Welcome to the Sixth Form
SixthFormHandbook2024/2025
Welcome to Sherfield School’s Sixth Form Handbook. This document is intended to be the go-to guide for all Sixth Form specific procedural information.
Should you have any questions about any of the information in the handbook, please email the Head of Sixth Form.
SIXTH FORM DRESS CODE
All Sixth Form students are expected to present themselves as professional, smart, role models that represent the school with pride at all times.
Formal Dress
(Speech Day; Remembrance Service; school representative duties; or occasions designated by the Head as ‘formal’)
A matching two- or three-piece suit (skirt or trousers) in plain, dark/muted colours.
Sixth form tie, or Sherfield Reward tie.
Working School Day
A dark, muted suit jacket with a dress, matching skirt or matching suit trousers, as appropriate.
- Suit jackets must be worn at all times when moving around the school.
Formal collared and buttoned shirt or blouse (no polo shirts).
Optional: Plain and dark (no visible branding) v-neck jumper, that should fit smartly under a suit jacket.
Optional: Sherfield Sixth Form Tie or School Reward Tie
Coats
May be worn over the jacket but may not replace it.
[Sports clothing may only be worn for sporting occasions and may not be worn during the regular working day.]
Shoes
Formal, smart shoes which must be kept clean
Make-up and Jewellery
Make-up and jewellery should be discreet and not cause comment.
*Gender-neutral and non-binary pupils should feel comfortable to make a thoughtful and considered choice about the clothes worn at school, but within the parameters outlined above.
**All pupils will have the freedom and security to dress appropriately according to religious conviction, following an explanation to, and approval from, the Head of Sixth Form.
***Footwear that is not acceptable includes trainers (including dark leather trainers), sandals, sliders and open-toed shoes
****Overall appearance should always be generally professional and should not cause comment.
If you are unsure as to whether an item of clothing complies with the Sixth Form Dress Code, please speak to the Head of Sixth Form prior to purchasing the item.
Sport and PE Dress Code
Full Sixth Form PE Kit must be worn for all Sports Activities occurring between 8am and 5:45pm, including individual usage of the school gym. This will comprise of:
Sherfield Sixth Form PE Polo Shirt
Sherfield Sixth Form PE Short and/or Sherfield Sixth Form PE Leggings
Sherfield Sixth Form PE ¼ zip
White, ankle-length sports socks
Sports trainers
Optional: Sherfield Sixth Form PE Waterproof
Optional: Sherfield Sixth Form PE Gillet
Purchasing School Ties and PE Kit
Sixth Form ties are available for purchase from the Friends of Sherfield Shop, at school, for a fee of £7.50.
Sixth Form PE kit is ordered from our uniform suppliers, Stevenson’s. Purchases can be made HERE.
The 2024/25 ordering window closes on Friday 2 August 2024. If you wish to purchase kit after this date, please email the Head of Sixth Form.
Please also note that sample sizes can also be tried on at school by speaking to the Head of Sixth Form
Click here to view the uniform handbook, which includes pictures of the sports kit and a sizing guide.
REQUIRED EQUIPMENT
Students are expected to have the following items of stationary at all times:
Pens
Pencils
Highlighter pen
Sharpener
Ruler
Eraser
Scissors
Glue stick
Students should also have at least two A4 lever arch folders for every subject. Teachers will advise if more than two folders are required.
Students studying A-Level Maths:
All mathematicians should have a scientific calculator and a graphical calculator. Please ensure the following models are purchased:
Scientific Calculator: Casio FX991 ES Plus OR Casio FX991 Classwiz
Graphical Calculator: Casio CG50
THE SCHOOL DAY
(inc. opening hours of the Sixth Form Centre)
The Sixth Form Study Room, Common Room and Kitchen are open for students from 7:30am each morning. They close to all pupils at 6:00pm, by which time all day pupils must be off-site and boarding students should be at dinner in the dining hall.
Sixth Form students are expected to arrive at school and be in their form room for 8:25am for registration each day.
