From The Headteacher, Mr Hanson

This is a really exciting time for you as you make the crucial decision about

where to continue your studies after GCSEs. Our Sixth Form offers you a great range of subjects and will provide you with all the support that you need to achieve excellent results. Sixth Form students at Pershore enjoy high levels of academic success, with outcomes that are amongst the best in Worcestershire.  Our Sixth Form students play a vital part in the life of the school and mature into impressive young people who greatly enjoy the breadth of opportunities for student leadership.

Our Sixth Form is a very friendly place; every year we welcome students from other schools who quickly settle in and enjoy the new friendships they make here. We get to know our students well, caring for them as individuals and ensuring that our provision meets their needs.  We challenge all to take a full and active part in school life and make the most of the great opportunities we provide.

From The Sixth Form Team

The most striking aspect of Pershore Sixth Form is the friendly and supportive atmosphere. The Sixth Form students here have a variety of skills and talents and co-exist happily in a co-operative community; those entering the Sixth Form from other schools settle in very quickly.  They are purposeful in their work and mature in their outlook. The staff are extremely dedicated and put huge amounts of time and energy into their work.

This Sixth Form Team comprises Zoe Starkey (Head of Sixth Form) and Cassie Waters (Sixth Form Pastoral Manager), supported by Jason Howell (Assistant Headteacher and Post-16 Raising Standards Leader). There is always someone available to help.

Realising Your Potential

A programme, tailored to the needs of each individual student, is provided for all to be able to recognise their potential and develop into healthy, confident young people that leave with the skills necessary to cope with life beyond Sixth Form.

At the start of Year 12, you will be set challenging, aspirational target grades. Your progress will be reviewed regularly and swift action taken to tackle underperformance. If required, study support sessions will ensure that your full potential is achieved. We work closely with parents/carers, teachers and support staff to ensure that effective action is taken when required.

Independent Study

We recognise that studying at A Level is challenging therefore we provide an excellent balance between the flexibility to work independently and the structure to support success. Each subject has a 10th Period in addition to the normal 9 hours per fortnight of specialist teacher contact. These sessions are used for formal assessment under exam conditions, leaving more contact time with specialists to be used for teaching and learning. In addition, you will have a small portion of your non-contact time formally timetabled in a silent supervised study area to enable you to structure your independent study time effectively.

To support all our students with their studies over the two years we work closely with Educate Elevate, a company who provide guidance and workshops to assist students with study skills, revision and preparing for examinations.

The Sixth Form Centre

The Sixth Form Centre (with its own Wifi!) comprises a large common room (with a range of seating, a kitchen and vending machines), ICT Suite (with 40 workstations), a brand new café, serving a wide selection of delicious hot and cold food and drinks, a large (regularly supervised) study room and a range of large and small study rooms to allow individual students to choose the optimal place to study and relax.

Elevate

The Elevate programme was introduced to support those students considering applications to Oxbridge, Veterinary Science, Medicine, Dentistry and other highly competitive courses at the top universities. These students will be offered ‘mock’ interview sessions with a senior teacher, the opportunity to attend a variety of masterclasses at the universities, tutorials on applying to competitive courses and small tailored sessions to prepare them for the highest academic rigour.

Careers and Employability Programme

We hope that your time in the Sixth Form at Pershore High School will be a great journey of both learning and personal development and we recognise that, as part of that, it needs to equip you for your future life.

There is an increasingly broad range of options to consider post-18. Whilst Higher Education and full time degree courses are still the most popular destination post A Level, national, global and local employers are recognising that this might not always be the best route into their profession or industry. Apprenticeship options at all levels, including Higher and Degree Apprenticeships schemes are increasing in number.  We offer tailored support whichever route most appeals and in addition 1:1 guidance from our professional Careers Adviser. The Sixth Form programme includes a range of careers management workshops and a mock employer interview. The two day Sixth Form ‘Futures’ event together with regular careers talks throughout the year will provide the opportunity for you to meet a wide range of different employers and representatives from a range of industries and the chance to be inspired and explore career ideas in more depth.

Future employers both post-18 and post graduate really value experience in the workplace so you will be expected to complete a full week of work experience towards the end of Year 12. In addition, you will be encouraged to undertake at least 60 hours of other extra activity (volunteering, sports  activities, participating in school productions etc.) to further develop your skills and experiences.

Between 75% and 90% of students leave Year 13 to go onto university, some after an exciting gap year and some to Oxbridge or to read Medicine or Veterinary Science.

Linear A Levels

Most students select 3 subjects in Year 12 with the intention to complete the two-year A Level course in each. Students have the option to take 4 subjects if they wish. The majority of students will not sit AS examinations at the end of Year 12. The rationale for this approach is clear:

Students and teachers are able to focus throughout the two year course on the standard and type of assessment demanded by the A Level examinations. Students and teachers avoid losing a significant amount of teaching time preparing for AS examinations.  The very significant content of the new linear A Level courses is covered earlier, allowing more time for consolidation and revision. An AS is now only worth 40% of the UCAS points for an A Level. Most universities ask for 3 A Level grades – the emphasis is on the quality of these grades. Students commit fully to 3 subjects from the start of Year 12, avoiding a 4th subject that they might be less interested in, or motivated to study.  Students have longer to mature academically before taking an external assessment - weak AS grades are not helpful when applying to higher education.

