SIXTH FORM INDUCTION BOOKLET
Welcome to Prior’s Field Sixth Form!
In this booklet you will find some useful information about the Sixth Form, lots of things to get you excited for the next step in your Prior’s Field journey, and a small number of bridging tasks to help prepare you for your chosen subjects.
Contents:
Key staff Privileges in the Sixth Form
Top Tips from the Senior Prefect Leadership Team (SPLT) Boarding opportunities Sixth Form enrichment and co-curricular opportunities Bridging work
Being study ready Tutor groups
The first week in September
Privileges in the Sixth Form
Study periods where students can choose what and where to study, or take a break and have social time.
Flexibility after October Half term in Lower Sixth to come in at Form time and to leave period 5 if you don’t have lessons and are up to date with your work.
Lunchtime bus to Godalming twice weekly
Access to the dining hall from 12.45pm for lunch, and lunch can be eaten in the common room if preferred.
Sixth Form kitchen with coffee machine, tea making facilities, toaster, sandwich toaster, oven and hob to prepare food if required. Bread, tea, coffee, fruit, biscuits are always available as well as break.
A dedicated silent study and individual study rooms.
Students can wear their own choice of clothes suitable for the school environment with the exception of ‘suit days’.
The use of facilities such as the TV and Games table in the common room as well as the facilities including table football in the loft.
Use of the school gym at any time when there are no lessons booked in there.
Use of the Art and Music facilities in free periods and after school.
Top Tips from the Senior Prefect Leadership Team (SPLT)
Stay on top of your work and consolidate your notes as you go along.
If you miss a lesson, catch up quickly!
Find out when tests are and start early on revision. There is a lot of content!
Keep open minded about your future and explore all options. Don't hesitate to seek help and ask your teachers. If you know what career you would like to have, find out what the requirements are now and work towards meeting them. Use your 'frees' to study; it saves you time in the evenings and weekends.
Take breaks with friends.
Get involved in co-curricular in the Lower Sixth, there is less time in Upper Sixth. Get involved!
Buy some new outfits!
If you choose Creative Art subjects, be careful with time management.
Reach out to people you haven't talked to before; you will make new friends in Lower and Upper Sixth.
If you do Gold DofE, start quickly and stay on top of all the tasks. Commit fully. It's great fun!
Get a part time job in Lower Sixth, you will have less time in Upper Sixth.
Learn to drive as soon as you can!
Boarding Opportunities
In Sixth Form, boarding encourages independence in both study and other aspects of life and acts as a bridge between being a student at Prior’s Field and preparing you for life after. Sixth Form boarders enjoy a greater level of freedom and are responsible for their own learning and time planning, all overseen by the guidance and support of the House team. You will enjoy a much more adult relationship with the House team who are always available to help guide you rather than lead you through the next two years.
Based in Huxley House with the Fifth Form boarders, Sixth Form have single en-suite study bedrooms providing you with a quiet space suitable for relaxation and independent study during your free periods and evenings. Boarders have access to two kitchens where they can prepare their own meals, a common room to enjoy some downtime, quiet communal study space, and a multipurpose loft space.
As a boarder, you will have access to a range of school facilities out-of-hours, including music practice rooms, art studios and sports facilities. Sixth Form boarders have several extra privileges appropriate to their age and enjoy a number of evening and weekend activities and trips. All our activities and trips can be accessed by Day students by booking with a member of the House team.
Boarding Opportunities
Boarding options for Sixth Form include Full, Weekly, Half Weekly and Flexi Boarding. For more information, please pop into the Boarding office or email: Huxleyhouseboarding@priorsfieldschool.com
“Boarding at PF has been a really great experience. Although I was pretty nervous about starting out, all the staff and other boarders are really kind, and you adjust to the routine changes really quickly. I think flexi-boarding helps me manage my workload better as I find I have more time to get work done, especially as you don't have any travel time, and therefore even more time to do fun things too, like board game nights!” - Libby U6
Sixth Form Enrichment and Co-curricular opportunities
The Sixth Form enrichment programme (‘Promote’) is an exciting part of your Sixth Form experience. The programme is tailored to each cohort’s interests and designed to give you a variety of new opportunities. It is fully embedded into the curriculum to ensure every member of the Sixth Form community can find out who they are outside of the classroom. You can start to think about which of these opportunities you would like to take part in during the summer break.
