Sixth Form Open Evening Presentation

WELCOME

 Studying the subjects you love

 An academic stepping stone to university and professional life

 Teaching is in small groups (typically no more than 14) and often in a different, more collegiate style to GCSE

ACADEMIC OUTCOMES IN THE SIXTH FORM

TWO WAYS TO THINK ABOUT A LEVEL OPTIONS

There are two ways of thinking about A level options…

 You have a fixed university course or professional career in mind and you work backwards from that outcome. Eg.

Medicine - Chemistry, Maths plus one other

 Simply pick the subjects you are passionate about and that you will enjoy. Almost inevitably these will be the subjects you will be most successful at will help point you in the right direction in terms of university study

SOME OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER...

 Subjects have their own specific requirements but it is recommended you start from a strong GCSE base - a grade of at least 6 or 7 is a good indicator of success at A level

 We are looking for an average grade score of 6.0 across your strongest 8 GCSE results

 In almost all cases the quality of the grade trumps the subject‘facilitating’ subjects are only facilitating if they are strong grades

 We strongly recommend that the study of single sciences is the best preparation for A level science

SOME OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER...

 A level Physics should be accompanied by A level maths

 Consider ‘groups’ or ‘pairs’ of subjects and the cross-over of skills and content - for instance, History, Politics and Literature. A levels are designed to facilitate specialization

 Consider the assessment structure of the course - is there a nonexamined assessment or is it entirely linear?

 We are trailing Environment Science and Film Studies as possible courses

 We are here to help and support!

THE QUESTION OF FOUR OR THREE…?

 Choose four initially and then move to three during the first half-term - we will help and guide you with this decision making

 This will give you a more informed understanding of the subjects, especially if they are new to you

 Unless you are applying for maybe Engineering or Natural Sciences at a handful of universities and you are studying further maths, three A levels is entirely sufficient. It is the grades that count!

WHAT ARE L3 QUALIFICATIONS?

 We have two L3 qualifications as part of our curriculum: Criminology and Food and Nutrition. They are worth the same UCAS ‘points’ as A levels

 They are different to A levels in two key ways:

- They are ‘applied’ meaning content and concepts are more applied to the professional context – practical

- They are ‘modular’ meaning they offer continuous assessment - some of which is examined

THE JOYCE GRENFELL PROGRAMME

 The university and apprenticeships market is more competitive than ever before, especially with the knock-on effect of TAGs and CAGs

 A level students need to be able to differentiate themselves from the competition. What have you done beyond A level study that will give you the skills, qualification, subject knowledge and conceptual understanding necessary to be a top undergraduate?

THE JOYCE GRENFELL PROGRAMME

 Joyce Grenfell Programme is an academic enrichment programme which is timetabled for all Year 12 students. Courses include the highly respected EPQ, CISI in Financial Services, TEFL and LAMDA and sports coaching and officiating qualifications

 Also includes a range of coordinated internal and external competitions, challenges, lectures and trips to enrich and develop academic identity and understanding

BEYOND SIXTH FORM

 A dedicated Higher Education Coordinator who offers bespoke regular, timetabled one to one sessions

 A dedicated Careers Coordinator who organised the outstanding Careers Fair but also supports applications to professional life, apprenticeships and work experience

 UCAS and Oxbridge Mentors provide bespoke guidance on assessments tests, personal statement writing and interview practice