Reigate Grammar School Sixth Form Prospectus

SIXTH FORM

ONE OF THE LEADING CO-EDUCATIONAL INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY, REIGATE GRAMMAR SCHOOL OFFERS A FIRST CLASS EDUCATION FOR BOYS AND GIRLS AGED 11 TO 18

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HEADMASTER’S WELCOME The RGS Sixth Form is an amazing adventure, a bridge to university, a preparation for adult life, a treasure trove of the very best school opportunities, an induction into leadership roles – and a chance to fuel emerging academic passions ready for life beyond school.

Each Sixth Former has his or her own unique blend of talents, skills, aspirations and abilities. Appreciating and developing these qualities in this new chapter of education and life is a privilege and a responsibility that we take seriously. We will believe in you, support you, know you and help you to be the best version of yourself.

Sometimes people ask what type of young adult makes a successful Reigatian. There are all sorts of Reigatians, but no stereotypes. Students are actively encouraged to pursue their own interests, whether intellectual, social, spiritual or physical, within and beyond the curriculum. We don’t start with types, we only focus on getting to know you and all the students in our care.

RGS students flourish. They will be supported through the challenges of Sixth Form life, just as much as they will be prepared to progress triumphantly on to successes in life after RGS. Our track record of amazing A Level results and progression to top universities in and beyond the UK is only part of the story. Based in the Harrison Centre, our Sixth Form is, in every sense, the centre of the school and the high quality learning environment - including a specialist Sixth Form library - is matched by expert teaching and superb advice and guidance about life after RGS in higher education and in professional life. The opportunities for independent learning, for leadership development, for learning new things in and beyond the classroom means that the RGS Sixth Form is a remarkable fresh start for all students, wherever they did their GCSEs. This is a Sixth Form and a school based upon relationships, not rules for rules’ sake. We value a positive, comfortable climate of mutual respect, affirmation and intellectual freedom. Life at RGS is challenging, fun, exciting, hard-working, fast-paced and incredibly satisfying.

What unites our talented common room of teachers is an optimism and a belief in our young people. We believe in our young people so that they can achieve more than they dreamed possible, and they will do so, again and again!

I am honoured to be the Headmaster here and I look forward to welcoming you and your family to Reigate Grammar School.

Shaun Fenton

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REIGATIANS: ARCHITECTS OF THEIR OWN LEARNING

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At RGS, teachers are always available and positive, encouraging the independent learning which has nurtured my strengths, generated confidence, and provided the expert guidance that has led me to fulfilling my ambition to study English Literature at Cambridge.

Recent Upper Sixth Form Leaver

Sixth Form learning and achievement is distinctive at RGS. Small class sizes mean a personalised approach to learning, with additional drop-in booster lessons whenever needed. There are no blocks or columns when it comes to subject choices and options, only students and their aspirations and academic passions.

Teachers inspire young historians, geographers, mathematicians, linguists and scientists. A technologically fluent but relationship-focused learning environment at RGS buzzes with intellectual freedom and uses the best blend of modern and traditional methods to inspire.

A Reigatian will become confident and will try new things at the right time for them, both within and beyond the classroom. They develop a passion for learning and a spirit of enquiry, becoming independent and successful young adults.

Reigatians fly, unrestrained by national expectations, through an enriched curriculum that is not defined by examination boards but acts as a springboard to university and beyond. The outstanding academic culture The outstanding pastoral care means that there will in lessons and amazing co-curricular programme allow students to choose from an online open access course, a always be a friend or teacher to help them go further or, importantly, to catch them if they stumble. university-style research project, an EPQ and more.

Our Sixth Form students achieve at exceptional levels, securing some of the highest grades in the country, and they are well prepared for a life of fulfilment.

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REIGATIANS: A CARING COMMUNITY WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE CAN BE THEIR BEST AND DO THEIR BEST

Our young people are understood, respected and looked after so that they can make lifelong friendships and lifetime memories all the while happy, healthy and high achieving.

The Sixth Formers here often comment that RGS is like a big family. Sixth Formers join a Form, a House, are invited to join or lead in a range of clubs and societies and they have a home base in the inspiring Harrison Centre.

Students receive huge amounts of care and support as they reach the top of the school and, at the same time, are trained to be mentors themselves. Sixth Form students relish the chance to give back and encourage younger students in a virtuous circle of support that underpins our community.

The journey through the Sixth Form years will bring success, achievement and personal fulfilment. We will be there to share those successes but equally, and more importantly, we will be there to guide and support through any difficulties and challenges.