8:25 Registration
8:55 Period 1
9:50 Period 2
10:45 Morning Break
11:10 Period 3
12:10 Period 4
13:10 Lunch
14:10 Period 5
15:15 Period 6
16:15 Tea/ Registration
16:30 Afterschool Clubs/Homewor
17:45 Afterschool Clubs Finish / Pi
SIXTH FORM AREAS
The Sixth Form Area consists of the following spaces on the school site:
The Sixth Form Study Room
The Sixth Form Common Room
The Sixth Form Kitchen
It is expected that all students treat these spaces with care and pride as they are exclusively for Sixth Form students. All members of the Sixth Form are expected to:
Leave the spaces clean and tidy
Treat all furnishings and facilities well and refrain from damaging them
Use storage areas for coats and bags
Only consume food and drink in the Sixth Form Kitchen
OFF-SITE AND OTHER PRIVILEGES
Sixth Form students are permitted to go off-site once during the school day (after break time), providing parental permission has been obtained. Students must identify in the signing-out book, where they are going and sign back in at reception when they return to school.
Sixth Formers are also welcome to eat lunch in their designated Lunch Period or during Period 4 between 12:10pm and 1:10pm during the Prep School lunchtime, should students have a free period at this time.
Sixth Form students are welcome to use the Gym and Fitness Suite during their free periods or before (after 7:30am) or after school (before 6:00pm), so long as it is not being used by the PE Department for teaching purposes.
STUDENT COMMUNICATION AND IT
All students are expected to use their school emails as the primary method of electronic communication with staff. Students should check their school email daily.
All Sixth Form notices will be shared via the Sixth Form Google Classroom which is accessible using the class code which will provided by tutors at the start of the academic year.
All students must join this online classroom and set up notifications so that they receive alerts of any new posts.
HOMEWORK AND INDEPENDENT LEARNING
During A-Level or BTEC study, students will have a significantly greater amount of time to work on tasks independently. As such, the quality, quantity and frequency of independent work completed by students is a huge factor in the success of students in KS5.
There is a strong body of research that suggests that students who achieve 3 x A / Distinction grades or better complete roughly 25 hours of independent work, outside of lesson time, per week.
Students will be set somewhere in the region of one hour of homework per lesson but should note that they must work beyond this to achieve the highest grades at KS5. Students will receive a great deal of guidance on how to work independently at the start of Year 12 or during their Pre-A year, but below are the forms of work that students should do beyond their homework and classwork and complete weekly:
1.
Preparatory reading for the forthcoming lesson/topic
Make notes on concepts, knowledge, processes or ideas that will be part of the next lesson to help your contextual learning ahead of the next lesson.
2. Create consolidatory notes and revision materials on topics recently covered
As your Sixth Form journey will only last 5 terms, revising prior learning as you continue to study new knowledge is crucial. The creation of flashcards, mind maps and other revision materials weekly is highly recommended.
3. Regular low-stakes testing
Use platforms such as Seneca or upLearn to test your understanding of recently covered and historic topics. Try to interleave old and new knowledge when testing as this is what you will face in the exam. Equally, you can work with peers to test one another, or provide family and friends with flash cards to test you. In STEM subjects, complete end of chapter questions in textbooks to consolidate topic specific learning.
HOMEWORK AND INDEPENDENT LEARNING
4. Completing past papers and exam questions
Practicing exam questions and papers in a critical part of your preparation for your exams. Completing practice papers and getting them marked, self-assessing your work using the mark schemes and using examiners reports will help to familiarise yourself with how to be successful when it comes to your final examinations. Analyse your performance on these questions and papers to inform what content you need to cover again in revision and re-do questions where you have been successful until you master the question and knowledge required.
5. Read around your subject to provide yourself with a deeper and broader contextual knowledge of your subject, especially in subjects that relate to your chosen higher education pathway.
Expanding your knowledge of topics that are beyond the A-Level or BTEC curriculum will help to prepare you to make competitive higher education applications but also support you in understanding the knowledge that is part of the A-Level or BTEC syllabus. Keep brief notes on anything that you read, listen to or watch as part of this. Academic journals, taster lectures, MOOCs and podcasts are great sources of such knowledge.
