Sherborne School Sixth Form

SIXTH FORM

INFORMATION BOOKLET

Welcome to Sherborne We are one of just a few all-boys boarding schools in the UK and

this, together with our strong partnership with Sherborne Girls,

makes Sherborne very special. Within this unique framework,

the School is an ideal location, giving the opportunity for all to

develop in a secure environment whilst encouraging each boy to

become self-reliant, confident and ready for the next stage of his

education.

We accept boys for entry into the Lower Sixth (Year 12) at the

start of A level courses with places available for both boarders

and day boys.

Sherborne offers a broad range of Scholarships and Bursaries which are available at 16+ entry.

The Admissions Office is open throughout the year and will be

pleased to help with all enquiries relating to applications,

scholarships and bursaries. Please email admissions@sherborne.org

or contact a member of the team on 01935 810403.

Vanessa Hicks Director of Admissions

SHERBORNE SCHOOL

Academic success Academically, we support all our boys in realising their full intellectual potential with an emphasis upon exceptional value-added.

We also offer an extensive co-curricular programme, balancing wide participation with elite performance, achieving national sporting success and recognition as one of the country’s top independent schools for music.

A LeveL resuLts 2020 • 24.0% A* grades • 60.3% A*and A • 86.8% A*to B

Each year approximately half of our A levels are awarded with either an A or an A* grade. In most years, around a fifth of our Upper Sixth secure straight A* and A grades. We believe that these statistics demonstrate both the ability of our boys and Sherborne’s continued academic strength. As a consequence of these results, the vast majority of boys secured places at their first choice university with destinations including Oxbridge, Durham, UCL, Bristol and Imperial.

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The Hub (Cafe)

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Estates Office

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Hughie Holmes Astro (HH)

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Careys

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Sherborne Abbey

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Sherborne International Campus

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Sherborne Girls

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Sherborne Preparatory School

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Westcott (h)

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Abbey House (b)

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Abbeylands (f)

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The Digby (m)

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Harper House (d)

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Lyon House (g)

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School House (a)

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Wallace House (e)

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The Green (c)

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Drama School

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Music School

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Dining Hall

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Sixth Form Centre

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Main Entrance

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Powell Theatre

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The Courts

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Big School Room (BSR)

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The Chapel

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The Library

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Design and Technology

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Art School and Oliver Holt Gallery

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Pilkington Laboratories

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Turing Laboratories

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The Grove

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Sports Centre

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Health Centre

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The Upper

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Upper Pavilion

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School Shop

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West Lodge

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CCF Buildings

Sixth Form Curriculum The Sixth Form programme centres around three main subject choices. Occasionally, and by individual agreement, we are able to arrange for a boy to take a fourth subject off-timetable (e.g. if a boy is fluent in a second language), or for a pupil to take fewer than three subjects, but the overall curriculum is built around three choices. In this regard, BTECs and A levels are completely interchangeable – i.e. you can take up to three of either course. Supplementing your three options, everyone also studies Wellbeing and one or more enrichment subject.

The overall structure is as follows: • 1st choice A level* • 2nd choice A level* • 3rd choice A level* • Wellbeing • Enrichment option(s) • Study Periods * one or more of these A level options may be replaced with a BTEC alternative.

Enrichment and Extended Project Qualification: In addition to Wellbeing and three main subject choices, boys must also choose from a programme of enrichment options. Enrichment options vary from year to year and usually consist of a selection of examined and non-examined courses. For example, boys in the current Lower Sixth enjoyed the opportunity to choose from a selection of GCSE subjects (e.g. Geology) as well as a range of standalone AS levels (examples include Core Maths, English Language, French, Spanish & Art). Non-examined options like how to Write Well, Maths for Physicists, Practical skills for Biologists, International Affairs and the Sherborne Sports Science Diploma have also been offered.

The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is a fantastic opportunity for boys to research something they are interested in: their EPQ can literally be about anything they like. Doing the EPQ also helps boys to develop project management, communication, and analytical and evaluative research skills that are essential for success at university and in most forms of employment.

Entry Criteria:

In order to be eligible to study in the sixth Form you need to:

• achieve an average of a grade 4, across all of your (I)GCSEs. Beyond that, no additional criteria are required to gain a place on a BTEC course.

