We aim to treat Sixth Form students as responsible members of the community, and as young adults who need to take responsibility for their own learning and development. However, we do insist on the following and will endeavour to monitor our students’ adherence to these expectations and to communicate with their parents / carers accordingly:
- All students must register and attend every class for which they are timetabled, and at any other time specified by members of staff.
- All Sixth Form students must attend registration at 8.45am every day.
- Year 12 students must spend study periods on site until they are judged to be ‘on target’ and notified by their tutor that they may choose where to work during Period 4 – these students are still required to attend up until the end of Period 3 every day. Year 13 students who are considered to be ‘on target’ are free to spend all their study periods where they choose.
- All students must complete all work set to deadline and to the best of their ability.
- Students must treat college buildings and property, and the property of other students, with respect.
- Students must take responsibility for their academic performance.
- Students must be aware of, and adhere to, the ‘Sixth Form Protocol’.
Failure to conform to these requirements may, after due warning, lead to suspension or exclusion from the Sixth Form. In addition, for the safety of us all, and the good name of the Sixth Form as a whole, we ask that students should:
- Not smoke in any part of the Sixth Form, on any part of the site or within the grounds.
- Be appropriately dressed for a workplace – for example ripped jeans, crop-tops and t-shirts bearing slogans which some may find offensive are not permitted.
- Not use mobile phones or other electronic devices in lessons or tutorials without the express permission of their teacher or tutor, or on Centre Site.
The Sixth Form takes the most serious view of any form of substance misuse (a policy on this matter can be found at the main Centre Site Office).
Sixth Form Protocol
We aim to make your time in the Sixth Form an exciting learning journey. For this to happen, you need to take responsibility for your learning, and seek inspiration and motivation by getting down to work and learning the foundations of your courses. Your time is precious; you need to be proactive in seeking out work, and the support of staff, to ensure you make the most of study periods and your time out of school.
In the Sixth Form, how successful you are is mostly 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 are wasting your time, your teachers’ time and taxpayers’ money.
If you wish to change your timetable you must attend all sessions on it until you are notified that your timetable has been changed – following agreement of parents/carers and Senior Staff. It is never acceptable to not know where you are supposed to be!
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 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 and your pigeon hole regularly. Our policy is for staff to not use students’ personal emails for communication. We expect staff and students to respond to emails within three working days.
You need to attend all the sessions on your timetable, and work in school during your study periods, unless you have been given specific permission to work elsewhere by your tutor or a member of Sixth Form Senior Staff. Reasons for unavoidable absence must be communicated (in advance where possible) to Mrs Dean and to all teachers / tutors of missed sessions (email is usually the best means). Routine medical appointments, driving lessons and parcel delivery are not valid reasons for absence, but driving tests and some medical appointments are – check with Mrs Dean. You may be required to provide evidence of medical appointments and your parents/carers may need to provide a note depending on your pattern of attendance.
If a member of staff is absent work will be available from the Sixth Form Office. It is your responsibility to sign in on the sixth form noticeboard and to personally seek out this work and discuss with Mrs Langley or Mrs Dean if you can’t find it. You should complete the work in the normal lesson time and may be required to hand it in to the office at the end of the lesson.
Being on-time is extremely important – lateness without a valid reason will not be tolerated. If you are late to any session, you need to enter the classroom and wait just inside the door for your teacher or tutor to mark you as late in the register when this is convenient for them – they will then invite you to take a seat. You should explain why you are late when appropriate, but it is up to Mrs Langley and Mrs Dean to decide whether your reason is good enough to authorise the lateness – present your case in the Sixth Form Office.
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. In special cases, timetabled work experience can form part of your official study programme. If you are only following two A level courses or the equivalent, it is your responsibility to arrange at least one day a week of unpaid work experience relevant to your courses or future plans, and agree this through KAA.
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.
A deposit of £30 is payable in return for textbooks issued by the Resource Centre, and is refunded on completion of courses of study (usually at the end of Year 13). It is your responsibility to care for and return textbooks, and to buy replacements should they be lost or damaged.