Volunteering and Outreach
In September, you will be given the chance to sign up for the Sixth Form volunteering programme. This usually runs from October Half Term to February Half Term and gives you the opportunity to volunteer at a local primary school or care home to support dayto-day activities. This is a highly popular programme which most of our Sixth Formers take part in. It will not only help deepen your connection to our local community and support those who need it but also provides a valuable opportunity to develop important skills and bolster your CV, job and University applications. Please also consider if you have any new ideas for charity and outreach. As Sixth Formers, you can implement and lead new initiatives if you wish, and work alongside the Outreach Prefects to put these into action.
Sixth Form Enrichment and Co-curricular opportunities
Preparing for the Future
A key component of the Promote programme is about preparing for your future beyond Prior’s Field, and you will be given many opportunities and a huge amount of support to do this throughout your final two years.
As you go through the Sixth Form, try and take whatever opportunities you can to build your skills, develop your confidence and make yourself interesting! This will help with whatever your next steps may be and give you plenty of things to talk about in any of your applications. Supporting staff with and leading cocurricular is a great way to do this, so think about how you might like to be involved in this way. You will continue to use the Unifrog platform as you move through Sixth Form, which helps you explore your future options and record your core competencies.
Sixth Form Enrichment and Co-curricular opportunities
Further Qualifications
There are several qualifications you can take in addition to your core subjects as you transition through the next two years. These include:
Gold Duke of Edinburgh
A Level 3 Management award from CMI (Chartered Management Institute)
The PEQ (Extended Project Qualification) which also carries UCAS points
A TEFL course (Teaching English as a Foreign Language)
These are all externally recognised, and all funded as part of your time in the Sixth Form, so they are opportunities you will want to seriously consider!
Being study ready
Studying in Sixth Form is different: it requires greater independence and a stronger focus on a smaller number of subjects. The expectation is that you engage with your subjects fully and deeply.
In Sixth Form be prepared to:
Engage fully in lessons and contribute to them. Class sizes will be smaller than you are used to and will be more discussive in their nature
Be organised with your work. Create files in OneNote or use physical files if you prefer. Make sure you have paper, dividers, the necessary equipment for your subjects, and a device that is suitable to work on
Be organised with your time. When you receive your timetable, allocate study periods to subjects and create your own prep timetable
Use the study rooms available for quiet study during the day. If you are taking Art or practical subjects, you will be able to use relevant rooms
Always approach your teachers if you need advice on subjects – ask what additional work you can do to extend your knowledge and skills, or seek guidance if you need help with a topic
Condense your notes each week; this helps you to consolidate your learning and is of great benefit when you come to revise
Being study ready
Be prepared to do extra (this is expected of A Level students). You will receive guidance from your teachers. However, you will need to study independently. For example, read around your subjects, watch relevant documentaries, visit exhibitions, or listen to podcasts.
Record skills, achievements, and events – a good place to do this is Unifrog. This record will be invaluable when you begin applications for life after Sixth Form.
Bridging Work
Contents
Biology
Business Studies
Chemistry
Creative Arts (for Art, Photography and Textiles students)
Criminology
Economics
English Literature
Food Science and Nutrition
French
Further Mathematics
Geography
Mathematics
Music
Physics
Psychology
Religious Studies
Biology
Welcome to A Level Biology at Prior’s Field!
Over the next two years you will work through the AQA A Level Biology Specification.
This qualification is linear, meaning that you will sit all the exams at the end of the course. A Level grades will be based only on marks from written exams.
A separate endorsement of practical skills will be taken alongside the A Level. This will be assessed by teachers and will be based on direct observation of students’ competency in a range of skills whilst completing a minimum of 12 required practicals.
