Sixth Form Prospectus 2014

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ST ALBANS SCHOOL SIXTH FORM

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The Sixth Form Curriculum The Sixth Form curriculum aims at academic excellence and the nurture of intellectual curiosity.

In the Lower Sixth all students study four subjects at AS level and are free to choose whatever subject combination they wish. In the Upper Sixth most students take three subjects to the full A level with a significant number taking four.

At every step of their Sixth Form education our students receive expert support and guidance in making informed choices to realise their academic potential and aspirations. In addition to excellent teaching in small groups, there are also after-school classes and clinics to help students advance their studies beyond the syllabus.

The Sixth Form curriculum is designed to offer intellectual breadth as well as depth. Beyond their AS and A level subject choices, all our students study AS Critical Thinking to prepare them for the university admissions tests increasingly employed by selective universities as part of their admissions process. The challenging General Studies programme in the Lower Sixth comprises a diverse variety of short courses on topics ranging from the arts to the sciences while in the Upper Sixth we offer a weekly lecture by outside speakers.

Recognising the value that selective universities place upon not just excellent examination results but genuine intellectual curiosity and an aptitude for independent study, the School offers students a broad programme of after-school intellectual clubs and societies and the opportunity of extension lessons and an Extended Project in a subject of their choice.

For more detail on the Sixth Form curriculum and the full range of AS and A level subjects, please see the accompanying insert in the back of this brochure.

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The Sixth Form at St Albans School is made up of boys who have moved through from our own Fifth Form (Y11) and new boys and girls who join us through 16+ entry. Girls first joined the School in 1991 and now form a significant and well- integrated proportion of the Sixth Form community. There are a number of bursaries and scholarships available in the Sixth Form.

Our Sixth Form provides an excellent education whereby pupils can achieve the highest academic standards and develop their potential to the maximum.

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Pastoral All Sixth formers are members of a small tutor group and their tutor is responsible for their academic and pastoral welfare. Tutors are the first point of contact for parents and oversee the progress of their tutees through the Sixth Form and application to Higher Education.

Weekly tutor periods and Personal, Social and Health Education lessons enable tutors to get to know their charges extremely well both academically and in their wider involvement in the School community.

Small tutor groups mean that our Sixth Form enjoy excellent pastoral and academic support from their tutor throughout their time in the Sixth Form.

The Sixth Form enjoys the use of a well equipped Sixth Form Centre, incorporating a study area with wi fi access and newspapers and journals, a comfortable common room, a well stocked Higher Education and Careers room and a Sixth Form cafĂŠ.

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Higher Education and careers advice At St Albans School all students benefit from expert support and advice to help them make an informed choice about undergraduate options and future careers.

Throughout the autumn and spring terms, we run a comprehensive programme of presentations to offer students and parents an insight into popular undergraduate courses and possible future careers in fields such as finance, medicine and the law. These events are an opportunity to hear from former students and expert practitioners about how to make a successful Higher Education application and lay the foundations for a successful future career.

Starting in the spring term of the Lower Sixth, all students receive bespoke guidance from their pastoral tutor and Year Head and are allocated an experienced mentor to help them negotiate every step of the university application process. We have a dedicated and experienced team to oversee applications to Oxford and Cambridge and to help those intending to read Medicine, Veterinary Science and Dentistry.

In addition to Higher Education advice, the School offers a comprehensive programme of careers advice. All new students entering the Sixth Form will take a Morrisby Test to appraise their aptitudes. During the Lower Sixth they will all undertake a week of work experience and participate in the School’s annual Business Conference, where they will have the opportunity to develop the “soft skills” much prized by employers.

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Extra-curricular In extra-curricular, as in academic matters, the School offers a wealth of opportunity in which all students are treated as individuals and encouraged to develop their personal potential beyond the classroom. We place great importance on offering responsibility, challenge and the development of citizenship skills through a diverse range of activities and societies.

Leadership Our Sixth formers are expected to play a significant role in the running and organisation of the School as prefects, House Captains, Non Commissioned Officers in the CCF and organisers on various committees. The School’s motto Non Nobis Nati (Born not for ourselves) exemplifies the value that we place on service to the School and wider community

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The Combined Cadet Force The CCF provides opportunities to pursue an interest in matters military without making any firm commitment to join any of the armed forces. It also offers cadets the opportunity of adventurous experience, both military and non-military, at a high level of performance.

