King's Worcester Sixth Form Prospectus

Sixth Form Prospectus

Shaped

By King’s ksw.org.uk

An independent day school for boys and girls aged 16-18

“ Sixth Form is a young person’s passport

to the next stage of his or her life and the students have delivered results which do themselves and also the school great credit. Their hard work has really paid off and we are thrilled that so many of them will be able to continue to the next stage of their career path, whether this is at university, in a professional apprenticeship or starting out in the workplace.

Welcome Two very important years of your life King’s Sixth Form is the next step in the educational career for approximately 300 pupils, around 150 in each year. In addition to pupils moving into the Sixth Form from King’s Year 11, about 30 others join from both maintained and independent schools.

A successful Sixth Form education is extremely important in helping to develop young people who will contribute positively to society by leading fulfilled and unselfish lives. Here at King’s Worcester we engender clear moral values and a sense of purpose, strong academic focus and a stimulating environment, all bound together by a culture of encouragement, enjoyment and celebration. All this, we believe, builds the confidence and resilience students need, and promotes independence and intellectual enquiry.

The challenges we provide are stimulating and enjoyable and the focus is always on the best possible preparation for life beyond King’s. Our aim is to help young people gain all the vital knowledge, academic results, life skills and strength of character that they will need to tackle future challenges.

We are proud of the confidence with which our students embrace the world beyond King’s, both university life and the world of work, and we are equally proud of the passion and dedication they continue to show to the King’s community long after they have left.

Gareth Doodes Headmaster

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Discover the King’s Warmth As soon as you join the Sixth Form at King’s you’ll immediately be struck by the openness and friendly nature of all our students. The unique pastoral structure at King’s means that Sixth Formers are the senior students in a House comprising around 90 pupils.

The acceptance of people’s differences and respect for others is hard-wired into the culture of King’s and being an individual with your own unique character is celebrated. Whether you are just joining, or have been at the school for many years, the sense that you are part of the Sixth Form and the wider King’s community makes you feel at home, ready to learn and enjoy everything life here can offer.

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Discover outstanding teaching and support The curriculum at King’s Sixth Form is modern and progressive and there is a wide range of subjects available. Mathematics, the arts, the sciences and modern languages are all popular choices, while classical subjects continue to play an important role.

The Sixth Form at King’s provides genuine academic challenge.

The subjects available may generally be considered the more demanding courses to undertake, but we believe it is right to focus our students’ energies on achieving the qualifications that will be attractive to the top universities and the most valuable to discerning employers. Many of our students go on to study subjects such as mathematics, medicine, law or engineering. Their A level choices and the qualifications gained in the Sixth Form at King’s provide the perfect foundation for them to attend their first choice university and increasingly professional apprenticeships.

We achieve exceptional academic results because everyone is encouraged and supported to achieve the very best that they can. Personal targets may be set high, but they are realistic and attainable through hard work and a determination to succeed.

Our students enjoy the academic challenge of their subjects and are helped every step of the way to succeed. Whether this is through exceptional teaching in small, intimate classes, or in a one-to-one with a teacher, the staff at King’s are all willing to go the extra mile to help instil the confidence and knowledge needed to overcome any hurdles.

Subjects are brought to life by the many additional activities and trips that are available. Whether studying computer science and competing in the Cyber Security Challenge, visiting New York as part of your business course, or participating in an exchange visit as a language student, no stone is ever left unturned to ensure that Sixth Formers at King’s have the facilities, knowledge and mind-set to succeed.

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Discover a real-world learning environment The King’s Foundation embraces the latest technology and is equipped with the most up-to-date hardware and software.

Information Technology is seamlessly integrated into all aspects of learning in the Sixth Form at King’s. Our aim is to maximise its capability as an aid to learning and to teach the relevant skills to our students to equip them for the future.

All Lower Sixth students receive an intensive programme of Information Technology where they cover all the topics needed to support them in their A level studies. Our A level computer science course has been created to be relevant to the constantly changing world of computing. The qualification gives students a clear progression into higher education with programming and computational thinking at its heart, helping students develop those critical skills needed to solve advanced problems, design complex systems and understand the relationship between human and artificial intelligence.

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Discover a school that takes a creative lead King’s has a magnificent, self-contained Art School built over three floors. The light and spacious building offers five studios, a range of workshops, a gallery, an art library and IT space.

