Downham Market Academy - Sixth Form Prospectus 2015-16

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Contents Welcome 06 Introduction 08 The curriculum 10 Courses and subjects 16 Broadening horizons 20 How to apply 22 Key dates 22 Behaviour and discipline 24 Equality of opportunity 26

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Welcome Thank you for taking the time to read the Downham Market Academy Sixth Form prospectus. I hope the information provided will help you to make your choice about what to do after finishing year 11.

Downham Market Academy Sixth Form enjoys a well-deserved reputation as an excellent place to pursue sixth form study. Our separate sixth form site offers great facilities in a traditional academic setting and provides a fantastic environment for students to push themselves to achieve the highest possible grades. The academy sixth form offers the advantages of moving on from high school but with the same level of pastoral and academic support.

You will find much valuable information in this prospectus and on our website. I would also encourage all prospective applicants to come and have a look around – please just contact reception and they will be delighted to show you around.

Peter Salt Vice Principal

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Introduction Downham Market Academy Sixth Form has a unique atmosphere, enhanced by its spacious buildings and range of facilities. With more than two hundred students, we can offer a wide range of AS, A-levels and vocational courses, many of which have an outstanding record of success.

In recent years, our sixth form students have consistently achieved successful results. The overall pass rate in year 13 has always been above 95% with around 37-40% of entries resulting in grades A*-B grades.

Students are particularly successful at applied subjects, where we have established a reputation as one of the leading sixth form providers of vocational courses, with over half our advanced grades being either merit or distinction.

We continue to invest heavily in facilities for students. In addition to a programme of continual IT improvement, students enjoy sole use of a cafeteria, Wi-Fi, learning resource centre, library and spacious, wellmaintained grounds. Students also benefit from access to the academy facilities at the Bexwell Road site.

As well as success in courses of study, our students contribute a great deal to the life of the community. We want our students to develop as adults, aware of the world in which they live. Our students are committed to community work in a variety of different ways. Many students join our very successful Duke of Edinburgh Award programme, with large numbers achieving the Gold Award.

We also provide opportunities for all our students to develop their personal learning and thinking skills through working with our younger students at the Bexwell road site.

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The curriculum Our aim is to produce a purposeful working atmosphere with mutually respectful relationships between students and staff, whose common purpose is the students’ success and well-being. Most of the time is spent in lessons and tutorials but there is also study time to enable students to follow their own research; students are actively encouraged to plan their own study organisation.

Subjects We offer a wide range of AS, A-level and vocational courses. You will find more details on pages 16 & 17 of this prospectus; full details are available on our website.

Personal tutors All sixth form students are assigned a personal tutor, whose role is to support you throughout your time in sixth form. They will help you settle in and adapt to the new expectations of sixth form learning. They monitor your progress and will make every effort to get to know you well and be available to help whenever needed.

Directors of sixth form The sixth form directors are there to ensure that all students receive the support they need and to maintain an efficient, orderly learning environment.

Careers advice Our careers co-ordinator ensures that a careers education and guidance programme is available to students throughout sixth form. Students can take advantage of specialist advice and attend a number of organised events which focus on employment opportunities and higher education.

Visiting speakers from outside agencies are arranged, alongside visits to universities. A number of sessions are given over to the university application process, as many students wish to take advantage of this.

Experienced staff and tutors play a key role in supporting students through the process.

Social opportunities All students are encouraged to be involved in a wide range of extracurricular activities - from Duke of Edinburgh expeditions to voluntary work around the school or in the community. You will find further details on page 20 in this prospectus.

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Commitment to your future We will all be working towards the common aim of supporting you to achieve your goals. This service is extended for many years after you have left the sixth form if you require references, careers or higher education guidance.

Facilities Our spacious sixth form facilities are continually being improved. All of our art students benefit from studying in a purpose-built block with large studios and a gallery.

All students have access to a well-stocked resource-based learning centre with modern workstations. Audio-visual facilities are available for student use and the learning centre also houses the sixth form library. This is staffed to help students in their research; it also includes facilities for private study.

All individual subjects have facilities appropriate to their needs. Most teaching occurs in seminar rooms but practical courses, including science and business studies, have their own specially-equipped learning centres.

The sixth form has generous work room facilities and an excellent allday student cafeteria. The extensively wooded grounds are extremely impressive and provide a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere, particularly when the warm weather arrives in the summer.

Expectations of the academy Attendance Joining the sixth form is voluntary but, once enrolled, full-time attendance is required to ensure successful progress.

Assignments A condition of your enrolment with us is the timely completion of work assignments.

Success All students must satisfy staff that they have a realistic prospect of success in the courses they are following. Staff will give students every assistance and challenge in overcoming work problems. We believe students should seek such advice on a frequent basis on their studies, and always ask what they need to develop for the next grade/level up.

Commitment We expect sixth form students to develop their leadership responsibilities through membership of our vertical tutor groups and numerous voluntary activities.

Standards We expect high academic and personal standards and the sixth form has a minimum standard of dress to support this.

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“A friendly atmosphere.”

Chloe, Year 12

“It’s nice to be in class with people that enjoy the same subjects as me.”

Louise, Year 12

“I like being treated as an adult.”

Josh, Year 12 12

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“I like the independence and enjoy managing my own time!”

Ellen, Year 12

“I am more focused now and enjoy studying subjects that I have chosen.”

Hannah, Year 12

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Courses and subjects Downham Market Academy Sixth Form offers the opportunity to study A-levels or vocational courses.

A-levels A-levels are one of the main routes to higher education and university, although they are also useful if you want to go straight into employment. An A-level is a level 3 qualification consisting of four modules studied over two years.