Subject areas covered in the A Level course are as follows:
1. Biological molecules
2.Cells
3.Organisms exchange substances with their environment
4.Genetic information, variation and relationships between organisms
5.Energy transfers in and between organisms
6. Organisms respond to changes in their internal and external environments
7.Genetics, populations, evolution and ecosystems
8. The control of gene expression
Biology
Below are a few tasks to help you prepare for this over the Summer:
Review the following online resources to brush up on your GCSE knowledge: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zp266yc https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z9ddmp3
Read around the subject: This could be Articles published by the New Scientist or Nature, or books such as:
What is Life? By
Paul Nurse
The Body by Bill Bryson
Frankenstein’s cat by Emily Anthes
The Red Queen by Matt Ridley
Junk DNA by Nessa Carey
Rosalind Franklin by Brenda Maddox
Vaxxers: A Pioneering Moment in Scientific History by Sarah Gilbert,Catherine Green.
Then, just look forward to your A Level studies. We look forward to welcoming you in September!
Business Studies
Below is a case study about Greggs – please read through the information and begin to think about the answers to the questions below.
Greggs to open 150 new stores despite rising staff and energy costs
Greggs has said higher wage and energy bills are weighing on its profits, but it plans to push ahead with opening 150 new stores this year as well as trialling a 24-hour drive-through outlet.
Britain’s biggest bakery chain, known for its sausage rolls and steak bakes, said costs had risen by 9% last year and would continue to be a challenge in the year ahead.
Greggs’ sales jumped 23% last year, taking them above £1.5bn for the first time, while pre-tax profit rose by just 1.9% to £148m.
Profits were held back by the rising cost of food ingredients such as wheat, energy, and labour, which prompted Greggs to raise its prices earlier than planned.
Food and packaging costs have risen sharply since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022 led to a spike in commodity prices.
The baker increased the price of its top seller, its sausage roll,by 5p in January to £1.20, marking an increase of 20p from a year earlier.
Business Studies
The company said staffing costs, including higher wages, made the largest contribution to its costs in 2022, accounting for more than a third (37%) of its underlying cost base, followed by the cost of food and packaging.
It is also sharing £16.6m of its profit with employees, representing more than 10% of its 2022 profit, with each staff member to receive an average bonus payment of £700 in March. The group opened 147 new shops on a net basis last year, for example in retail parks and central London, as well as Birmingham and Liverpool airports, taking the total to 2,328. It plans 150 new openings this year and intends to keep opening outlets across the country at this rate for the next few years. Greggs is aiming to reach about 3,000 UK shops within the next five to six years.
Among the new openings this year, Greggs is hoping to create between 8 and 10drive-through locations, open from early in the morning until about 11pm at night.
One of these roadside venues, at an as-yet undisclosed location, will trial operating 24-hours a day, allowing the company to gauge the demand for 3am pastry treats.
In recent times, Greggs has been extending its opening hours, in a bid to attract more commuters and hungry consumers to buy snacks on the way home from work or evening meals. About 500 of its shops are now open until at least 8pm.
Business Studies
It said its chicken goujons and pizzas have been selling well, especially later in the day. Greggs has been expanding its vegan range and what it calls “healthier choices” including rice and salad boxes.
In its hometown of Newcastle, Greggs has also been trialling a range of made-to-order hot chicken wraps, and will launch a range of flatbreads, including a chicken shawarma flatbread in the coming months.
Research Questions
1.Identify Greggs’ major competitors
2.Compare Greggs’ prices to that of its competitors
3.Assess the level of product choice offered by Greggs in comparison to its rivals. Do its rivals offer vegan/ vegetarian products?
Discussion Questions for September (first lesson)
1.Using the case study & your research explain why Greggs is now opening past 5pm
2.Discuss why Greggs is ‘hoping to create between 8 and 10 drive through locations’. Link this to market segment & market development.