• in order to transfer automatically to a subject at A level, you need to achieve at least a grade 7 in the supporting (I)GCSE.

SHERBORNE SCHOOL

Assessment Days

As sherborne school is selective, all boys wishing to gain entry will be required to sit our entrance assessment following registration. Boys will sit online cognitive tests and undertake an interview with a senior member of staff. We will also request a reference from the boy’s current school. All offers to boys based in the uK will be conditional and will be confirmed once we are in receipt of your son’s GCse results.

Our sixth Form assessment day will be held on thursday 26 November 2020 for those boys applying for 2021 entry. Late admissions will be considered after the assessment date has passed, subject to places still being available.

Boarding Houses

each of our eight Boarding Houses is home to around 70 boys from across all year groups. Day pupils are also allocated to a House, and have the chance to participate fully in its life. Families can, once registered, complete a House Preference Form indicating their first, second and third choice of House. this will be considered when placing boys in Houses, although no guarantee will be given that a boy will be assigned to a requested House. When allocating the Houses, the Director of Admissions, the Deputy Head (Pastoral) and the Housemasters take a number of things into account, such as interests and personalities, to make sure that the boys are placed in a House where they will feel comfortable.

Scholarships A range of awards are available to candidates entering the School at 16+ (Sixth Form).

Eligibility for all such awards is conditional upon the candidate having satisfied the School’s academic entry standards and been offered a place at the School. In addition, candidates for particular awards must satisfy any other conditions that apply to them, including success in the competitive selection processes that apply.

Boys can apply for an Academic Award, Music Award and Sports Award (Walford Award).

SHERBORNE SCHOOL

Academic Award:

Music Award:

sherborne is able to offer a number of Academic scholarships to pupils for sixth Form entry. these will be awarded to candidates showing particular academic proficiency and promise. Candidates considering entering for these scholarships should normally be predicted six or more 8 or 9 grades at GCse.

Music scholarships and exhibitions are available on entry into the sixth Form offering an exciting opportunity for boys to make a wide ranging contribution to the busy musical life of the school as well as developing their own individual musical ability.

the sixth Form Academic scholarship assessment will be held in November 2020 and will include online cognitive tests, an academic interview and two subject based interviews based on the candidates’ chosen A level subjects.

Sports Award (Walford Award):

Applicants are strongly encouraged to meet and informally play/sing to the Director of Music in advance of their scholarship audition and interview. Please contact the Admissions Department to make the necessary appointment.

A number of sports awards are available on entry into the sixth Form for boys demonstrating exceptional talent and potential in their chosen sport or sports. scholarships and other non means-tested awards normally carry a maximum of 10% remission of the day or boarding fee (as applicable), excluding extras. this applies to single award holders and to those who are offered two awards where the maximum total remission will normally be 10%. In some cases, an honorary award may be made with no financial reward attached to it. the school also offers Bursaries to sixth Form entrants which are means-tested awards and can be worth up to 100% of fees.

Co-curricular Thanks to our full-boarding environment, we are able to create regular opportunities for boys to expand their horizons, garnering experiences that complement their academic studies and set them up for life. Our extensive co-curricular programme offers an outstanding breadth and quality of activity whilst ensuring that everyone has a chance to participate, regardless of ability.

Sport

Outdoors Programme

Sport plays a major role in the daily lives of boys at Sherborne. Core options include rugby, football, cricket, hockey, tennis and athletics, although all boys have a choice which includes a host of other sports for example climbing, sailing, shooting, golf and skiing.

We offer opportunities to develop leadership and resilience including Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, Combined Cadet Force, rock climbing, mountaineering.

Music Everyone is encouraged to get involved with Sherborne Music which runs through the heart of the School. There is plenty of ring-fenced time to continue learning an instrument or to start a new one: music lessons are fixed in Study Periods, free time or as an Enrichment option, and the Music School is staffed and open for practising between 7.30am and 10.00pm without any need to book rooms in advance. All 25 music groups are recruiting new members and auditions take place in the first two weeks of Michaelmas term for the three orchestras of progressively demanding standards (all joint with Sherborne Girls), the Swing Band which is touring Barbados in summer 2020, the Choir which has up to 110 singers in it, the Choral Society, Close Harmony/Barbershop and Chamber Choir. All other groups are non-auditioning.

