Life in the Sixth Form

Life in the Sixth Form (16-19 Study Programmes)

How do we meet the 16-19 study programme requirements?

All Sixth Form establishments that are funded by the ESFA have to ensure that they meet the criteria set out in the government’s 16-19 study programmes guidance. The criteria, and how we meet them as a Sixth Form, are all detailed below:

All students must follow a structured study programme

All students at Chenderit Sixth Form complete substantial qualifications. We offer a wide variety of A Level subjects for students who wish to follow a mainly academic pathway, a selection of Cambridge Technical and National Diploma subjects for students who wish to take a more vocational pathway, and also GCSE and Level 2 qualifications to support students who have not yet achieved these.
All study programmes will require students to complete a minute of 580 hours of planned activities per year, including qualification and non-qualification activities. This is in line with the government’s guidance in regards to the 40 additional hours required in each full time student’s study programme, and this additional time will be used to support students with study skills and their mental health and wellbeing.
Study programmes also have set characteristics; students must complete 3 A Levels or equivalent whilst studying at Chenderit and also complete the tutor time programme, organise and complete a work experience placement at the end of Year 12 and attend Core and Directed Study lessons which provide them with transferrable skills that support their progression onto university, apprenticeships or employment.

Students who have not yet obtained a GCSE grade 4 in Mathematics are required to continue to work and obtain this qualification.

Students who wish to study at Chenderit but have not yet obtained a grade 4 in their Mathematics GCSE are required to attend timetabled lessons to help support them in gaining this qualification.
Our Sixth Form Study Skills Supervisor, Mrs Smith, also works with our resit students in small focus groups to develop their confidence and competence and help them to gain a grade 4.

All students must take part in some form of work-related activity that will enable them to develop critical employability skills needed for real working conditions. These should be meaningful non-qualification activities and should take into account their needs and career plans, as well as prepare them for adult life more general.

All Year 12 students are required to organise and take part in a compulsory week of work experience at the end of Year 12. Students spend tutor time and core lessons investigating their placements to ensure that they are searching for placements that will allow them to develop skills and have experiences that link to their overall careers goals, making it purposeful and meaningful. All students receive a work experience booklet to plan their placement and also track and review their progress throughout. Our tutor team also request feedback from employers for each student so we can measure the progress students have made throughout the duration of their placements.
The tutor time programme is well structured and comprehensive; issues such as radicalisation and extremism are studied, alongside how to manage personal finances and how to revise effectively for examinations.
Students are also required to complete 30 hours of enrichment throughout Year 12. This work can range from volunteering in lessons within the school community, to completing wider commitments such as the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, or volunteering in various community organisations.
The school also runs a careers fair for all Year 12 students, where different employers, universities and apprenticeship providers all run sessions that students can choose to attend. Alongside this, further careers support and guidance is available when we attend the UCAS Exhibition and the UK Employment and Apprenticeship Fair throughout the year.
Students are actively encouraged to attend taster and open days for different employers and universities to allow them to gain a first-hand insight into what each progression route would be like once they leave the Sixth Form.
In order to prepare students for applications, we run a detailed personal statement programme. This begins in tutor time, where students will complete a booklet to analyse what an effective personal statement looks like and begin to draft their own statements based off the advice and guidance they receive from this, and their tutors. We also have external presenters from Russell Group universities such as the University of Southampton who deliver interactive sessions to our students about how to structure their personal statements. Students then use these experiences and information to create personal statements for their UCAS applications, or covering letters for their employment or apprenticeship applications.
Organisations such as the National Citizen Service (NCS) deliver a session to our students to promote the programme and allow our students to apply. Each year, many of our students complete the programme, helping them to build the key skills needed for work and life in general.
We offer a variety of leadership opportunities for our students within the Sixth Form. The Sixth Form Ambassadors are a group of students who take on responsibility within our community; their roles include a Charity Ambassador, Wellbeing Ambassador, and a range of Subject Ambassadors who work closely with each subject area to promote them across the entire school community. This group of students all apply for their positions and are interviewed by the Headteacher and the Sixth Form Team, and they are involved in decision making for the Sixth Form community alongside the Sixth Form Team.
Teambuilding activities and trips take place from the induction process at the end of Year 11, all the way through to the end of Year 13. Students take part in teambuilding exercises, community breakfasts, Charities Week and other exciting trips to areas such as Barcelona. All of these activities allow our Sixth Formers to become resilient and bond as a community.

Students are encouraged to participate in youth social action in order to create positive change

Chenderit Sixth Form is a tight knit and welcoming community. As part of this reputation, long standing traditions such as the Sixth Form Charities Week are held every year at the end of the Autumn Term. Our Sixth Form students take complete ownership of this week and the charitable events that take place during it. As a community, all students vote for three charities that they would like to donate the proceeds from the donations to. They then independently organise the activities that they would like to run; these can vary from staff and student basketball matches to lip sync karaoke battles! The students have raised in excess of £1000 in recent years, helping to contribute to work undertaken by important charities such as the British Heart Foundation, Katharine’s House Hospice and Cancer Research UK.
Our Sixth Form students also work to benefit our community through their enrichment work. Students work in lessons as teaching assistants, helping to promote progress for our younger students.
Key campaigns such as Anti-Bullying Week provide our students with a unique opportunity to ensure that social issues are addressed and positive change can be caused. Our student leaders play a key role here in working with the entire school community, particularly our Anti Bullying Ambassador and our Charities Ambassador.
Each year, a group of Sixth Formers work closely with Year 7 students to mentor them and help them to develop their reading skills. This commitment to the wider community is a pleasure to watch and again shows what makes our community so special.

What subjects do we offer at Chenderit?
Click here to see the details of the subjects we offer as part of our Sixth Form study programme

Pastoral Care in the Sixth Form
Click here to see information on pastoral care and bursaries

Experience of Work Week
Click here to see information on the annual Experience of Work week

Enrichment
Click here to see information about the Sixth Form enrichment programme