3.Explain why Greggs profits have increased despite higher costs. Refer to the cost of living crisis.
Chemistry
The work that you will do in the first part of your A Level Chemistry course will build your understanding of some topics that you have previously met in GCSE. Here are some suggestions for how you can prepare for the start of your course by exploring some of these topics:
Atomic Structure
You should already know how protons, electrons and neutrons are arranged inside atoms. However, the distribution of electrons is much more complicated than the GCSE level course suggest. As well as electron shells, there are sub-shells! Find out what sub-shells are, and how to write the electronic configuration of an element in terms of sub-shells. (Example Na: GCSE answer 2,8,1; A Level answer 1s22s22p63s1.).
These videos will help:
https://youtu.be/Q0UEMXM5MTI
https://youtu.be/rL3fbzELVGo?
list=PLi6oabjl6cozCyVbPK3WS7guIutf2Tt2T
Chemistry
Amount of Substance
You should know that chemists use a quantity called a mole when doing calculations involving amounts of substances. In A Level Chemistry we use moles a lot, so it would be a good idea to make sure you are up to speed on the basics about moles before starting the course.
This video will help:
https://youtu.be/YP6Ewyc41zA? list=PLi6oabjl6coxfxWBiNdLhaHh9hfXzhQdQ
Organic Chemistry
Organic Chemistry is about the compounds of carbon. The two types you will definitely know about from GCSE are alkanes and alkenes. In A Level you will learn about many others including alcohols, carboxylic acids, esters and amines.
This video will help you to expand your knowledge of this important area of Chemistry:
https://youtu.be/tDBoVIv0EG0
Creative Arts (for Art, Photography and Textiles students)
Keeping a sketchbook
It doesn’t matter if you are planning on following Art, Textiles or Photography for A Level. Using a sketchbook is one of the most versatile ways of keeping your creative energies going and exploring ideas without committing to large-scale or time consuming pieces of work.
You can use any medium in your book that you like. You could even consider creating a digital sketchbook if you are a Photography student. This could be as simple as a PowerPoint presentation to keep your images organised but there are also a host of apps available that you could make use of. Textiles students might like to view a sketchbook as a place to visualise ideas for garments or collect samples or textures.
Why Keep a Sketchbook?
There are several good reasons why sketchbooks are an essential tool. They can help you to:
Record your development of ideas and techniques
Provide time to pause, record and reflect on the work you have done
Clarify your creative vision and concepts.
Help develop your drawing skills
Creative Arts (for Art, Photography and Textiles students)
Help you to develop visual awareness and imagination
Allow a ‘pressure free’ space for immediate and spontaneous work
Provide you with a creative ‘dialogue’ with your work.
The guidelines for this are simple. Follow these basic rules and you will get more confident in your artistic ability.
Add at least one page to your sketchbook every day, without fail! This will get you into a good routine and develop a dialogue. You don’t need to spend hours to do this, a fiveminute sketch is enough.
Do not take anything out of the book or throw anything away –you can learn from ideas that initially seem ‘bad’, as well as ones that are good.
Focus on what really interests you to keep momentum going. Decide what your sketchbook is ‘about’ and explore this theme.
Remember: your sketchbook is for you to experiment, play and explore ideas. It’s not for anyone else so don’t feel thr need to constantly judge the things you do in it. Keep moving on! Don’t get stuck on one page for too long. It’s perfectly fine to leave a page unfinished if a better idea comes along
Creative Arts (for Art, Photography and Textiles students)
A sketchbook can consist of anything you’d like it to. Use your imagination. Drawing what you see around you, making notes, creating collages, taking rubbings or adding found objects
Vary your use of media. Try different materials out rather than getting ‘stuck’ on the things you know you can do well, explore things you’ve not tried before. Reflect on your work as it develops. Think about what you are learning along the way. How will this influence what you do next?
Have some fun with your book. You really don’t need to take it very seriously. Use the book to ‘play’ with ideas and see where it takes you!