Drama With alumni including Jeremy Irons and Hugh Bonneville, we encourage involvement in Drama throughout the School. Boys can participate in anything from House plays to joint productions with Sherborne Girls, as well as Drama in the curriculum.

Activities and Clubs We offer boys the chance to participate in all sorts of activities, including debating, radio broadcasting, philosophical discussion, charity work and volunteering. We will endeavour to support any idea, initiative or interest shown by the boys.

Higher Education and Careers Time in Sherborne Sixth Form is time spent building the platform for future success. The Higher Education (HE) and Careers programme exists to help the boys acquire information, conduct deeper research and pursue the opportunities that represent their path to fulfilling their ambition. For some the future is wide open; for others they aspire to vocational paths that necessitate specific steps. As such, the process is carefully tailored to the needs of each boy, with close support from tutors as well as the HE and Careers department. Supported by careers questionnaires that address motivations as well as relative areas of strength, and enabled by the market-leading Unifrog platform (which parents are also invited to access with their own account), every boy will identify what they want to achieve and what HE career paths might best fulfill their own ambition.

For UK university applications, the UCAS process is well understood and pursued by most of the boys. In

the early stages research is initiated by the HE & Careers department but closely supported by tutors, who will understand the boys’ strengths, weaknesses and ambition, so are well placed to advise. Tutors also go on to write the boys’ academic reference and support them in drafting a personal statement, so progressive discussions all help tailor the process to each boy.

University may not feel like the option every boy wishes to pursue. There are many alternatives, including school-leaver jobs with vocational training, apprenticeship schemes and hybrid degreeapprenticeships, some of which are more competitive than most degrees. We are committed to tailoring the support each boy receives to his interests, strengths and ambition. The boys will receive further information, through presentations, assemblies, external speakers and specific events, throughout the year.

Specialist HE

Overseas HE

Sherborne’s Head of Specialist Higher Education oversees applications to highly competitive courses, such as Oxbridge, medical or dental school and veterinary science. Boys ambitious to pursue these options, with a suitable academic profile and a passion for their subject(s) of interest, are identified in October of the Lower Sixth, at which time a bespoke programme tailored to their individual needs is put in place. In the Lower Sixth this programme includes regular tutorials with the Head of Specialist Higher Education, assignment of a subject specialist mentor and opportunities for super-curricular subject enhancement, such as subject discussion groups, presenting at society meetings and entering academic competitions. Focus in Michaelmas term of the Upper Sixth is on finalising personal statements, enriched by the depth of extension work already completed. Applicants also complete practice admissions tests, prepare for interview and continue to have regular sessions with their subject mentors. The Head of Specialist Higher Education works closely with the Assistant Head (Sixth Form), Oxbridge subject mentors and personal tutors to ensure that every applicant to such courses is well supported in terms of academic stretch and in support of the application process.

There is a plethora of options available to our boys outside of the UK and the UCAS route. Popular destinations in the past have included the USA, Canada and the Netherlands, as well as further afield.

Sherborne will support an application to anywhere in the world and will ensure that the process goes smoothly.

The process typically begins with an expression of interest shortly before entering the Sixth Form. For certain applications, particularly those to American universities, it is key that preparation for standardised testing, such as SAT or ACT, commences towards the end of Michaelmas Term of Lower Sixth, so that a boy has plenty of time to prepare and take these tests at least once before entering Upper Sixth. Many parents enlist the help of external agencies in the process of applying abroad, especially for more specialist applications such as for sports scholarships, and we will work with the agencies seamlessly throughout the process. For every application, the details are tightened up, applications sent off and decisions received in Upper Sixth, commonly, although not necessarily, concurrently with the UCAS process.

A successful application overseas differentiates a Sherborne boy from his peers in many ways; the adaptability, interpersonal skills and initiative shown by these boys can unlock many employment opportunities in the future. Most importantly, the experience of living and studying abroad can be truly transformational in terms of a boy’s confidence and overall satisfaction from his higher educational experience.