Note - the Level 3 qualifications in Business Studies, Digital Media, Food Science & Nutrition and Sports & Physical Activity will have exams and external assessments in Year 12 which can result in a qualification at that point or the marks can be carried forward into Year 13.

Your Individual Programme

Academic achievement is important however, we believe that it is important to the health and well-being our students that they have opportunities to enrich their Sixth Form experience. We off r a broad and extensive Elective programme, which typically includes:

• Extended Project Qualification (equivalent to 50% of an A Level)
• Politics AS Level
• Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Gold
• Arts Award Gold (Level 3)
• Engineering Education Scheme
• Young Enterprise
• Sports Leadership Award (Level 2)
• Italian
• Spanish
• Formula One (F1) Challenge
• Drama (Lambda exams)
• Modern Foreign Languages Leader Award
• Latin (up to GCSE)
• Recreational Sport
• Survival (Culinary Skills)
• Community Service
• Classroom Support
• Peer Mentoring
• House Captains
• Academic Mentoring
• Academic Scholars
• Societies

All Sixth Form students are required to choose an Elective, which will usually occupy about 1 hour a week. Many of these result in a formal qualification or award. A booklet with details of all the options will be available in March.

You can also benefit from an extensive range of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) that you can access freely at any time; examples range from Astrophysics to Zoology. These provide the opportunity for you to extend your passion for a subject though topics you may not get to study within the A Level specification or simply to try something completely different.

Student leadership opportunities are offered both within the Sixth Form and with the younger students. Many students help in lower school classes with literacy, maths or subject specialisms. You will also have the opportunity to take responsibility as a Lunchtime Supervisor.

All students also receive a rich and varied PSHE programme that covers a range of topics from ‘Driving safely’ through to CPR and strategies to support stress and anxiety.  In addition to the above, there are also a wealth of extra-curricular activities on offer. These include Sixth Form sports, a visit to the German Christmas market, the legendary Inflatables Day, the New York trip, yoga sessions, Winter Ball and many more.

Sixth Form Specific Tutors

In addition to their current tutors all students are assigned an additional SF tutor, who they will meet with every 2 weeks for one hour.  These tutors are there to

• To provide additional support
• To deliver RSHE
• To support with Post 18 options
• To discuss any general concerns
• To provide another layer of pastoral support

In each subject area there is the opportunity for you to become an ambassador for the subject. This means that you would take a leadership role in promoting that subject area to the lower school students. It is an excellent opportunity to pass on your passion and enthusiasm. You will assist at Open Evening events and will deliver short workshops on your chosen topic area.

Timetable for Applications

Sixth Form Open Evening on Thursday 16th November 2023 from 6pm

Information on each subject offered and overviews from subject leaders.

Interviews – Autumn Term:

We will interview you individually to ensure that you have all the information you require to make the correct choices. Many students receive a 2nd interview in early January to help them finalise their choices.

Applications Deadline - January 29th 2024:

To complete an application, please go to the following link:

Offers for Sixth Form:

Formal offers of places will be made in late March.

Sixth Form Induction Days:

Over two days following the completion of the GCSE exams in June.  Two lessons in each of your chosen subjects to kick-start your courses and help you check you have made the right decision.

Entry Requirements

Students entering the Sixth Form must have a minimum of 7 GCSEs, 5 at G4 plus 2 at G5. Many subjects have an additional requirement of a GCSE at G7, G6 or G5 in that, or a closely related, subject. These are detailed on the Subjects and Entry Requirements link below. Different subjects have different demands and the Sixth Form team and subject teachers will take time to discuss the suitability of your individual programme of study.

For you to succeed it is crucial that your courses accurately match your ability, qualifications and aspirations. We will always consider individual cases and take into account particular circumstances.

GCSE English and Maths

Owing to the importance of GCSE English and Mathematics for employment and entry to Higher Education, we provide (compulsory) lessons to enable Sixth Form students to resit and achieve the minimum of a G4 in each. We also offer any student with a G4 in either Mathematics or English lessons to allow them to resit and achieve a higher grade.

16-19 Learner Support Bursary

Each year the school is given funding to reduce financial barriers to participation and achievement in Post-16 education. Students in defined vulnerable groups (e.g. CLA) can receive £1200 over the course of each year. Priority for the remaining funds will be given to those students eligible for Free School Meals (for further information, go to http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/info/20062/schools/684/applying_for_free_school_meals)

Other students in genuine hardship can apply for assistance using an internal application form, available from the Sixth Form. Awards will be, where possible, for benefits-in-kind e.g. transport costs, educational equipment, school trips etc. All awards are conditional on very high levels of attendance and a consistently good attitude to learning.

Please click on the courses link below to hear information about the subjects from the staff and to hear student views on the subject.