Welcome to The QKS Sixth Form

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2 Welcome to The QKS Sixth Form After more than 25 successful years, The Queen Katherine School Sixth Form is established in a dedicated, state of the art building. The Sixth Form is an exciting, thriving community which welcomes any student who can benefit from our range of courses, wherever they have previously studied. The Sixth Form offers the opportunity to have fun as well as developing initiative, a sense of responsibility, independence of mind, tolerance, self discipline and the ability to work without supervision. We are proud of what we offer and the way that students respond. Our reputation is built on high quality teaching, careful monitoring of each student s needs and a strong pastoral support programme. Students benefit from both our academic and social programmes and the excellent relationships with staff. We offer a wide range of opportunities in sports, music, drama, culture, community, residential experiences and other extracurricular activities, as well as a full spectrum of Advanced Level courses.

3 Excellent teaching and facilities The Sixth Form provision is outstanding. Students achieve standards that are exceptionally high and achievement is excellent. OFSTED The Queen Katherine School Sixth Form is a friendly, inclusive group where hard-working staff and students together create a vibrant community. Given appropriate support, students mature rapidly between the ages of 16 and 18 and the school tries to create an atmosphere in which young people can enjoy learning about themselves, their chosen subjects and the world around them. Emerging adulthood is an exciting but challenging period and our successes demonstrate that we have the resources and the sensitivity to motivate and support the vast majority of our students. They want to create varied and interesting lessons where students are guided and supported in a much more friendly and interactive atmosphere than they have previously experienced. Students thrive in the Sixth Form finding the courses hard work but more personalised than their school experience. Anyone who looks at league tables or lists of top schools in the press knows that The Queen Katherine School achieves excellent results. What might not be apparent from the league tables is that students with modest achievement at GCSE often make outstanding progress. Staff are well qualified and experienced and they enjoy teaching at Advanced Level. Because most have taught throughout the school, they understand the students prior learning and have realistic expectations about the point at which students begin A level courses.

4 Students are exceptionally well supported and those facing considerable difficulties are given exceptional support to ensure they complete their studies. OFSTED While the press are apt to focus on the students with 5 A grades at Advanced Level who are going to Oxford or Cambridge, here at QKS we take equal delight in the students going to top universities who joined us with mainly B and C grades at GCSE. About 90% of students leaving our Sixth Form progress to Higher Education, often after a gap year. For those students who do not wish to continue in full time education, employment opportunities in this area are limited.thus the high proportion of students from this group who leave The Queen Katherine School and gain jobs with good prospects is a particular achievement. Much of our success rests on the quality of monitoring and guidance in the Sixth Form. All students are allocated to a small tutor group with whom they will spend both registration time and the weekly tutorial lesson. Initially the tutorial programme focuses on the development of good study skills and the transition to Advanced Level learning, moving through a range of topics including: healthy living, guidance for higher education or achieving employment, the debating of political issues, preparation for interviews and guidance on finance. Alongside the weekly sessions, one to one interviews with tutors are a regular feature. Here both students and tutors can discuss successes and problems and careful monitoring systems mean that tutors get monthly feedback on the progress of all students. High quality support and guidance The Head and Deputy Head of the Sixth Form are closely involved in the guidance process.their offices open onto the atrium area that students use for private study and therefore there is ready access and an easy relationship with Sixth Form staff. We see Sixth Form education as a partnership between our students, their families and the school staff. We encourage students to attend consultation evenings with their parents and students have an input to subject reports. Most students have good relationships with families who are eager to support their children whilst they are in the Sixth Form. We enjoy positive relationships with parents and we believe it is important to keep in touch when difficulties arise.

5 The Sixth Form that QKS has created, has allowed our daughter to find her strengths and make fantastic progress. A PARENT A wide range of other opportunities Many of our students are very active people.they balance study, paid work and socialising with making the best use of the range of opportunities the Sixth Form has to offer. Many enjoy the excellent music facilities, playing in groups or singing in school choirs. Charity fund-raising and activities like the anti-bullying group appeal to some while others enjoy representing the school in sporting fixtures. Each year the school musical and drama activities involve large numbers of Sixth Formers. On one afternoon each week, Sixth Form teaching is suspended to allow a wide range of enhancement activities: volunteering in the community, working in primary schools, Young Enterprise, cookery for students, editing the school magazine, completing a Sports Leadership Award are examples of the opportunities offered. Most students in year 12 will be timetabled for 23 periods but those who study fewer subjects will be expected to broaden their experience. Working with staff in supporting younger students, working in the LRC, undertaking alternative courses at other institutions are possible options. Sixth Form education is a partnership. Students and staff work together to create a collaborative environment and Sixth Form students can expect supportive and open relationships with staff built on mutual respect. In return staff expect students to be in school at 8.50 am for morning registration and to remain at school until 3.20 pm unless alternative arrangements have been agreed by their tutors and parents. The excellent Sixth Form study areas are not permanently supervised; students are trusted to be sufficiently responsible to engage in quiet private study if they are not timetabled for a lesson. Students are allowed to leave the premises for short periods during the day, often for short refreshment trips. We believe that students should complete hours private study per week outside the school day, thus we recommend that paid employment should be limited to 12 hours each week. Many of our students are probably not aware that we have guidelines on dress because we rarely need to discuss them. Our experience suggests that almost without exception, Sixth Form students can build up a wardrobe that reflects personal choice and is appropriate for a school environment.

6 Choosing to join QKS Sixth Form... Students Questions Answered Is it worth staying on into the Sixth Form? Wouldn t I be better off leaving school and getting a job, looking for an apprenticeship or going to college? It depends what is best for you as an individual, taking into account your career intentions, your level of maturity, and your ability and aptitude. Clearly, if you plan to study A levels with a view to going on to higher education, the QKS Sixth Form is the place for you; you will be with like-minded friends and teachers with a proven record of success. As a new student joining the school, how easily will I fit in? Approximately 20% of our Sixth Form comprises students who have joined the school at 16. Many students come from Settlebeck, other local secondary schools and the private sector as well as further afield. It rarely takes longer than a few days to settle and existing students are very welcoming. We encourage visits from prospective students and offer them the opportunity to meet staff as well as students who themselves joined the school as Sixth Formers. How do I go about choosing my A level subjects? You will find specific advice about this in the relevant subject sections. You should choose subjects which interest you, which you are good at and which will meet the requirements of your higher education and career plans. Don t forget that you can start some subjects in the Sixth Form even if you haven't studied them in Years 10 and 11, and that the preliminary choices you make now can be changed later on. Do I have to commit myself now to joining the Sixth Form and to certain subjects? No. We ask you and your parents to complete an application form to join the Sixth Form, which will give us an indication of your requirements and intentions so that we can begin to plan our courses and timetable. You will have an interview with Mrs Earle, Head of Sixth Form or Mrs Samuel, Deputy Head of Sixth Form when your proposed course will be discussed. As soon as the examination results come out at the end of August, there will be opportunities for you to discuss your plans again. Your final commitment to any course will not be until you enrol in September. Can I change my subjects once I ve started and can I leave at any time? The answer to both parts of the question is Yes, but we would expect you to discuss your intentions with your tutor just as you would any other academic or related matter, as soon as you sense that you want to make a change. My question hasn t been asked, or answered. There is a simple answer to that one: ASK! Mrs Earle or any teacher would be happy to answer any other questions.

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