PASTORAL SUPPORT AND KEY INDIVIDUALS
Role Name
Head of School
Head of Sixth Form –
Assistant Headteacher
Deputy Headteacher
Designated Safeguarding Lead
Ms C. Taylor
Mr A. Robertson
Sixth Form Tutors
Examinations Officer
Special Educational Needs
Co-ordinator and
Senior Inclusion Lead
Boarding Housemaster
School Nurse
School Counsellor
Contact Details
hmpa@sherfieldschool.co.uk
a.robertson1@sherfieldschool.co.uk
Mr T. Wilde t.wilde@sherfieldschool.co.uk
Mr D. Page
Year 12 -
Mrs C. Gillard Jenner & Mrs
M. Younger-Murray
Year 13 – Miss S. Rus
d.page@sherfieldschool.co.uk
c.gillard-jenner@sherfieldschool.co.uk m.younger-murray@sherfieldschool.co.uk
s.rus@sherfieldschool.co.uk
Mrs R. Wilson r.wilson@sherfieldschool.co.uk
Mrs K. Walsh k.walsh@sherfieldschool.co.uk
Mr O. Bailey o.bailey@sherfieldschool.co.uk
Mrs R. Redbond nurses@sherfieldschool.co.uk
Mrs F. Smith f.smith@sherfieldschool.co.uk
Main Reception N/A
info@sherfieldschool.co.uk
Student Leadership Team 2024/25
Head Prefects Aayan Thapa and Jennifer Mucheuki
Deputy Head Prefects Emily Collis and Thomas Levy
REPORTING & REQUESTING ABSENCE
Planned absence
If absence is known in advance, parents/guardians/carers should request absence promptly by sending one email to the Head of Sixth Form, copying in the Form Tutor and the Reception team’s email address.
On the day of absence
Should a student be ill or there be an emergency that means they cannot attend school, please either: send an email to the Head of Sixth Form, copying in the Form Tutor and the Main Reception email OR call the school absence line on 01256 884800.
If possible, an email is the preferred method of absence reporting as this allows all stakeholders to be aware of a pupil’s absence in the most efficient manner.
Finally, please note that all absence requests and notifications must be made by a parent, guardian or carer, even when a student is 18+ years old.
Absence information for boarding pupils
Any boarding students who are ill will be assessed by the member(s) of boarding staff on duty and, where required, the School Nurse. They will then report absence to school. Please note that is not acceptable for boarding students to arrive at school after the start of a school term or to depart prior to the end of a term, other than if there is an emergency which requires this. Parents and guardians should not book any air travel tickets during term time unless prior consent has been given by the Head of Sixth Form.
MOBILE PHONES
Sixth Form students are allowed to use their mobile phones in the Sixth Form Centre only. Outside of the Sixth Form Centre, mobile phones must be switched off and stored in a bag or locker. If you are found using a mobile phone during the school day without the permission of a member staff, it will be confiscated.
STUDENT CARS AND PARKING ON-SITE
Students who have passed their driving test are most welcome to park on the school site in the staff car park on the right-hand side as you approach the school. In order to do this, parents must consent by emailing the Head of Sixth Form giving consent and providing details of the car’s make, model and registration number.
Students are not permitted to travel in one another’s cars unless parents have provided consent for this to happen. Consent can again be provided by emailing the Head of Sixth Form.
BEHAVIOUR AND SANCTIONS
There are rarely any behaviour issues in the Sixth Form, although any infringements in conforming to expectations we have about behaviour and conduct around the school will be reported to parents or guardians by the Head of Sixth Form. In extreme cases, this may necessitate a meeting with a parent or guardian to discuss the situation further.
The following lists the range of strategies that may be applied should the need arise:
• loss of break
• after school or Saturday detention
• loss of privileges
• supervised withdrawal from class
• letter home
• fixed term exclusion in school
• fixed term exclusion from school (suspension)
• parental consultation and agreed behaviour plan • permanent exclusion (expulsion)
Teachers may issue an after-school detention if homework or behaviour does not meet expected standards. Any incident for which a detention is issued is always reported to parents or guardians by the subject teacher, with a 24-hour notice period given.
TermDates
AUTUMNTERM2024(SeptembertoDecember)
Term: Monday 2 September to Friday 13 December
Half Term Closure: Monday 21 October to Friday 1 November
SPRINGTERM2025(JanuarytoApril)
Term: Monday 6 January to Friday 4 April
Half Term Closure: Monday 17 February to Friday 21 February
SUMMERTERM2025(ApriltoJuly)
Term: Monday 28 April to Friday 4 July
Bank Holiday Closure: Monday 5 May
Half Term Closure: Monday 26 May to Friday 30 May
All dates are inclusive
