Sixth Form Information

Sixth Form Information Sheet

Head of Sixth Form (Years 12 and 13) Mrs D Seagrove
Careers Advisor Sally Stimpson

What to expect as your child moves into the Sixth Form at St Bernard’s In Sixth Form, students become more independent and are responsible for managing their studies. They are encouraged to take part in community service, both in and out of school.

Activities: Year 12 activities, which are on the school calendar, depend on the subjects studied. Students can use the school gym at lunchtime, and do a range of PE activities. There are many clubs in which they can participate.

In the first term, Year 12 students organise a Christmas party for the elderly in the local community. In the Spring term, the officers (i.e. Head Boy, Head Girl, Deputy Head Boy, Deputy Head Girl, and Games’ Captains, House Captains and Prefects) are elected. They stay in post for a year. The Head Girl and Head Boy sit on the School Council. All officers are very involved in the life of the school. The House Captains organise House assemblies and help the Games’ Captains with Sports Day.
One of the biggest responsibilities for the officers is organising Guardian Angels in the October of their Year 13. They also help to arrange the Year 13 Ball, which is the final event held at the end of June.

Year 12 courses: AS Levels: students take four or five AS levels in Year 12; they can choose to drop one of these subjects in Year 13. Some subjects have coursework. The AS exams take place in January/February and May/June.

Study leave: students have some study leave for exams in May and return to school in June to start the A2 courses. They are expected to manage their study time and use it productively, seeking advice where necessary from staff who are available at this time.

Year 13 courses (A2s): students take three or four subjects. The exams take place in January/February and May/June. Students go on study leave in mid-May. Many university places are reliant upon the grades achieved, and so it is vital that students make the most of the opportunities to study, and avail themselves of the help offered by staff at this time.

Progress Reports: parents are kept informed of students’ progress with Effort & Attainment grade sheets, together with a full written report in both Year 12 and Year 13. There are also two parents’ evenings, one in January of Year 12 and the other in December of Year 13.

Higher Education and Careers Advice: Mrs Stimpson gives advice from the Spring term of Year 12 onwards, regarding Higher Education and careers opportunities. Year 12 students attend a Higher Education conference and can do the ‘Centigrade’ questionnaire for further information.

Higher Education Choices: students start to look at their choices, such as universities, in the Spring term of Year 12. There is a Higher Education Evening: this is for Year 12 students and parents; it explains the process of how to apply for Higher Education and informs parents of the financial implications. In Year 13, students who want to go to universities should complete their university application forms (UCAS Forms) by the end of November, unless they are either Oxbridge, medical or dentistry students, in which case the deadline is early October. Students choose five universities, and write a personal statement. They are supported by tutors, subject staff and Mrs Stimpson when writing their personal statements.
Finally, tutors write the academic reference and this is checked by both Mrs Seagrove and Mr McAteer. Once the application has been sent to UCAS, students await their offers. These offers must be accepted by the appropriate dates, as indicated.