Highfields School
Issue 33: 5 June 2020
Newsletter Updates and Reminders for Students Year 11 Frequently Asked Questions: Sixth Form Entry Can I change my Sixth Form options? Yes, but.. (a) during your sixth form interview it might be that we decided it would be good to do or not do a particular subject - in your best interests. So in terms of changes, just to think, check and talk to us if this was the case. (b) some classes do get full. Unfortunately there are limits beyond which make it difficult to teach, and so we may need to say no. And in fact, you probably don't want to be taught in a very large class either. (c) it is probably not advisable to change subjects just on the basis of the work being set now on SMHW. We say this at the beginning of Year 12 too. You might hear of something interesting being set in another subject, or find something you've been set a bit hard, or not what you expected. Some teachers also have more time than others in terms of what they are setting. Broadly speaking your original decision is likely to have been your best one. (d) where you were uncertain about which subject to take, we have tried to put you into the classes you were interested in on SMHW, so you can see the type of work in each subject and this might help to make up your mind. Do I need to do all the work in SMHW? Yes. Of course there may be some bits where a teacher has made clear that 'if you are interested you could have a look at....' - in which case that might be up to your interest. But the point of this work is to give you the best start possible, and we don't know what will happen during the rest of the year, so the work is important to do. You only need to do work in the subjects you are going to do in Sixth Form. Not in any others. (We may have added you to a fourth or fifth subject in cases where you weren’t sure what subject you wanted to do at A Level. If you are sure you don’t want to do that subject, that’s fine – it would be helpful to let us know and we can take you off that course). Is it too late to apply for Sixth Form? No. Just email Mr Flett (mflett@highfields.derbyshire.sch.uk) and he will be able to call you to discuss options. The criteria are set out below (and are in the online prospectus). Are the entry criteria for Sixth Form still the same? Yes. The entry criteria for entry into sixth form remain the same, as they have done for previous years, which is an average of a Grade 4 across all subjects (with the additional requirements for maths, physics, chemistry and biology, as set out in the prospectus). You will understand that, in advance of the results being officially published, we do not know who will get an average of a Grade 4 and who will not. In accordance with government regulations, teachers must not discuss grades with students. As in previous years, we can advise whether it seems sensible to have a back up option, like a college course which might suit you. We believe that all those who wanted to, have had discussions around this, but if you do have queries, please email Mr Flett who will be able to call you. Teachers and tutors will not be able to comment further on this.
Be the best you can
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