SIXTH FORM AT EASTBOURNE COLLEGE
Moving to the sixth form is a very significant step in your personal approach to academic work. For the first time, you have an almost completely free choice of subjects and you will have the opportunity to study those that interest you in real depth. This booklet has been designed to help you choose those subjects. It contains descriptions of all the subjects on offer in the sixth form and some other useful information about working as a sixth form pupil. You will not be able to make choices from this booklet alone – indeed one of the sections in it is about other people you should discuss your choices with. Nonetheless, it should provide answers to many of the questions which you are likely to be asking at this stage, and we hope that you will find it helpful as you consider your options for the sixth form at Eastbourne College.
Why is the sixth form different? In timetabled lessons your teachers will increasingly be looking to you to take charge of your own studies. They will help to guide you through the key parts of the course and they will set you assignments which will develop your understanding, but they will also expect you to take over the principal responsibility for your own learning. Our aim is to help you to prepare for independent work and study at university or in a career. Before you accept the challenge of sixth form education, we expect a commitment from you to invest time and effort in sustained and thought- provoking academic endeavour. What will my study programme look like? The majority of sixth formers will study for three full A-levels over two years. You will have eleven timetabled lessons over two weeks for each subject and you will normally work with two teachers in one subject. In addition, each subject will set between four and six hours of prep per week, together with an expectation of wider reading and individual research. A very small minority of pupils may wish to study four full A-levels, for example someone studying further maths. Anyone considering studying four subjects must first consult carefully with their hsm, tutor and Mr P J Canning.
Sixth form pupils are then expected to enrich their learning with an individually focused programme of further study and scholarship activity, called the Fourth Block. For many this will mean working towards an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). The EPQ allows you to immerse yourself in an area of personal interest, drawing together strands of enquiry, research and academic writing. Further information regarding the EPQ can be found later in this guide. For others, working towards an Arts Gold Award (or a similar nationally recognised qualification) will make up part of their timetabled programme. The PSHE programme continues in the sixth form and aims to underpin the teaching and learning of A-level subjects, broaden horizons and general culture, and explore some of the skills required by society in general, by universities and by the world of work. You will be encouraged to debate and challenge issues, think critically and keep developing independent understanding. Other sixth form experiences include careers insight evenings, a futures day and a leadership and management conference.
We expect an average of grade 6 across GCSE subjects for entry into the sixth form and also expect pupils to achieve a grade 7 in the subjects which they wish to take for A-level. For those subjects which aren’t offered at GCSE, we would expect a grade 7 in equivalent subjects. For example, a pupil wishing to study economics may be expected to have achieved grade 7 in GCSE mathematics.
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