Safe in the knowledge that we care, Reigatians make great progress, explore talents that they didn’t know they had and achieve more than they ever thought possible.

If Sixth Formers are happy and healthy then they are able to flourish both in and out of the classroom.

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In my experience the pastoral care supplied by RGS is second to none.

It starts right at the beginning of the application process, and is integral to life at RGS. RGS Parent

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REIGATIANS: AS MANY WAYS TO ACHIEVE AS THERE ARE STUDENTS

Achievement matters and RGS regularly sends high numbers of students to Oxbridge, Medical School and Russell Group universities. Top exam results secure life chances.

Reigatians also achieve beyond the classroom in sporting, artistic and cultural arenas. Of course achievement matters but there needs to be as many ways to achieve as there are students in the Sixth Form.

The art displayed around the school is as likely to be from a future lawyer as it is from a student soon to start at Art School. Our students know a school that recognises the value of good manners, of being a true friend and doing the right thing.

Achievement and enjoyment at school are the launch pad for a sustainably happy and successful adult life.

There is so much more to a great education than exam results and at RGS we blend the academic work with the many other important things that open children’s eyes to a world of wonder and aspiration. Whether scuba diving in Belize, trekking in Morocco, playing cricket in Dubai or performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, our students have their eyes lifted to the horizon as they make lifetime friends and secure lifelong memories.

Those moments form us and set us up for a life well-lived. Securing those moments for our students is an important achievement. Achievement matters.

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THE HARRISON CENTRE The Sixth Form is based in the Harrison Centre, a state-of-the-art university style learning centre, an inspiring bridge between school and university, built in the heart of the school and opened in 2018.

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I love the Harrison Centre, it makes it a privilege to study here and it really helps the Sixth Form come together as one.

RGS Student

The informal learning areas benefit from a dedicated cafĂŠ and the library is technologically rich and well resourced. There are a range of dedicated areas for Sixth Form study and social time.

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REIGATIANS: LIFE AS A REIGATIAN

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Winning the NatWest Cup was a real highlight to finish the season and the boys put in a lot of work off the field to ensure they got excellent results.

Reigatian

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Thank you so much for all you and the other CCF staff members have done for him during his time as a cadet. I know he has fond memories of various activities and trips, and he has really enjoyed the responsibilities of being a senior cadet.

RGS Parent

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REIGATIANS: EXTRA CURRICULAR THE HEARTBEAT OF THE SCHOOL

School days should be great fun and develop personal character: time spent with friends full of laughter and full of wonder.

On the playing fields or on stage, walking in the mountains of Snowdonia or visiting vulnerable members of the local community, campaigning for a political cause or acting as assistant stage manager for the school production, there are so many ways to learn about yourself, to learn about others and to make the most of your school days. The extracurricular programmes are the heartbeat of the school and there is something here for every child.

Direct entry to the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, Biology Breakfast, Politics Society, taking up Ultimate Frisbee, orchestra and choral performances in London and around the world, Debating, Model United Nations, winning national titles in team sports – every day, a plethora of clubs, trips and activities see Sixth Form students engaged and having fun.

 Our daughter has been given countless opportunities to take part in so many enriching activities at RGS to which she otherwise would not have had access – she is thriving in every sense of the word.

RGS Parent

The House system allows leadership to be nurtured, talent to shine, confidence to surge, teamwork to flourish and a competitive spirit to develop. Most importantly, everyone feels part of the team. This enhances our ethos and our family atmosphere. Sports Day, House Music, Bake-off or House University Challenge are all fun and exciting and enhance important personal and community values.

Smiling and laughing, students’ aspirations evolve; their skills develop and their hopes for the future become clarified. As our young people experience the plethora of opportunities around us, they develop personal character that will set them up for a sustainably happy and successful adult life. They surprise their families and themselves, even though their teachers always just knew that they could do it!

The school believes that education is as much about building character and relationships as it is about gaining knowledge and aims to broaden the opportunities of each and every pupil through an exceptional array of opportunities and facilities in music, theatre and sport as well as dozens of clubs and societies.

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REIGATIANS: PERFORMING GREATS We are renowned for our excellence in drama with students regularly gaining national accolades for their creativity, professionalism and quality of performance.

Drama and theatre are vital to the life of RGS: it enriches, challenges and entertains us and gives our students the opportunity to understand themselves, question their own and others’ worlds.

RGS Drama has a national reputation for excellence and for the very best dramatic education. Numerous drama productions run each year ranging from Shakespearian highbrow to self-penned small ensemble pieces to classic pantomime farce. In the studio or on the stage, at a festival or on tour and at local schools, the opportunities to develop talent and be a part of the company are numerous.