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Old Shirburnians and support to the Sixth Form Sherborne has a vibrant alumni association, the Old Shirburnian Society (OSS) has over 4,500 active members worldwide. In a usual year the OSS organises in excess of 40 events including university visits and graduate careers events so that we get to know and help the younger leavers. The OSS also run professional dinners and lunches, year group reunions for all generations, as well as worldwide reunions for OS and parents, an annual lunch at Sherborne especially for past parents as well as business breakfasts and an annual carol service in London to which all parents are most welcome.

Sherborne Connect is our way of offering parents and alumni the chance to network and contact other members of the wider Sherborne family. There are 2,900 OS members of Sherborne Connect, of whom 82% have stated that they are willing to help the boys in some way. Sherborne Connect allows parents of Sixth Form boys to seek and contact OS for advice, or even potentially work experience placements. So far, over 250 parents have joined, and we are keen to make the most of these links for all boys while they study at the School. Various events are also marketed on this site.

OS generously support Sixth Form pupils with careers insight, information, advice and skills development. At the annual Lower Sixth Form Careers Convention, we host dozens of OS delegates from industries ranging from finance and law to journalism and a broad range of creative careers. This tailored careers support from a network that supports Sherborne boys exclusively, gives pupils opportunity to ask questions, shape their ambition and start to build an effective network, whilst developing professional skills.

We have recently introduced to Sixth Form boys the option to create limited access accounts so that they can explore the OS network themselves via Sherborne Connect. If a pupil finds a potential contact of interest for advice, based on their career, employer or university, contact can be initiated, with parental consent. This is an exciting development that gains the boys unique access to an exceptional array of professionals who are keen to support.

SHERBORNE SCHOOL

Sixth Form life in a Boarding House

Sherborne Girls Partnership

Each of our eight Boarding Houses provides a home from home, housing around 70 boys from across all year groups.

Day boys are also allocated to a House and participate fully in its community. The House team is made up of a Housemaster, Matrons and a team of Tutors who are utterly committed to the wellbeing of every boy which ensures they progress to achieve their potential. They come to know the boys extremely well and work hard to provide the best opportunities for them to thrive. Sixth Form boys will enjoy a nurturing space in which to work, socialise, reflect and relax.

We have close links with Sherborne Girls, a full-boarding girls school, located just down the road from us. We believe this makes us unique and unlike other schools in significant ways that will benefit your child. In short we offer a very different kind of single-sex education.

On entering Sherborne School’s Sixth Form, the boys cross a threshold that sees them become early leaders of the boarding environment. We welcome and nurture all forms of leadership, encouraging and developing virtues of responsibility for, and mentorship and care of, younger pupils. Housemasters, Tutors and academic staff will ensure that every boy develops his own way to take responsibility in areas of House and School life that interest him and best suit his attributes and interests. He might start with organisation of social events or joining clubs and societies (or even devising and running his own, supported by staff). Later in Lower Sixth Form, boys will start shadowing Prefects, carrying out duties that support the smooth-running of the House and, above all, assure a caring and supportive environment for the younger years. This would lead in turn, we hope, to selection as a Prefect or even Head of House. He will leave confident, socially adept and with a strong sense of what it means to be a valued part of the community.

A single-sex environment in the classroom and in Boarding Houses allows focus without distraction. It allows girls to be girls and boys to be boys at this crucial developmental stage. But then, because the two schools are not only next to one another but overlap in so many places, the opportunities for joint activities, from music to sport, to drama to debate to coffee in town, are endless.

It is in this environment, with both the energy given by focus and the social normality resulting from co-location, that enthusiasms of all sorts are born. We believe it is these enthusiasms which ignite the spark that creates a love of learning and a desire to attain.

Many things here are simply world class.

High academic expectations and outstanding pastoral care are, and will remain, the bedrock of a Sherborne education. Our musical, artistic and sporting provision is outstanding and all our boys have access to an extraordinary range of co-curricular opportunities.

Dominic Luckett Headmaster and CEO

Contacts

www.sherborne.org

Admissions Department Sherborne School Abbey Road Sherborne Dorset DT9 3AP telephone: +44 (0) 1935 810403 email: admissions@sherborne.org