Criminology
Criminology is a study of criminal justice and law enforcement. It looks at crime, offenders and victims. Who are these and how are they investigated?
Task 1
Read the following article on the age of responsibilityhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-50763713 BBC News
Responsible Child: Can a 10-year-old be a cold-blooded murderer?
“By setting the age of criminal responsibility at 10, it allows flexibility in the addressing of offending behaviour by children, whilst allowing early intervention to help prevent further offending.”
Research other children who have killed or committed serious crimes and consider legal difficulties presented by their cases.
Task 2
Watch the TED talk – “Exploring the mind of a killer” with Jim Fallon:
https://www.ted.com/talks/jim_fallon_exploring_the_mind_of_a_k iller?language=en
Criminology
Task 3
Watch the TED talk given by Zimbardo and The Stanford Prison Experiment. If you are interested further there is a Hollywood movie by the same name ‘The Stanford Prison Experiment’ directed by Kyle Alvarez. It’s available on Netflix, Amazon and to rent on YouTube and googleplay amongst others.
TED talk link:
https://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_the_psychology_of_e vil?language=en
Economics
Below is a task to complete on the topic of Taxation. Please read through the information and begin to think about the answers to the questions below.
Taxation
The Government raise finance through taxes on income, spending and company profits. This tax is used to fund government spending on schools, hospitals etc.
Read the article from the BBC below:
Jeremy Hunt expected to announce 2p National Insurance cut
Mr Hunt preparing for the Spring Budget 2024 in his office at No 11 Downing Street
Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce a 2p cut to National Insurance when he delivers his Budget on Wednesday.
Mr Hunt has promised his Budget will help families with "permanent" tax cuts and stimulate a flagging economy. Labour said any reductions would be cancelled out by the government's previous decision to freeze the thresholds people start paying tax.
Mr Hunt has been under pressure, particularly from Tory MPs, to cut taxescurrentlyat an historic high. National Insurance is similar to income tax. However, it is only paid by workers between the age of 16-64
Economics
They have also argued that the initial cut to National Insurance has not improved the Conservatives' political fortunes - a key consideration with the general election expected this year. National Insurance contributions are paid by employees and the self-employed on their earnings, as well as employers. The amount paid depends on an individual's salary.
Economics
The focus of Wednesday's cut is expected to be on employees rather than employers, as it was for the Autumn Statement, when the main rate was reduced from 12% to 10%.
A further 2p cut would be worth around £450 a year for someone on a full-time salary of £35,000.
Ahead of his Budget speech, Mr Hunt said that the government "can now help families with permanent cuts in taxation" only because of the progress made on reducing inflation. Meanwhile, the chancellor is also considering other measures to raise revenue, includinga new tax on vapesandscrapping non-dom tax status.
People with non-domiciled status are UK residents whose home for tax purposes is abroad. Under the current system, they do not have to pay UK tax on money they make overseas.
The Daily Express describes Mr Hunt's plans as a "tax cut gamble" and says he wants to deliver a "feelgood package designed to ease families' finances", while the Financial Times says the Budget comes as the Tories "eye a tough election" and that Conservatives MPs want a plan to "drag Britain out of recession". The Guardian says they will come "at the expense of public services" and force whoever forms the next government to make further cutbacks.
Economics
Additional reading: UK: Jeremy Hunt still intends to cut National Insurance but hasn’t ‘set a date’ | UK News | Sky News
Research Questions:
1.What are the three public services that the Government spends most money on?
2.Using the graph above – explain why the level of taxation may have risen sharply in recent years.
3.If the Government cuts National Insurance, how will it fund public services such as schools, pensions and hospitals?
English Literature
This summer, we want you to enjoy literature. If you’re going to study it for two years, you’ll need to figure out what you like and what you don’t like. Start to form opinions. Start to respond emotionally to texts. Start to ask questions. Start to love things. Start to hate them.
Watch some plays (live and online)
At Prior’s Field, we have access to Digital Theatre+ via this link: https://auth.digitaltheatreplus.com/
Spend some time exploring this website, where you’ll find recordings of live productions, as well as interviews with cast members and directors.