The Art Department has its roots in the fine-art tradition and all students have the opportunity to explore painting, textiles, print-making, mixed-media, digital media and sculpture. In the Sixth Form at King’s, students follow the two-year Cambridge Pre-U qualification. It is a stimulating and exciting course that encourages students to think deeply about art and develop their own individual styles. Upper Sixth artists follow independent programmes of study that build upon their existing skills and reflect their personal interests. Each Upper Sixth student has an individual studio space that encourages the development of ambitious, large-scale work.

Our examination results at every level are outstanding and we are regarded as a centre of national excellence.

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Discover the ideal stage for the performing arts The Performing Arts play a prominent role in the life of the Sixth Form at King’s. Many students actively participate in the wide variety of music and drama groups, orchestras, choirs and theatre productions performed in any one of our first-class performance spaces located across the school.

The A level Drama and Theatre course combines an academic study of dramatic theory and the work of practitioners who have shaped the development of theatre practice, with the advancement of the students’ own practical skills. It is ideal for those who have a strong interest in drama and the theatre, or have strong performance or production skills that they wish to develop. For a school with such a close and historic relationship with the Cathedral, it is no surprise that music, in all its forms, is incredibly strong at King’s. Music at A level is both challenging and rewarding. The course is both theoretical and practical involving the study of set works including classical and jazz. It includes a significant performance element with an externally examined recital, as well as composition and harmony.

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Discover passion beyond the classroom Although our students work very hard to achieve academically, in the Sixth Form at King’s there is a huge range of opportunities to enjoy a comprehensive range of sports, whatever your preference or level of ability.

King’s has a proud sporting tradition with netball, hockey, rugby, football, cricket and athletics teams all competing at a very high level. We have long been considered one of the top sporting day schools in the country. Rowing is also a major sport and our state-of-the-art boathouse is an amazing facility. Our heated indoor swimming pool is not only used for swimming but also watersports including sub-aqua and canoeing. Fencing and basketball are also popular. We also offer a physical education A level that is an ideal preparation for a career in physiotherapy, leisure or sports management and administration.

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Discover a world of opportunity Taking full advantage of the activities offered by King’s beyond the classroom, developing one’s existing skills, travelling, or taking on new challenges is a fun way of developing as a person.

A thriving Young Enterprise programme, where our teams regularly win awards, debating, Model United Nations, chess and astronomy are a few of our more intellectual activities. There are numerous musical groups, Dance and Dramatic Arts Societies and a Sixth Form production. The Combined Cadet Force, comprising Army and Air Force sections, is very popular from Year 9 onwards.

The school also has its own outdoor, adventurous activities centre in the Brecon Beacons in Wales, an ideal base for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme; during the last 3 years we have been awarded 79 Gold Awards.

Even further afield, the school’s Himalayan Club regularly takes students trekking and undertakes charity work in some of the most breathtaking locations on the planet. Finally, the Sixth Form Charity Committee volunteers in numerous ways, so whatever your interests are, you can always get involved and make the most of your time at King’s.

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Discover your path to success The two years of the Sixth Form at King’s are inevitably over all too quickly and, almost from day one, students need to start thinking about what comes next in their life beyond school. The world of work is changing so rapidly that nobody can begin to predict the future and, in particular, precisely what careers will exist. Our aim is to prepare students for life immediately after King’s whatever path they might take.

As part of the Sixth Form timetable, students participate in the School’s own Key Skills Programme. Designed to help students to develop the vital skills we know employers find attractive, it helps them be better prepared when applying to the university of their choice. The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is a stand-alone qualification recognised by universities that requires independent learning and working on their own initiative and can help them stand out from other candidates with broadly equivalent qualifications. In addition, there are many other events such as careers conferences, trips, leadership opportunities and work experience all of which are available through our dedicated Careers Department’s extensive network of business and community groups.

Finally, when you leave the Sixth Form, you become part of The Old Vigornians Alumni. They are a very active group who provide an invaluable network of contacts that will reach far beyond your life here.

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ksw.org.uk The King’s School 5 College Green Worcester WR1 2LL t: 01905 721 700 e: info@ksw.org.uk

The King’s School, Worcester: A company limited by guarantee, registered in England.

Registered office: 5 College Green, Worcester WR1 2LL. Company No: 4776324.

Registered charity No: 1098236.

The information, terms and conditions set out in this prospectus and all occasional papers may be amended from time to time, and their provisions, subject to any such amendments, shall continue to apply for the whole period during which a boy or girl continues to attend the School, irrespective of his or her age.

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