WELCOME WELCOME The Charter School is an outstanding and extremely harmonious school that cares exceptionally well for its students. The effectiveness of care, guidance and support is outstanding: the attention to the needs of individuals is an absolute strength of the school. Ofsted The Sixth Form at The Charter School inspires young people and delivers the very best standards of teaching and learning. The great majority of our Year 11 move into the Sixth Form and we welcome about 60 students at this stage from other schools. Young people graduate from this school as mature, responsible, resilient and flexible lifelong learners, happy and equipped to thrive in the new knowledge-based economy and the global challenges of the 21st century.
ACHIEVEMENTS ACHIEVEMENTS The fantastic quality of our teaching staff, our robust, leading edge monitoring systems and a range of academic support have all contributed to the success of our pupils. In 2017, the A Level results were the best ever, 73% of all grades were A*- B and 100% of BTEC grades achieved were Distinction*/Distinction. These results mean 93% of all our young people that applied to University or Art College secured a place at their chosen destination. We also offer other opportunities for students to achieve. The Sixth Form counts among its cohorts the national winner of Amnesty International Young Human Rights Photographer competition and the winner of the Peterhouse Thomas Campion English Prize essay. Sporting achievements include the Sixth Form football team winning the 2016 South London Post 16 cup!
OUR FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE AND PASTORAL SUPPORT OUR FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE AND PASTORAL SUPPORT Students entering the Sixth Form are assigned a tutor who takes an active role in their transition from GCSE to A Level and who focuses on students welfare and progress. Tutor groups, as well as other team building activities, promote rapid integration for those joining from other schools. All students start each day at registration with their tutors. They also have a one-hour assembly each week which brings the whole year group together to enjoy talks from visiting speakers, as well as an opportunity for the Year Leader to share information and celebrate achievements. The programme of speakers reflects a wide range of subjects chosen to enrich pupils awareness of their own and other people s views of the world.
CURRICULUM CURRICULUM We combine an enjoyment of academic study with a lively sixth form life that prepares students for university, apprenticeships and the wider world. Independent learning is expected in study periods as well as outside of school. In nearly all cases, students are advised to choose subjects based on their interests and aptitude, rather than on any supposed requirements in the future. Please bear in mind that entry to a university course may or may not be dependent on your child having studied a particular subject, or a combination of subjects. Do not assume, please check early. Engineering and Medicine are two notable examples of university courses which do have one or more subject requirements. For some courses at top universities where Mathematics is required, you may need to consider Further Mathematics. There are a few other examples; please see Subject Leaders if you need more information or advice. Further guidance can also be sought at the Taster Day or Enrolment Day (see Key Dates section). Decision-making is not easy, but the more carefully you consider the information and advice in the subject leaflets (enclosed) the more likely you are to enjoy advanced studies at the Charter School Sixth Form. We offer more than 25 A Levels and BTEC subject choices and we do our utmost to enable students to select a combination of subjects that interests them. The majority of students in Year 12 will choose to study four subjects which will be a choice of three A levels and 1 AS level or the Extended Project Qualification. Most students will continue with the study of their A levels in Year 13. A Level subjects available are: Arts: Fine Art, Photography, Music, Drama, Media Studies. Languages: English Literature, French, Spanish. Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, Mathematics, Further Mathematics. Humanities: Economics, Geography, History, Politics, Religious Studies, Sociology. Technology: Design and Technology. Some of the above will be available as AS level qualifications in Year 12. BTEC subjects available are: Business Studies, ICT, Performing Arts and Sport. These subjects occasionally vary from year to year due to student, staffing and timetable constraints and thus are always subject to change. Please see further information in the subject leaflets (enclosed). The availability of any chosen subject, or subject combination, will depend on student demand, on staff availability and on timetabling contingencies. Most choices can be met, but not all can be guaranteed. Classes with interest from very few pupils are not viable for timetabled teaching and are thus unlikely to run.
AS Level qualification The AS (Advanced Subsidiary) level is a stand-alone qualification examined at the end of the first year. The grade you achieve for this qualification will not count towards your final A level grade. It is possible to take an AS qualification without going on to complete the full A Level An AS level pass is awarded a grade from A to E Worth up to 20 UCAS points each. A Level qualification Stand-alone qualification examined at the end of Year 13 An A level pass is awarded a grade from A*-E Worth up to 56 UCAS points each. Extended Project Qualification Completed in one academic year, usually Year 12 A unique opportunity to complete a project on the topic of your choice in the style of an undergraduate dissertation. Worth up to 28 UCAS points (and therefore worth more than an AS level). BEYOND THE CLASSROOM BEYOND THE CLASSROOM It is important for students to understand that they are expected to take part in a wide range of additional opportunities provided for them at the Sixth Form. Whether this is in a sports club, completing the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, leading the Student Council, singing in the Choir, or discussing controversial topics at the History Symposium, a wide range of co-curricular activities are available on site. Students are also expected to complete 30 hours of volunteering in Year 12, which may include mentoring younger students in English or Maths, or another activity completed out of school. We encourage students to be outward-looking by taking advantage of the opportunities provided to explore the world beyond school. There are numerous chances to attend lectures, visit galleries and museums and attend theatre productions. We also visit and work with businesses based in and around the City of London. We also go further afield with trips to New York, Iceland, Sicily, Romania, Croatia and Rome.
FACILITIES FACILITIES Sixth formers have their own common room where they can study in pairs or groups. Students also have their own Silent Study Room and their own section in the Library which are both equipped with IT facilities and the ideal places to complete independent study, both during the school day and before and after the timetabled school day. Students can also enjoy the use of the Sixth Form Café which is open all day for snacks and refreshments, this is the ideal place to work in small groups. KEY DATES KEY DATES Open Evening Thursday 9 November 2017 4.30-7pm Application Deadline Thursday 7 December 2017 at 3pm. Application forms are available at the Open Evening and available to download from the website from 10 November. Taster Day Friday 13 July 2018 (To be confirmed closer to date) The Charter School will be open to prospective students and will provide taster lessons to support students to make the right subject choices. GCSE Results Day Thursday 23 August 2018 Students who will be new to The Charter School must bring in official documentation of their results; the deadline is 12:30pm. Year 12 Enrolment and Admin Day Wednesday 29 August 2018 (To be confirmed closer to date) All students are expected to attend to sign up for class lists. This is also an opportunity to discuss choices with Subject Leaders.
ADMISSIONS ADMISSIONS Entry requirements At least five 9 to 4 (A* to C) grades at GCSE At least grade 4 in GCSE English language and mathematics. All subjects will have their own specific entry requirements which are detailed in the subject leaflets (enclosed). Average Point Score (APS) The Charter School Sixth Form uses the APS as an indication of academic potential. The APS is generated for each student based on their GCSE grades, including English Language and Maths. Students with a low APS will have an Information Advice and Guidance (IAG) meeting with the Director of Learning for Post 16 on Enrolment Day where a guided offer will be made. This offer will most likely include a combination of A Levels and BTECs.
The Charter School Red Post Hill London SE24 9JH Tel: 020 7346 6617 Fax: 020 7346 6601 Web: www.charter.southwark.sch.uk Email: sixthform@charter.southwark.sch.uk