Sixth Form Curriclum

Curriculum Intent

Our mission is to be a school where student development and learning are at the centre of everything we do. Students are expected to strive for personal excellence and demonstrate a commitment to learning as they fulfil their potential. Our community is a nurturing and caring one, where students are encouraged to show compassion, friendship and support towards one another. We aim to provide an education which is fully inclusive, where every child is valued for who they are and who they can become and this is delivered in s Sixth Form that is holistically centred.

 

Churchdown School provides a high quality of education for students with a wide variety of interests, aptitudes and abilities. With this in mind we have developed a curriculum that offers a range of Level 3 courses and, for students who narrowly miss out on achieving grade 4 in GCSE English or Mathematics but who have met our entrance criteria for at least three Level 3 courses, we offer GCSE resit classes in both English and Mathematics.

 

Students can select from a range different Level 3 qualifications. We offer a wide range of subjects in both A Level and BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificates, Students choose these courses after one-to-one guidance from staff and the support of the Sixth Form team.

Students can pick up to four different subjects based on their Key Stage 4 results and the Pathway they can select from. Each subject will be timetabled with 10 hours lesson time over the fortnight cycle.

A Level	Examination board
Art (Fine Art)	OCR
Art (Photography)	OCR
Biology	OCR
Business Studies	Eduquas
Chemistry	OCR
Drama	Edexcel
DT Graphis/Textile/Resistant Materials	Edexcel
English	AQA
Film Studies	AQA
French	AQA
German	AQA
Geography	Edexcel
Mathematics	Edexcel
Further Mathematics	Edexcel
Media Studies	AQA
Physics	OCR
Sociology	AQA
Spanish	AQA

 

Applied BTEC Level 3 Courses

All our Applied BTEC are the equivalent of one A Level.

 

Applied BTEC courses
BTEC Business Studies	BTEC Media Studies	BTEC ICT	BTEC Applied Science	BTEC Applied Law	BTEC Applied Psychology	Music Rockschool	BTEC Travel and Tourism
BTEC PE	BTEC Computing

 

These academic qualifications form only a part of the wider Sixth Form study programme. Students are also given weekly IAG sessions through Form time where they are directed towards particular tasks that will help them plan and prepare for their future career paths. Year 12 and 13 students divide their time between delivered lesson, supervised study and non-contact time. Supervised study is spent in the quiet Sixth Form work area. Year 13 students also have one Assessment Lesson per cycle that provides a silent time to work on exam preparations.  The remainder of students’ time can be spent completing enrichment activities or with friends whilst remaining on School site.

The offer will change each year according to pupil's needs and appropriate course numbers

 

Weekly tutorial and one-to-one programme

Students have a 20 minute group tutorial each day covering PSCHE topics and preparation for the next stages in their learning journey. An academic mentoring programme with their form tutor helps review their progress and provide additional IAG. Form tutors are there to provide praise and additional support as required and form time is an essential component of our Sixth Form life.

Enrichment Activities

Enrichment is a compulsory element of our sixth form programme. Students choose from a wide range of activities. Pupils are encouraged to take part in activities such sport, music and drama, also activities aimed at developing team-working and leadership skills as well as youth social action. Students are expected to complete 50 hours of enrichment each year and this is logged by students.

Work experience is also central to this programme. All students undertake a range of bespoke work experience opportunities to prepare them for their post-18 choices. Students complete one week of work experience in the final week of Year 12 although the process of preparing for this begins in September of Year 12.

Additional specialist support is also provided. The UCAS programme provides the opportunity to visit universities and meet university admissions tutors from a range of institutions. Frequent visits from speakers across a range of professions and backgrounds are also part of this programme. We work extensively with local universities to ensure that students have the best possible access to higher education. As part of our commitment to high quality IAG we also provide a great deal of support to students wishing to pursue alternative pathways and we have links with local employers such as Santander, HMRC, Agent Marketing and Shop Direct.