Digital Theatre login:
Username: students_123
Password: begun@9737
These theatres sell cheaper tickets for young people:
https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/16-25-tickets
https://www.cft.org.uk/young-people/prologue
https://almeida.co.uk/your-visit/25s-under
Read some books
Here are three lists that may help you decide on some books to read over the summer. It is important that you read texts which are deemed literary and of a high quality.
English Literature
https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/blog/50-great-21st-centurynovels-for-6th-formers/%C2%A0
https:/www.goodreads.com/list/show/20403.The_Guardian_s_10 0_greatest_novels_of_all_time%C2%A0
https:/www.theguardian.com/books/2019/sep/21/best-books-ofthe-21st-century
There’s nothing wrong with YA fiction – nothing at all – but it’s important to read some books that are ostensibly ‘adult’ and that challenge you, both stylistically and in terms of their content.
Here are seven books the English department highly recommends:
‘Atonement’ by Ian McEwan
‘Never Let Me Go’ by Kazuo Ishiguro
‘The Goldfinch’ by Donna Tartt
‘Cat’s Eye’ by Margaret Atwood
‘The Idiot’ by Elif Batuman
‘Americanah’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
‘Shuggie Bain’ by Douglas Adams
If you are interested in an introduction to theoretical and critical perspectives we would recommend reading ‘Doing English’ by Robert Eaglestone.
Food Science and Nutrition
We hope you are really looking forward to developing your knowledge, understanding and skills of Food, Science and Nutrition in the Sixth Form. In preparation it would be beneficial for you to complete the three topic areas below over the summer.
Nutrition Recap
1.Read this PPT and make detailed notes. nutrients-ppt1416he.pptx
2.Produce three informative and interesting fact sheets on (a) The macronutrients, (b) Vitamins and (c) Minerals and Trace Elements. Make sure to reference their functions, sources, RNI’s and the effects of either an excess or deficiency of these nutrients. Include illustrations.
3.Test yourself by playing the Kahoot game at the end of the PPT.
Food Poisoning Bacteria Research
Below are the nine pathogenic bacteria that you will learn about on the course.
1.Produce a PTT using a page for each bacterium that includes what this bacterium looks like, which foods might you be likely to find it in, what the onset time is for food poisoning symptoms to appear, what the symptoms are and how long they last and how best to avoid getting it in the first place!
2.Summarise your research by producing a list of the top FIVE things people can do to avoid getting food poisoning in the first place.
Food Science and Nutrition
Food Poisoning Bacteria
Bacillus cereus
Clostridium botulinum
Clostridium perfringens
Salmonella
Staphylococcus aureus
Campylobacter
E. coli
Shigella
Listeria Moncytogenes
Practical Skills
At the end of the year, you will be doing a practical exam where you will need to demonstrate your ability to make three highly skilled, beautifully presented dishes in three and a half hours.
Over the Summer holidays try to practice as many of the recipes below as possible. Present your dishes creatively. Write up the recipes afterwards with notes explaining how you could improve the recipe next time.
Fresh egg pasta (you may borrow a pasta machine from school if you don’t have one at home).
Choux pastry
An enriched bread
Béchamel sauce
Mayonnaise
French
Read magazine articles
Using your local library card number (or a friend or family member’s)
Go to www.pressreader.com or download the app
Find a magazine covering a subject you enjoy
Ex: Science & Vie if you enjoy sciences, Psychologies, Cosmopolitan to just relax around the pool, Guerres et Histoire for fans of history, Marmiton for recipes, Le Point for politics, Voiles for sailing…here are some ideas of French magazines but the list is not exhaustive: https://www.kiosquemag.com/ Read at least one article per week and be ready to discuss the content of two of your favourite articles when you return.