From September 2015, A-levels will be linear, with all assessment at the end of two years of study. The AS level will be retained, but has been redesigned as a high-quality standalone qualification and will not count towards the final A-level grade.

Vocational courses Vocational courses focus on a specific subject area, combining practical and academic study. They are designed to give you the knowledge and skills relevant to a variety of jobs or may offer specialist qualifications for a particular industry sector. They can also be a route to higher education.

BTEC and Cambridge Technicals Level 3 qualifications have the same academic level as A-levels and are assessed through coursework.

A BTEC Subsidiary Diploma is the equivalent of one A-level, a BTEC Diploma equates to two A-levels and a BTEC Extended Diploma is equal to three A-levels.

Entry requirements A-levels: You will need at least six GCSEs at grade C or above (including maths and English*). Three of these should be at grade B or above.

Level 3 BTEC Diplomas: You will need five GCSEs at grade C or above (including maths and English*).

In addition some subjects at A-level require a higher GCSE (e.g. to do Maths at AS requires a B in maths at GCSE) or specialist skills or knowledge to a certain level (e.g. music requires a grade 5 or better qualification in the instrument to be studied); parents/students should refer to the specific subject course descriptions on the website for details.

Level 1 & 2 courses: you will need four GCSEs at grade D or above. *GCSE grade C in maths and English is a requirement for entry to university and higher study and it important that students achieve these. In order to ensure students are able to access the widest possible range of opportunities upon leaving, applications from students without a C grade in maths and English may be considered depending on overall results. In these cases, we will substitute one subject choice at AS for GCSE English and maths to enable the student to re-take the exam and achieve the C grade.

The following table lists the choices on offer and the additional specific entry requirements for each one. Full details can be found on the individual subjects on the website.

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Entry Requirements

GCSE required in the subject

Grade required

GCSE English grade required

GCSE maths grade required

Subject Biology Yes B Chemistry Yes B English Language/Literature

Yes

C

English Literature

Yes

C

Engineering No

French/Spanish Yes A/B

German Yes A/B

Geography No

Government & Politics

No

History No C (if History taken at GCSE) C (if History not taken at GCSE) Food Technology

No

Maths AS Yes B Maths (Further) Yes A Media Studies No C Music Yes B Physics Yes B Graphic Products Yes C Psychology No B Philosophy & RE

No

Sociology No B Sport & PE

No

Textiles No

Theatre Studies

No

BTEC Fine Art

No

Health & Social Care Level 3

No

ICT Yes B C C Travel & Tourism

No

Business Studies

No

GCSE English retake

Yes

D

GCSE Maths retake

Yes

D

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“Sixth form is a friendly environment.”

Lisa, Year 13

“Reliable staff members are always willing to help.”

Josh, Year 13

“There is a great student/staff relationship at sixth form.”

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Heather, Year 13

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“Sixth form is a big step up from high school but it is enjoyable.

The academy provides an environment where you can achieve the grades deserved.�

Adam, Year 13

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Broadening horizons Although studying to achieve A-levels or vocational qualifications is important, at Downham Market Academy, we do not believe that it is the only reason for coming to sixth form and we hope that your time with us will enable you to broaden your horizons in many ways.

If you are interested in sport, then our facilities are without parallel. All students have access to the academy sports centre and there are vast playing fields on site for both informal and formal games - such as those for the “Ryston Shield”, an extremely popular five-a-side soccer competition.

Students are also given the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award at an appropriate level and every year, a large contingent of our students obtain the Gold Award.

We actively encourage participation in voluntary projects at the academy, in town or in the wider community. A recent example is a group of sixth formers working with Age Concern to set up a befrienders group in order to visit older residents in the area, an experience they found immensely rewarding.

We also hope that all sixth form students will be prepared to undertake some community or charity work. Funds are raised for such organisations as the NSPCC, Comic Relief, Children in Need, Macmillan Nurses, Cancer Research and the MS Society in a variety of ways - including parachute jumps and twenty-four hour pool marathons. Additionally, we offer he National Citizen Service programme at the academy. The large number of students who have successfully completed this programme means we have earned ‘Champion’ status and allows us to offer more free places to our students.

Community work includes going into the feeder primary schools to help, working with the disabled, and helping in the preparation of Talking Newspapers for the Blind. Our year 12 and 13 students also support the younger students twice a week at the main academy site.

The academy puts on major drama productions several times a year, with sixth form students playing major roles, both onstage and behind the scenes. There are also opportunities for musicians to develop their skills and perform in public.

There are plenty of opportunities for sixth form students to travel further afield. Regular trips are made to theatres all over the country, the theatre studies department regularly goes on tour to places like Scotland or the Channel Islands (and even to Australia!) and there are a range of opportunities for all sixth form students to travel within Britain and across Europe.

Many students take part in enterprise projects such as the Engineering Education Scheme with British Sugar and a high number are also involved with work experience.

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How to apply Please apply via our web site, alternatively you can receive a hard copy application form by phone or email request to the academy sixth form. The application form shows how the subjects are arranged and also provides guidance on how to make your subject selection.

Key dates Monday 6th October 2014 Sixth Form Open Evening This is a chance to find out more about the individual subjects and courses on offer, speak to Sixth Form staff, have a look around and ask any questions you may have.

Wednesday 17th December 2014 Sixth Form Application Deadline All applications should be with us by this date. All applicants will then be invited to interview before Easter 2015.

Monday 13th July 2015 Year 12 courses commence 22

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Downham Market Academy Sixth Form Ryston End, Downham Market, Norfolk PE38 9AY Telephone: 01366 389000 Fax number: 01366 389007 Email: sixthform@downhammarketacademy.co.uk downhammarketacademy.co.uk

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