here YASS Student Guide and course list – 2022/23 (open.ac.uk)