Whether designing the set, props and costumes, or running the lighting, everyone is valued every bit as much as the star of the curtain call. Students are introduced to as wide a range of dramatic styles and periods as possible, both in school and through frequent visits to national theatres.

Reigatians repeatedly tell us that some of their favourite memories of school involve waiting in the wings in just too much make up, the smell of the stage lights warming up and the rousing applause of the final night of a run.

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REIGATIANS: MUSICAL TALENTS

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Congratulations on yet another amazing concert. To engage such a breadth of instruments, voices and ages, all at such a high standard, is skill in itself - but most importantly the enjoyment from the performers was very much apparent.

RGS Parent

Music helps the soul to soar and the heart to beat along. Music infuses our ethos and is an integral part of each school day, whether it be performances in assembly, a significant community event or one of the plentiful concerts that fill the calendar.

The hard work, talent and dedication of our musicians, supported by their teachers, shines whether at a recital at St Paul’s Cathedral, St John’s Smith Square or Cadogan Hall, at our annual Dorking Halls Concert, at a rock ballad performance in the Music School or as part of the Chamber Orchestra performing an overseas tour. The emphasis is on diversity and versatility with every pupil encouraged to develop their musical potential.

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REIGATIANS: GOOD SPORTS Our commitment to sport enables all students to maximise their ability, their progress and their enjoyment of sport.

Whether a student is an elite athlete, simply loves their sport or engages for all the physical and mental benefits sport and good health bring, they benefit from a combination of professional coaches for each major sport, strength and conditioning programmes, nutritional advice and physiotherapy support for injury prevention and recovery.

Our hockey, swimming, rugby and netball squads enjoy a busy calendar of fixtures, tours and tournaments throughout the winter months, as do the summer sports of cricket, tennis, athletics and rounders. Sport plays an important part in the House system with a full programme of interhouse sports competitions and challenges.

Thirty-two acres of sports grounds at RGS Hartswood include a hockey centre with two flood-lit all-weather pitches, rugby, cricket and football pitches and a pavilion with changing

facilities. Additional sports facilities, including a 25 metre indoor swimming pool, fitness centre, weights and conditioning room, sports hall, netball and tennis courts, cricket pitch and winter sport grass pitches are situated at the main school site.

Our sports development programme helps students to develop the habit of a winner, but not at all costs. Sporting values are important for life beyond school and the House system means that every single boy and girl can feel part of the team.

Sport is for everyone but not everyone will love the same sports. RGS is a highly personalised environment and students take part in a huge range of sporting activities. From trampolining to horse riding; from badminton to shooting; from rugby to biathlon; from dance to hockey; from cricket to netball; from climbing to swimming and from football to golf – young people and sport thrive at RGS.

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REIGATIANS: CREATIVE BY DESIGN Artists flourish and many Reigatians discover a talent that thrives here. Creativity in areas of art and design are an integral part of life at RGS. For the talented, for the enthused or for those who simply want to have a go, artists of all kinds will flourish here.

Our artists regularly win national competitions and the walls of the school are covered with hundreds of pieces of their artwork.

The Art & Design department is a centre of creativity and realisation. It is a place of inspiration and a creative sanctuary for many an absorbed young artist – wrestling with traditional techniques in oils, with photography (film or digital), with ceramics, use of metals, wood and plastic or with 3D printing, at the forefront of a new generation of creativity and design.

Art results are consistently high at all levels and our leavers gain places at some of the country’s top art schools including Central Saint Martins and Chelsea School of Art. Whether as an A Level student or just because you want to explore your creativity, you will find the art department will open your eyes to amazing creative possibilities.

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I will always be grateful to RGS for giving me the opportunity and freedom to explore my passion. I was fortunate to have some inspirational teachers who provided me with wonderful support and encouragement. I have much to be thankful for and am fortunate to have received such an excellent education.

Reigatian

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REIGATIANS: EXPLORERS AND ADVENTURERS

Sixth Form leadership, teamwork, resilience and problem solving are honed in our Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme which regularly sees RGS students awarded more Gold awards than any other school in the country. This option is taken up by large numbers of students. Challenging experiences of DofE hiking, canoeing and cycling expeditions provide adventures that build unique personal qualities and gel teams with stories and memories that stay with them forever.

Learn to fly solo, captain your own power boat, take the wheel of a Landrover, become expert in logistics and state-of-the-art satellite communications. You could become part of 100 years of tradition in the RGS CCF cadets who fly, sail, climb, learn mountain rescue and more!