Activities include abseiling, camp craft, canoeing, climbing, field craft, flying, gliding, hill walking, mountaineering, orienteering, parachuting, and shooting. The Cadet Force encourages the exercise of leadership at Sixth form level. CCF training camps in Britain and abroad are great opportunities for personal development as well as being enormous fun.

The School’s mission is to help all our pupils fulfil their potential by offering the widest range of opportunities and activities.

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The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme The Award at Gold level has five sections: Volunteering, Skills, Physical Recreation, Expedition and a Residential Project, across which participants have to reach a recognised standard by the age of twentyfive. The Gold Expedition section demands a level of individual competence in camp craft, navigation, route-planning and living for four days in a remote wilderness area; recent expeditions have been to the Picos de Europa in Spain, the French Pyrenees and the Peak District.

Participation in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is an important component of the broader education on offer at St Albans School.

The School is an Independent Operating Authority and has a team of willing and experienced volunteer staff.

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Sport Sport plays an important role in the life of the School and we are fortunate to boast some of the best sporting facilities anywhere in the country. Woollams, our state-of-the-art playing fields, are home to our sports teams and the location of weekly Games lessons. All students have the opportunity to participate in a vast range of sporting activities, from the major seasonal sports of rugby, hockey and cricket, through to netball, tennis and lacrosse. The School also has a nationally acclaimed record of success in individual pursuits such as cross country and athletics. In total, over a dozen Games options are available on a Senior Games afternoon with still more outside the normal teaching day and the School can accommodate students of every aptitude and sporting interest.

We aim to develop the health and ďŹ tness of all our pupils and to provide the opportunity to learn skills in some 20 dierent sporting activities

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Conservation The Conservation Group offers the chance to get outside and do some physical work helping to maintain biodiversity in the local environment.

The aim is to foster an awareness of local conservation issues and to help the community. Recent projects have included planting sapling trees at Heartwood Forest in Sandridge, developing our own allotment at Cheapside, coppicing woodland at Wheathampstead Nature Reserve, management of the conservation area at Bricket Wood Common (SSSI) and clearance of the Roman Ditch in Verulamium Park.

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Partnership Scheme with local Primary Schools and Community Link The Partnership Scheme sees our students demonstrate their expertise as classroom assistants, deliverers of computer-assisted learning and, perhaps more importantly, as one-to-one mentors of younger children in local primary schools. Our Sixth formers offer reading and numeracy support or aspects of National Curriculum Science. They also get the chance to help with such diverse activities as playing football, gardening projects and finger painting or assisting with practical tasks, including putting up displays or helping with the school’s website design.

Community Link offers opportunities for working with senior citizens in care homes and with young people in Special Schools. Theses placements broaden our Sixth Formers perspective on life, and as well as being hugely rewarding, can help give some practical experience to those thinking of a career in the medical sciences, psychology, sociology, or the caring professions.

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Houses There are four houses, each named after an eminent figure from the School: Hawking, Hampson, Marsh and Renfrew. Sixth Formers have important positions of responsibility in organising House activities, which range from the sporting through the dramatic and musical, to the charitable.

The Houses offer pupils of all ages the opportunity to take a measure of responsibility and to represent their House in a range of competitions.

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Drama and Music The Drama and Music departments are thriving with many opportunities for public performance. The Drama department stages productions throughout the year and welcomes involvement from Sixth Formers regardless of their subject choices. Recent productions have included Macbeth, Tom Jones and Great Expectations. The School Choir sings twice a week in the Abbey and is central to events such as Founders Day and the Carol Service at Christmas, and there are many ensembles and bands offering music from Renaissance to rock.

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Publications A school like St Albans never stops making news, from academic achievement to sports results, from concerts to plays, charity events to building developments. This great range of activity is recorded and presented by the Publications Department who manage information about St Albans School and its activities and publish it in a variety of media. Much of it will appear in the School magazine, The Albanian, as well as the termly edition of Highlights, which, as the title implies, focuses on the significant events of the previous term. Sixth Formers work alongside staff to create these publications and contribute to the School Website.

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ST ALBANS SCHOOL St Albans School, Abbey Gateway, St Albans, Herts. AL3 4HB Phone: 01727 855521 • Fax 01727 843447

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