Sixth Form Curriculum

The Wells Approach

The Wells framework provides an opportunity for Sixth Formers to study a wide range of subjects as part of a rounded academic education. As with other areas of the curriculum, we strive to be flexible and enable you to follow the best path for you. The overall approach allows you maximum flexibility in the number of ways you can combine subjects to match your other commitments in the Sixth Form. In all of this, careers advice and tutor consultation is vital.

It is essential to your broader education that cocurricular activity and non-academic commitment should balance the wide programme of education for which our school and Sixth Form has become renowned. You will find more details about this later in this guide. The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is a piece of independent research work mentored and taught in school and leading to an AS level equivalent. Results over recent years on the EPQ have been excellent, and EPQ has an increasingly positive profile with universities.

Except perhaps for specialist musicians, it is our expectation that pupils will start four subjects and will leave the Sixth Form with three A levels.

In addition to the subjects you choose, all pupils undertake a course across the first four terms of the Lower Sixth called ‘Life Skills’. This course is designed to prepare the pupils for broader life and includes an element of Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE), Team Building, and even some Cookery!

Making Your Choices

Towards the end of January pupils will be asked to make a set of subject choices from options columns (see page 29 for more detail on the options process). Pupils are also encouraged to indicate a combination of subjects that do not fit the published options columns. Once the option choices are in, we will undertake significant checking to determine whether it will be possible to change where subjects appear in the options columns.

After this point, the subject option blocks will be fixed to allow the process of timetabling to begin. However this doesn’t mean that your choices cannot change! It isn’t unusual for some pupils to change their mind once the GCSE results come out, and there will be an opportunity to discuss or possibly change your options in the few days before term starts in September.

Universities, Colleges and Careers

Most universities will base their offer on the pupils’ best three A level results (although for some courses they will specify grades in particular subjects). Please see page 15 for more information about university applications.

Subject Combinations

Some subjects at university will require you to study particular subjects (or at least one particular subject) at A level. For example, Medicine will require Chemistry, usually another Science, and one other A level; Engineering will require Mathematics and, preferably, Physics. It is also advantageous to study Maths alongside a Science subject and it is highly recommended that pupils studying Physics also study Maths. If you are uncertain what the requirements are likely to be for any particular subject then either speak to Mrs Rowley (Head of Sixth Form) or the Head of the appropriate Department or Faculty.

It is hoped that as many candidates as possible will choose one subject that contrasts with their other A level subjects, although this will depend, of course, upon the pupil’s interests. In addition some pupils may consider the EPQ as part of their course of study as a number have done in the current Lower Sixth.