Guidance for students

In the Sixth Form, a large part of how successful you are is down to how effectively you work outside of lessons. Part of this work is completing homework assignments set by your teachers. Even more important is the work you set for yourself. What this involves will depend on your courses, but it is your responsibility to identify work that will benefit you while you are in school. Three hours per day of learning outside the classroom is a ‘bare minimum’ – do less than this, and you will significantly reduce your chance of success at the end of Year 13.

Attendance and punctuality are key elements to your academic success. You must attend every lesson and be on time and ready to learn right from the start. Be aware of how long it takes to walk from the Sixth Form Centre to your lessons. If you are more than 10 minutes late to a lesson, you will not be admitted. It is never acceptable to not know where you are supposed to be!

If you are unable to attend school, your parents/carers must call the School Absence Line and select the Sixth Form option. This must be done as soon as possible each day you are absent.

If you are aware in advance that you will be unable to attend school you should inform staff in the Sixth Form Office before the day of absence, in addition to informing your teachers in advance and obtaining any missed work. Routine medical appointments, driving lessons and parcel delivery are not valid reasons for absence, however, driving tests, university open days or interviews, and some medical appointments are!

In the first few weeks of Year 12 it may be possible to change subjects if needed. This must be discussed with the Sixth Form Senior Staff, and it is not possible to make any changes after the end of September.

Progression into Year 13 depends on successful completion of Year 12. Repeating a year of Sixth Form is only possible in exceptional circumstances. If you feel you are on the wrong courses or that you are unlikely to succeed for any reason, you must talk to Sixth Form Senior Staff urgently.

Repeated lack of attendance, lateness or homework problems, poor behaviour and serious concerns over the quality of your work, can all result in a contract. You will receive two Formal Warnings if you fail to meet the targets agreed on your contract, and a third failure will result in you leaving the Sixth Form.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your school email account works, and that you check this regularly, as well as reading all Epraise messages. Our policy is for staff to not use students’ personal emails for communication.

If a member of staff is absent, work will set on Epraise, which must be completed before your next lesson with that member of staff.

It is your responsibility to accurately record homework tasks and plan when to do the work – you should be prepared to show your tutor records of this planning. If you arrive at a lesson without homework, you should expect to have to leave the classroom to complete it nearby, e.g. in another classroom under the supervision of a teacher. This is to ensure that the work is completed and that you do not miss too much lesson time. If you know you cannot meet a deadline, it is up to you to communicate this to your teacher and arrange an extension before the deadline.

Paid work can be an excellent learning experience as well as a source of income, but the time taken up can seriously impact on your progress with school work. We strongly recommend 9 hours per week as a maximum, and fewer in the build-up to exams.

Phones, tablets and other mobile devices offer many educational benefits – a guide to connecting them to the school network is available. Their use in lessons and tutor time must only be with the explicit agreement of the teacher or tutor, and staff will confiscate devices that are used without permission. Phones should not be used on Centre Site but can be used in the Sixth Form building. However if they are misused during study periods e.g. for gaming they may be confiscated.

Your dress should be appropriate for a place of work and must avoid offending any member of our school or local community. Vests, vest-tops and crop-tops are not acceptable. Jeans are, but should be clean and not ripped. Skirts and shorts should be knee-length.