Watch movies
Watch at least one of the French movies/series below or one of your own choice and write a review. french-tv-series-to-learn-french.pdf
Read French Books
Read a French book. You can find below a recommended French Reading list https://frenchyourway.com.au/recommended-french-reading-list
French
Browse: Useful Websites for General Research
1.Coffee Break French - excellent podcasts to help reinforce your basic French skills. Lots of culture references too: https://radiolingua.com/coffeebreakfrench/
2. Fab for grammar practice – build up your confidence in different grammar areas with these online activities. Very easy-to-navigate website: http://frenchgrammartour.com, You can also access the usual grammar sites used this year (Kerboodle, languagesonline, memrise etc) or re-do some of the grammar exercises you completed this year.
3. Although some of the content requires a subscription, there are also plenty of free resources on https://www.frenchteacher.net. You can do Higher GCSE reading, writing, speaking and listening practice as well as challenging yourself with A Level texts.
4. An excellent range of listening resources are available here: https://french-revision-witheileen.constantcontactsites.com. As well as traditional listening tasks, there are French songs too.
5.If you want to push yourself further with grammar, try this French grammar website: https://bescherelle.com. There are lots of games and quizzes.
The tasks in TEAL are compulsory for students taking A Level next year. The other points are just for fun.
Further Mathematics
This is the start of a journey explaining new mathematical ideas. Over the summer, I want you to become familiar with complex numbers and the understanding that you can now square root negative values.
Please see your class notebook for the work to be completed.
Geography
Being interested in the world around you is a great starting point. Do not throw away your GCSE notes either! Here are some suggested activities to help yourself be ready for September…
Choose a minimum of two of these activities to complete:
Read one of these books and write a short summary about what you have learned from it.
Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall
The Almighty Dollar by Dharshini David
Factfulness by Hans Rosling
Not the End of the World by Hannah Richie
Disaster by Choice by Ilan Kelman
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates
Watch a programme/lecture and write a short summary of what you have learned from it:
On BBC iPlayer:
Streets of Gold: Mumbai – choose an episode (or more!)
Turkey Earthquake – Those who stayed
Search for a TED Talk – search for ‘global issues’ and choose one
The Power of the Planet – you can search for it on Dailymotion
Geography
Collect at least three geographical stories from the news over the summer. Write a short summary of them and how you think they link to the A Level course.
Good sources of news are:
BBC
The Guardian
The Times
Increase your ArcGIS skills…
Search for TeachwithGIS and then click on the LEARN pages. Make your own story map that relates to one of the tasks above or a geographical interest of your own – at any scale. Just enjoy maps – even if you can’t to a place for yourself, search for ‘Digimap for Schools’:
Username: gu72rh
Password: dwoals9059
…Be confident with your basic map skills!
Visit
If you go into London, visit one of these places:
The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (take the tube to Stratford)
Canary Wharf – The Docklands Museum
Brick Lane
Battersea Power Station
Think about what it is like now, research what the place was like in the past – how has it changed?
Mathematics
In preparation for September, it is important to keep your algebra skills ‘match fit’.
The exercise to be completed in class Notebook covers index lows, expanding brackets, factorising, negative and fractional indices, surds and rationalising the denominator.
Don’t worry if you struggle with anything, we can recap in the first lessons back.
Music
It is worth familiarising yourselves with the Set Works:
J. S. Bach, Cantata, Ein feste Burg, BWV 80: Movements 1, 2, 8
Vaughan Williams, On Wenlock Edge: Nos. 1, 3 and 5 (On Wenlock Edge, Is my team ploughing? and Bredon Hill)
Clara Wieck-Schumann, Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 17: movement 1
Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique: Movement I
Danny Elfman, Batman Returns: Birth of a Penguin Parts I and II, Batman vs the Circus, The Rise and Fall from Grace
Bernard Herrmann, Psycho: Prelude, The City, Marion, The Murder (Shower Scene), The Toys, The Cellar, Discovery, Finale
Kate Bush, Hounds of Love: Cloudbusting, And dream of sheep, and Under ice
Beatles, Revolver: Eleanor Rigby, Here, there and everywhere, I want to tell you, and Tomorrow never knows
Courtney Pine, back in the Day: Inner state (of mind), Lady Day and (John Coltrane), and Love and affection
Debussy, Estampes: Nos. 1 and 2 (Pagodes and La soirée dans Grenade)
Anoushka Shankar, Breathing Under Water: Burn, Breathing Under Water and Easy
Kaija Saariaho, Petals for Violoncello and Live Electronics
Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring: Introduction, The Augurs of Spring, and Ritual of Abduction
Music
The works that we will be studying first will be the Schumann, Herrmann, Kate Bush and Debussy.
