Parents

A – Z of Sixth Form Life

Academic Tutoring Day

On two occasions during the academic year the whole school has an Academic Tutoring Day. On this day parents are assigned a time with the form tutor to discuss attainment and progress against subject targets. These are very important appointments. As it is normal school day students must follow the sixth form dress code.

ALPS

This is a system used in the sixth form to produce target grades. Progress towards these targets will be carefully monitored.  There will be 3 reports a year.

Assembly

There is 1 school assembly per week, Monday am. Students also attend whole school assemblies as and when scheduled. It is an expectation that sixth formers deliver assemblies at times during the school year.

A Level

An Advanced level GCE is studied for two years. A Levels are graded A* – E, the majority of students will study 3 subjects in year 12 and 3 in year 13. Students must pass year 12 in order to continue to A2.

Attendance

Attendance is a hugely important part of ensuring success. We expect 100% attendance. Students must arrive in school for registration by 8.30 and register for afternoon school. All absences must be reported to the Attendance Officer in school by 8.30 am on the first day of absence. Following an absence from school a letter signed by parent/carer must be provided and must be given to the Form Tutor. If a student knows in advance that he/she is going to be absent, the tutor must be informed of the reason. Emergency medical appointments, funerals, orthodontist appointments are acceptable reasons for planned absence. Driving tests, routine dental appointments, holiday visits are not. The pace of sixth form lessons moves much faster than at any point in a student’s education and missing any time will undoubtedly have an impact. If there are several unexplained absences, or if there is a pattern and attendance falls below 95% then parent /carers will be contacted. If necessary a meeting will be organised to discuss the reasons for poor attendance. We will do all we can to support any student who is absent from school due to on-going illness, but missing even a couple of days creates problems. Attendance data is based on attendance to am and pm registration, attendance to lessons and attendance during independent study periods will also be monitored.

Bursary

Eligible students are paid a Mulberry Stepney Green Sixth Form Bursary. As assessment is made of student need to identify who should be in receipt of support. Government guidance from 2020 has been followed. Exemplar form and information are available on Bursary tab of website.

Changing Subject Choices

A place in the sixth form is based on the courses applied for. If, in the time between choosing your course and starting in the sixth form, a student changes their mind about the subjects, it is possible to change the choice of courses. There must be room on the course and entry requirements must be met. The deadline for changing subject choice is mid September. Any changes will need to be carefully discussed with the sixth form team, subject teachers and parent / carers.

Dress Code

Mulberry Stepney Green Sixth Form has a formal dress code. All students dress in a business-like manner. Students are role models for the younger students in the school and their clothes reflect this. Collared shirt in a colour of choice. Dark coloured trousers/skirts. Dark coloured polishable shoes. A suit jacket. ID must be worn at all times. Headphones can be worn in sixth form study areas but not around school or in lessons. The dress code is to be strictly adhered to and students who are not dressed for learning will be expected to go home and change. We do not expect there to be any transgressions of the dress code.

Employment

Sixth form study is demanding in many respects and working part time outside of school may be distracting. We recommend that students spend 20 – 25 hours per week studying independently outside of lesson time, work can have an impact on well-being. We do, however, recognise the value of part time work both in terms of the money which can be earned but also in terms of the experience gained.

Enrichment activities

There is a rich programme of extracurricular activities scheduled throughout the year. We would like students to help shape this programme; the sixth form prefects will help to make some important decisions about charities to support, events to organise and trips to take part in. We value students contributions.

Examinations and Timetables

Public Examinations are sat according to the timetables published by the exam boards. The school has no control over when these exams are set. Occasionally there may be a clash with two examinations, if this happens then the examinations department will make special arrangements to allow students to sit exams out of normal time. students would be held in isolation to ensure exam regulations are strictly followed. Students are issued with a public exam timetable before the start of the exam series. They are responsible for ensuring that they arrive at the exam hall at the correct time.

Futures Week

Futures Week marks the start of Year 13 and of our Higher Education Programme.  There will be a Higher Education Conference, visits to universities and other activities designed to support students on their journey to university and on to independence.

ID Cards

Sixth Form students are expected to wear ID at all times. This is in line with safeguarding policies.

Independent Study

To achieve the highest grades students are expected to do at least 5 additional hours of study per subject, every week. What is expected by particular subject areas is set out in individual subject handbooks.

Laptops

Laptops will be available to borrow for sixth form students. These will be issued by the sixth form administrator and can be used throughout the day. Remember Stepney Green Campus is wireless connected so students will be able to study outside in the quad when the weather is good.

Library

A sixth form area is set aside for independent study in the school library. Reference books are available to borrow from the library and we encourage students to make full use of them to support studies. To achieve As and A*s students must be able to demonstrate understanding beyond the syllabus. Sixth Form Reference books will be clearly identified with a purple sticker. Access to online journals and careers / university software is also available.

Lunchtime Arrangements

Hot food will be provided in the school canteen, as a sixth former you will not be expected to queue. Students can leave the school at lunchtime, we will need parental permission to allow this to happen.

Parents Evenings

There will be one Parents’ Evening. This meeting will give your parents the opportunity to meet with your subject teachers and have an in depth conversation about your grades and your progress against targets. You will receive your annual written report at this event.

Progress Interviews

If a student is not demonstrating expected progress, support will be provided throughout the Progress Interview Process. There are three stages to this and would involve students, teachers and parents in identifying what needs to happen to make sure that the student reaches their potential.

PSHE

Sixth Form PSHE takes place on Monday morning. Students follow an important course to support them in their progression to university.

Registration

Students must register for school during morning and afternoon registration, teachers will also register attendance to lessons. Morning registration gives the opportunity to touch base with tutor to pick up notices and so on. There is a programme to follow each day.

Re sits / Re marks

It is possible to request remarks if teachers feel it would benefit students, or request to have your papers returned. There may be a cost associated to this.

References

References for paid work or other related activities can be provided by a students form tutor. UCAS references are extremely important especially if students are applying to prestigious, competitive courses. A lot of thought and effort goes into writing UCAS references. We will ensure that references are written by a teacher who knows a student well as a learner, all teachers will contribute are enabling one member of the sixth form team to complete the final draft. Students will be given the opportunity to contribute to the process during meetings with your reference writer.

Rewards

We think it is important to reward sixth formers to recognise hard work, achievements and contribution to the school community. Rewards may be in the form of house points, certificates or prizes.

Study Leave

There will be no study leave. During exam periods students will be given a flexible timetable to offer the best support possible.

Student Leadership

At Mulberry Stepney Green we see that sixth formers will be important role models for the whole school community, we also recognise that they are on the road to independence. To support students, we will offer opportunities to develop and demonstrate leadership skills. The Student President, Vice President and prefect body will be selected from the sixth form students.

UCAS

All applications to British universities are made using the University Common Application System. This is an on line facility which enables students to apply to universities of choice. Students will be very well supported in this exciting and important decision. In the first instance students need to choose 5 courses to apply for; when you receive your offers you will choose one firm offer and one insurance place. Students will be become very familiar with this process because of the support they will receive from their tutors, the rest of the sixth form team and other experts who will be invited into school to advise you.

Virtual Learning Environment

As students prepare for university life and study, it will become increasingly important to use a virtual learning environment to organise and access learning resources. Teachers will make resources available to students through Microsoft Teams and students may be expected to submit assessments using this process.