Studying at Cowes Sixth Form

Your study programme will comprise of subject lessons, meetings with your ​Progress & Support Tutor, independent study periods, E1M and Charter/enrichment.

There will be times throughout the year when all sixth form students will be required to dress in formal attire such as suits and business wear. These include Remembrance Day, Speech, Mock Trial, Open Days, Prize Giving and interview days. Ensure you have access to appropriate formal wear for these occasions.

It is the right of senior members of staff at the academy to determine whether a particular item of dress or hair style/colour is appropriate for the sixth form or not. Students who turn up to the academy inappropriately dressed will be asked to go home and change.

Year 12 ​study programme

For most students, the study programme will comprise of:

• Three Advanced level courses (or four for some)*A

• The Extended Project Qualification

• Enrichment courses from the Extended Curriculum plus additional citizenship activities and other extension opportunities

• Tutorial mentoring programme

• Up to four Charter periods

• E1M (personal development)

* The opportunity to consider four Advanced level subjects will be offered to students achieving a high admission score.

Student Testimonials:

“Sixth Form has been a whirlwind of events but it’s never boring. The people you meet and the friends you make really make it worthwhile. It can be a lot of hard work but it’s doable and there’s a lot of support available to help you through the way as well.” –

“Cowes Enterprise College has fully supported me throughout the entirety of my sixth form journey. I have been offered a variety of opportunities which assisted in my applying to university. Such opportunities include, the Mock Trial, Model UN and the Sixth Form Blog. On top of this, I believe that any concerns I have had have been taken fully into consideration and resolved as a result. I believe that it is this communication and respect between both staff and students at Cowes Enterprise College which makes it a successful and friendly working environment.” –

“The one word that comes to mind when someone asks me how to describe sixth form is independence. This comes with its responsibilities obviously, but in essence it means you are now a young adult, and you are treated as such. At Cowes, you feel this in every way from deciding when you should be doing work to a new kind of relationship with your teachers. Independence also stems from the power of choosing the next leg of your journey. Whether its university, an apprenticeship, the forces or employment, every part of sixth form can now be tailored to your interests and your direction. This doesn’t mean you are alone-far from it. The support staff here are incredible. But what it does mean is that they are here to help you to get where you want to be. You are stepping into the driving seat of your education and these two years will be a blast.” –

Mock trial

“Participating in the Mock Trial two years running greatly developed my confidence, taught me about the legal system, and created some great memories for myself. The whole experience was fun, from the preparation of the case, watching professionals act it out, to participating in the competition (as a court clerk the first year and a barrister the second). The competition itself was great fun, also it allowed me to develop my public speaking skills.”

“Whether you are interested in law, politics or just self-development this competition caters for all. On one side it’s a serious chance to test yourself with a detailed case, face to face with other schools. On the other it’s fun, a laugh and extremely informative. As someone interested in a future career in politics, I can’t recommend this highly enough and it is equally useful for any applications to University. The confidence and awareness, in my view, of the precariousness of our judicial system that you will gain from it are second to none. It’s a real hands on experience. Also, we need a strong team to continue our domination of the top positions!”

Model UN

"Model UN was an event in which students acted as delegates for given countries on numerous UN councils. The role of the delegate was to research the countries position on a given matter, for example LGBTQ+ rights, Nuclear disarmament, etc. write up position papers and resolutions, and then sit on the council, with delegates from other schools, to discuss the prepared resolutions and make amendments till a full resolution was passed. This was a fun event which allowed students to take on research of issues that they may have already been interested in or may have never thought of before. It was an educational experience but also a very fun day to be a part of."

Masterchef

"Masterchef was a fun afterschool competition which challenged us over a couple of months to prepare a meal for less than £1, create canape’s, bake cakes, and much more. This allowed us as students to develop some basic cooking skills in preparation for university."

Debate club

“In the debate club we spent time discussing topics which both interested and challenged us. It allowed us to develop our research and communication skills which has prepared us for future education as well as gaining general life skills. On top of this, running and participating in debate club was fun, a not so serious way for us to have a break from the classroom whilst still discussing important educational topics.”

Topics of Discussion:

Abortion, death penalty, euthanasia, barbie dolls, and much more

Yoga

“Setting up yoga for my tutor group once a week was a great way to relieve stress throughout 6^th form. It allowed everyone to get involved and have a laugh in the mornings no matter what ability. None of us were professionals but it was still a good way to start the week. This also fed into spending time in our tutor group exploring different methods of meditation to help everyone find a technique which worked for them to relieve stress.”

EPQ

“The EPQ was a great chance to research a topic which interested me whilst also gaining a qualification from it. This was something which I would not have carried out if not for the EPQ as doing it as a project forces you to make time to research. I chose to study the correlation between childhood trauma and serial killing, a topic which linked into the subjects I want to study at university; therefore, it gave me something to talk about in my personal statement. It has also taught me valuable skills of time management, planning, research, referencing, etc. all of which will be needed in further education. It was also a useful project to undergo as it has lowered the offers I received from universities, making it more achievable to get into a top tier university.”