Music at A Level is different to GCSE. It’s no longer a case of taking a journey down one road to learn all the facts about one specific piece. Now, as you proceed with your journey, you need to explore all the side roads to see what they offer.
Referring to other pieces of music, whatever the style, is essential when making a point about a specific set work. For example, “The first movement of the Schumann piano trio is in sonata form and in the key of G minor, following the same structure and tonality as Mozart’s Symphony No 40. Beethoven also writes in sonata form, for example in the first movement of his “Pathetique” piano sonata in C minor, but he does not adhere to the strict sonata form shape as he prefers to add an introduction and links to extend the music”.
Make a note of any music you listen to over the summer, whatever its style, and jot down any features that particularly stand out. Get into the practice of embracing a broad range of musical styles. Particularly embrace music that is unfamiliar and out of your comfort zone.
Physics
We are delighted that you have chosen to study Physics. Itis a great subject to choose at A Level and is very highly regarded, so you will have lots of options of courses and careers to apply for when you come to making your university choices. We will be following the OCR exam boardspecification A.
Background reading and watching
I would recommend “A Short History of Nearly Everything” byBill Bryson. This covers science in general as well as Physics, but it will certainly inspire you for your studies.
Further reading includes “Seven Brief lessons on Physics” by Carlo Rovelli and the classic, but slightly more challenging, "A short history of time” By Stephen Hawking.
If you like watching films then “Interstellar” is a must watch, followed by “The Martian”.
A good YouTube channel that explores many aspects of Physics and Science is “Veritasium”.
Physics
Preparation Work
To help you get ready over the summer break we advise you to get hold of a copy of thisbooklet:
Head Start to A-Level Physics
The important sections to work through are Sections Three and Four. This work follows on from GCSE and links perfectly with the topics that we cover at the start of the course. We will cover the rest of the booklet once the course starts
Psychology
Psychology
Religious Studies
There are three aspects to the RS course worth 33% each:
*Religion and Philosophy
*Religion and Ethics
*Developments in Christian Thought
Task 1
Write a short statement (no more than 300 words) indicating your motivations for studying RS and your expectations of A Level RS so that your teachers can learn some more about you before starting in September.
Consider the following:
Reasons you have opted for RS
Your experience of RS at KS3/4 and your expectations of A Level RS
What you are looking forward to A Level study
Task 2 – Sophie’s World
Go to https://www.philosophycat.org/y11-into-12-transition
Scroll down to Sophie’s World
Select any two philosophers – Socrates, Plato, Descartes, Sartre – and complete the written tasks
Task 3 – Research Task
Go to https://www.philosophycat.org/y11-into-12-transition
Scroll down to Research tasks
Select one of the activities from Philosophy, Ethics and Christian Thought
THE FIRST WEEK IN SEPTEMBER
The first day of the Autumn term is Thursday 4 September 2025. All Boarders will return on Wednesday 3 September.
There will be allocated tutor time on Thursday morning when students can familiarise themselves with their new form room, get to know their tutor and fellow tutees, and receive their timetable. There will be various administrative tasks to complete and a review of Sixth Form expectations and privileges.
On Friday 5 September there will be a whole school assembly, House meetings, and House photos.
Lessons will commence after lunch on Friday 5 September. On Friday 5 September you will have normal lessons except for Period 6 when the whole school will be introduced to the new cocurricular timetable and given the opportunity to sign up for their activities of choice.