From South Africa to Iceland, France to Dubai, Surrey to Snowdonia, Belize to New York – learning beyond the classroom, as we prepare today’s children to be global citizens, is really important. A love of learning ignited in the classroom is nurtured in an enriched curriculum experience. From History trips to the battlefields of the First World War; Classics trips to Greece and Biology trips to the tropics, students learn, grow and develop lifelong memories.

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REIGATIANS: SIXTH FORM LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING We believe in our young people so that they can achieve more than they dreamed possible, and they do so, again and again, whilst at school and beyond. Reigatians grow into mature adults with a secure moral compass, prepared and ready for a happy and successful adult life. Reigatians are effective professionals in their chosen field but are not lost to the work-day grind. They are good partners, parents, friends and neighbours with a fulfilled life inside and outside of their careers.

Our young adults, on the cusp of university and life beyond school, epitomise all that is best

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My education at RGS has provided me with the skills to pursue my ambitions and an environment where questions and challenges are always welcome.

Reigatian

about RGS whether leading in the House system, within the school community supporting and spearheading events for younger students or in the wider community. The hallmark of our Sixth Form is much more than just academic excellence.

We offer a remarkable breadth of training and opportunity for student leadership.

All students receive leadership training including guidance on skills such as public speaking, teambuilding and project management. There are a huge range of student leadership positions available including committees on Sport, Drama, Music, sustainability, charity and wellbeing.

ONCE A REIGATIAN: ALWAYS A REIGATIAN Students enjoy a lifelong relationship with their school and camaraderie with fellow Reigatians does not diminish once school days end. The rich programme of events established by the RGS Foundation brings Reigatians (pupils and parents) across the generations together for socialising, networking and the support of a common cause.

This pro-active, mutually supportive Reigatian community is exceptional and offers more and more opportunities to engage each year.

All good schools have an alumni community, but few maximise network benefits as effectively as the RGS Foundation which has a sophisticated professional network in both the UK and overseas.

Sixth Form students may connect with other Reigatians for mentoring, career support, work experience and also help with university choices. Each year, RGS Sixth Form students benefit from enrichment activities and opportunities provided by our Reigatian community. These range from career talks, lectures, visits to city firms and placements. Becoming a Reigatian truly opens doors of opportunity.

Whether in Devon or Scotland; London or New York; Singapore or Hong Kong; Surrey or Sydney – there is already a Reigatian network in place, established and ready to help students on their journey through adulthood beyond school – RGS is a school for life.

 Reflecting upon my journey, what I learnt at RGS is very much central to giving me the confidence and skills necessary to pursue the ventures I am involved in today.

Reigatian

INVITATION

RGS Sydney Gathering

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REIGATIANS: BEYOND SIXTH FORM RGS has an excellent record of preparing students to take the next step to university and beyond.

The last four years have been the highest attaining since records began.

Students consistently achieve in the region of 70% A*-A grades at A Level and almost one third of grades are A*.

Students at Reigate Grammar School typically gain 90%-95% A*-B grades at A Level.

Our success rate for medical school applications is second to none. For five years running every single medical school applicant has received an offer. We consistently send a large number of students to Oxbridge every year.

The university application process is supported by a dedicated careers team, a timetabled bespoke university guidance curriculum and a series of outstanding events such as our Higher Education Evening, Careers Convention and Medical Careers Evening. Further to this, we run specialist interview preparation sessions for Oxbridge, Medicine and Engineering applications, to name a few.

All students are given one-to-one bespoke advice and guidance throughout the university application process.

POPULAR UNIVERSITY DESTINATIONS Bath Cambridge Durham Exeter Loughborough Oxford POPULAR UNIVERSITY COURSES Computer Science Economics Engineering Geography Maths Medicine

I am really pleased about my results and it’s a really nice way to end a great summer and a really good two years at RGS. I am excited for a new challenge, to do new things and have new experiences.

Reigatian

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 The music department is more of a community than a department.

They made me feel very welcome and that has helped me thrive.

The most important thing about school life is to go beyond the curriculum and getting an A* in my EPQ will hopefully be an asset to me in the future.

Reigatian

Thank you so much for being such an amazing geography teacher, I’m so happy with my results and I’ll be off to Cambridge next month.

Reigatian

Well done to all the students who got their results today and will move on to the rest of their lives as Reigatians. They are a credit to themselves, their parents and the school.

RGS Parent

He feels sad to leave as it has felt like home for the last five years, but he’s ready and excited for a new challenge.

RGS Parent

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