Sixth Form Parent Guide

Illness

For illness, please either phone 01722 333851, email sixth@bws.wilts.sch.uk or fill in the absence form in Bromcom on the morning of absence. For absence/holiday requests please send us a letter, email or use the request for absence form in Insight.

Registration and attendance

Students are required to attend school for any morning commitments such as assembly or cathedral service, which usually run from 9am, or where there are no morning commitments, their first lesson of the day. They will be registered in these sessions.

Regular medical, dental, optical appointments and driving lessons etc should not be scheduled during the school day.

It is vitally important that high levels of attendance are maintained throughout the year. This includes regular attendance at assemblies, enrichment sessions and mentoring meetings.

Organisation
Some student work will be completed on A4 paper and kept in files but some departments may also encourage the digital storage of work on MS Teams. Whatever their format, files must be well-organised at all times and there will be periodic file checks.

Independent Study
It is expected that Year 12 students should spend about 3-4 hours per subject per week in independent study - a total of 12-16 hours per week. In Year 13 students are expected to commit to 4-5 hours per subject per week. Independent study is by no means purely about completing homework. Important as it is to meet all homework deadlines and to submit work that reflects a student’s full effort and ability, at A Level students are expected to go beyond this. Students must use their independent study time to consolidate their class learning, learn material, review and organise their notes and files and keep up-to-date on coursework assignments. Teachers will also expect students to compete further reading where appropriate. Supervised Private Study periods provide the opportunity to complete such tasks.

Study periods in School
Students are required to be present for all of their timetabled study periods within school in the correct room unless they have specific instruction to do otherwise from their subject teacher or mentor. In year 12 and 13 there will be compulsory supervised private study sessions but students may leave the School if they have no timetabled lessons or Supervised Study. All Students must register every morning regardless of their timetable

Study at Home
Students can get a lot of work done during the school day if they use their private study time sensibly. However, private study will inevitably extend outside school hours. Students must establish a work routine at home where students should expect to complete work on week days as well as at the weekend. A quiet place to work, away from distractions, is very helpful.  Access to our ICT systems from home is also available, please see the ICT Team in IT1 for more information.

Paid employment
Students must be very careful to prioritise their academic work. However the experience and skills gained from part-time employment are also recognised. Students should establish work routines before committing to paid work and must never take on too much - either Saturday or Sunday work is ample given the need to complete school work on weekday evenings. No more than 10 hours paid work per week should be undertaken.

Communication with students
All homework is set via MS Teams. Students are required to check both their School email messages and Teams account every day. 

Consultation Evenings and Reports
Each year group will have one parent consultation evening each academic year. These will all be online via SchoolCloud, and dates will be notified in advance and via the main school calendar. There will also be a 'by invitation' consultation evening for each year group where specific students and their parents will be invited in for face to face meetings to discuss specific learning issues.

Year 12 reports are issued in November and July. Year 13 reports are issued in December and March. All reports will be issued digitally via Bromcom.

Mock Examinations
Year 12 mock examinations - early summer term

Year 13 mock examinations - early spring term

Public examinations
A2 examinations take place in May/June 

A level results day falls in August - the date is available via exam board websites, the national media and on the school website. Results are issued direct to students digitally. School staff are available in the Sixth Form Office and Careers Office on the day for consultation and guidance.

Mentor
Your son/daughter has an academic mentor who will meet with him/her every three weeks. It is your son/daughter's responsibility to arrange and attend meetings. You are welcome to contact your son/daughter's mentor at any time.

Enrichment, Sport, Community Service and Clubs & Societies
All Sixth Form students are encouraged to take part in healthy sporting activity on Wednesday afternoons. There are opportunities to help in the local community, a number of enrichment options are also available and are regularly advertised to students. We host regular talks and other events and visits and a large number of outside speakers visit the School in the course of the year.

House system
Every Sixth Form student belongs to a House and there are many House competitions throughout the year.

Leadership
Experience in leadership is possible in a number of ways at School but most obviously through the Prefect system.

Uniform
Sixth Form students are required to wear smart business dress - full details are on the sixth form section of the website.

Parking
There are no facilities for student parking at School. Britford Lane and the Friary must never be used for private parking. Bike shelters are provided on site and Sixth Formers may leave bikes overnight. It is advisable they are locked securely.

Careers Advice
Mrs Armstrong is the School's Careers Adviser. Students can arrange an appointment by emailing or messaging her.

Financial Support - the 16-19 Bursary
Details and an application form are sent home at the start of the academic year. Further details can be obtained at any time from either the Finance Office or the Sixth Form Office.

The Bursary Application Form is available at the bottom of this page

Other key events

• Higher Education and Careers Conference (Year 12) in the spring term (this is a  staff training day but all Year 12 students are required to participate)

UCAS Submission Dates for Year 13 students

These will be notified to all students via Teams, but in general priority applications should be submitted by late September and the deadline for the remainder is usually in early November each year  

The School-Student Learning Agreement

The main expectations are set out in this important document, signed by your son/daughter and also endorsed by you as parents. A copy of this Agreement can be found in the Sixth Form Handbook.

We wish all our students great success in the coming academic year.